Planning a carpentry career can be like any other career that you get into. In order to be successful, learning more about carpentry is important before you make your decision of following this career path. It is important for you to consider if it is something that you would love to do. A career can only be enriching and successful if a person finds the passion in doing it for a lifetime.
Carpentry Occupations
Once you have decided that it is the path that you would love to take, you would then need to know the different routes that you may wish to take in carpentry. It is not merely a general profession in the strictest sense. The carpentry profession can also lead you to choose from a wide range of possible fields of specialty. Here is a list of some of them:
Framer
A framer is a carpenter that builds the skeletal structure or framework of buildings. Such a task also requires special knowledge and experience that not all entry level carpenters may be adept at. There are techniques to be learned and mastered in areas such as platform framing, balloon framing, or timber framing. Framers usually do the preliminary work.
Mayster
A mayster is a type of carpenter that does rough carpentry. A mayster usually follows up on the work of the framer and also does large scale carpentry work such as structural form work, framing and roofing. They usually build up the basic structure for buildings and does not usually involve polishing or fine detailing. Skills that maysters require include basic carpentry knowledge and proficiency.
Finish Carpenter
A finish carpenter is the type of carpenter specializing in finishing work. They are also commonly called as joiners. Tasks included in the work of a finish carpenter usually involve working with home interiors, furniture, cabinets, and even wooden instruments. The work requires skilled expertise since it involves working with accurate joints where the least margin for error is always important.
Ship’s Carpenter
A ship’s carpenter may be a specialty in itself unlike other fields in the craft. In order to qualify, one should specialize in the area of shipbuilding, particularly in maintenance and repair. There are also types of carpentry specific to nautical needs, which may require further training.
Trim Carpenter
Trim carpenters specialize in doing molding and trim work. This job requires a highly specialized skill. Most of the jobs that a trim carpenter does involve creating wooden installations such as doors, cabinets and window casings.
Cabinetmaker
A cabinetmaker is also considered as a carpenter since the work mostly involves wood as the primary material. Not only is this type of work dependent on basic carpentry knowledge and skills, some bit of artistic ability and creativity would also work to a cabinetmaker’s advantage. This type of carpenter usually does fine and detailed work making different types and sizes of cabinets.
The work can include making wardrobes, dressers, storage chests, and other types of wooden furniture designed for storage.