Carpenters Saw it Coming.
A carpenter was giving evidence about an accident he had witnessed. The lawyer for the defendant was trying to discredit him and asked him how far away he was from the accident. The carpenter replied, "Twenty-seven feet, six and one-half inches."
"What? How come you are so sure of that distance?" asked the lawyer.
"Well, I knew sooner or later some idiot would ask me. So I measured it!" replied the carpenter.
Carpenters are essential to all kinds of construction, from the building of roads and bridges to the installing of home furniture. Carpenters construct, put up, install, and fix structures and fixtures made from wood and other materials.
Each carpentry task is unique but very similar to all others. Most will call for the same basic steps. Visualizing from blueprints or instructions from supervisors, carpenters first do the layout—measuring, marking, and arranging materials—in compliance with local building codes.
They cut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass, or drywall using hand and power tools, such as chisels, planes, saws, drills, and sanders. They then join the materials with nails, screws, staples, or adhesives. In the last step, carpenters do a final check of the accuracy of their work with levels, rules, plumb bobs, framing squares, and surveying equipment, and make any necessary adjustments.
When working with ready-made parts, such as stairs or wall panels, the carpenter’s job is assembly of pieces.
Some carpenters do multiple carpentry tasks, while others specialize in one or two. Carpenters who remodel homes, for example, need a wide range of carpentry skills. As part of just one job, for example, they may frame walls and partitions, put in doors and windows, build staircases, install cabinets and molding, and complete many other tasks. Because these carpenters are so competent they can often move between residential building to commercial construction and remodeling work, according to market demand.
Carpenters employed by construction contractors may do several regular major tasks, such as building wooden forms for pouring concrete, or erecting scaffolding. Some carpenters build tunnel bracing, or brattices, in underground passageways and mines to control the flow of air through the passageways to worksites. Others build concrete forms for tunnels, bridges, or sewer projects.
Carpenters employed outside of construction do yet another mixed bag of installation and maintenance work. They may work with panes of glass, ceiling tiles, and doors, as well as fixing all kinds of furniture. Depending on the employer needs, carpenters may get called on to install partitions, doors, and windows; change locks; and repair broken furniture. In manufacturing firms, carpenters may help with machinery movement and layout.
You do not need any formal qualifications to become a carpenter or joiner, but employers tend to want people with some on-site experience. If you have not worked in construction before, then you could work as a joiner's mate or labourer to gain site experience. Once working, your employer may be willing to offer you training in carpentry and joinery.
You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. To be eligible, you will have GCSE standard schooling or vocational qualifications such as Edexcel Introductory Certificate or Diploma in Construction, which contains options for carpenters.
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