Carpentry VS Woodworking…!!

Woodworking is a vast field and have existed alongside Carpentry from centuries. Arguments were always on to debate, which is better, which is profitable, which is harder and so on. Here we talk on different aspects, to find out, what's what and who is crown bearer.

These two terms are widely used interchangeably. And why not, cause they have many similarities between them. Similar tools, raw materials and techniques. Carpentry is a specialized skill and is a part of woodworking, while latter is a very wide field. We all might get confused sometimes when we need to do some woodwork at home- Should we call a ‘’Carpenter’ or a ‘woodworker’?? Question remained there in last century and still stands strong. Let’s take a simple example of manufacturing a wooden wardrobe in workshop, bringing it to site in knock down, flat packed condition and installing it. In this process, making of wardrobe comes under woodworking and installation of it comes under carpentry. Let’s move forward and talk more specifically about these argued terms,

WHAT IS WHAT ??

Carpentry is a skilled trade, in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and fixing of timber components at project site. Installation of all the wooden structures involved in construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork etc. is called Carpentry. Installation of staircases, building roofs, windows, door frames, wall panels, pergolas and gazebos are few examples of Carpentry. It consists of limited types of woodwork and person performing carpentry is called a Carpenter. It requires skills and practice to be a good carpenter.

In the past, when buildings were often wholly constructed of timber framing, the carpenter played a considerable part in building construction; along with the mason he was the principal building worker. The scope of the carpenter’s work has altered, however, with the passage of time. Increasing use of concrete and steel construction, means that the carpenter plays a smaller part in making the framework of buildings. On the other hand, in the construction of temporary formwork and shuttering for concrete building, the carpenter’s work has greatly increased.

Generally carpentry is categorized as Rough or Finish carpentry. Overall we can divide it as below;

• Rough carpentry — Framing, formwork, roofing and other structural work.
• Joister — Lays floor joists onto which a floor surface is fixed.
• Trim carpentry — Specialize in moldings and trims, such as mantles, skirting boards and other ornamental work.
• Cabinet carpentry — Make cabinets as well as other furniture such as dressers, wardrobe and so on.
• Ship carpentry — Specialize in ship and boat building.
• Framer — Specialize in the formwork of building.
• Roofer — Specialize in the rafters, beams and trusses of roof construction.

Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood inside a workshop or factory. It includes cabinet making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, woodturning, Veneering, Glulam or any other woodwork which prepare finished wooden products in assembled or knock down condition.

These products are made inside a workshop or factory and are meant only to be installed at the site. Products do not require any cutting shaping or polishing, and are ready for end use immediately after installation. Person making wooden products or their parts inside a factory is called woodworker or joiner. As we know woodworking is a vast field so, obviously it has many forms or types as given below,

• Carving — Carving is the act of using sharp and special shape tools to shape something from wood by scraping away its portions.

• Veneering — Application or use of thin slices of wood on parts of furniture to give it a look, as if it is made of wood. Cutting different veneers and joining them to make different designs comes under veneering.
• Furniture making — machining and joining wood components using special purpose machines or by hands, to make a furniture.
• Turning — Scrapping of rotating wood piece to give desired shape, using special purpose sharp metal tools.
• Luthiers — A luthier is a craftsperson who builds and repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box.

SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT ??

Carpenters and woodworkers both build things out of wood, and while their job responsibilities are similar, their day-to-day activities are quite different. A carpenter usually works at a construction site, such as a home or office being built, while a woodworker typically works in a factory or workshop setting.

While both having a lots of similarities, still they have many differences. This made them exist till today with a question mark and like a mystery still remain unsolved.

HOW THEY ARE SIMILAR ??

Let’s list out similarities between them, which go as below;

• Use most of the time same raw materials, which is mostly wood, engineered wood or wood based materials.
• Use same types of hand tools.
• Use same type of power tools.
• Use similar floor machines, like table saw.
• Use bench top machines like mitre saw, planer or thickness planer.
• Use same types of screws, nails, fasteners and hardware.
• Use same type of measuring, marking, levelling or setting out techniques.
• Both give a finished product at their respective location of work.
• Both process wooden parts, which later become the part of structure or a finished product.
• Both require working knowledge of some mathematics and geometry.

HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT ??

As we have been thinking and arguing about it years now, we feel strongly to list out strong points of differences as below;

• Carpentry requires limited skill set while woodworking has no limits and depends on your imagination and creativity.
• Use different location of work. Former is done at site while latter is done in a workshop or factory.
• Carpentry have raw and uncontrolled work space with limited scope to organize while woodworking have a well organized work space with all necessary machines available at their disposal.
• Carpentry work is done on the basis of drawings/blue prints provided by architect of the project. While woodworking require eye for design and creative mind to be able to design and make better products.
• Carpentry has limited scope of work while woodworking has unlimited scope of work.
• Carpentry is physically harder, while woodworking is easier.
• Carpentry skills affect the quality of products while woodworking skills are largely dependent on various machines, and hence does not much affect the quality of product.
• Carpentry is a slower process while woodworking is quiet faster because of use of various machines and techniques, which can’t be used at site.
• Carpentry is less advanced, while woodworking has new development of tools/machines/techniques every day.
• Carpentry, less in demand, hence fetches less money as a profession. Woodworking ever increasing demand day by day makes it more profitable profession.

WHO GONNA GET THE CROWN ??

Carpentry is centuries old profession and always was in much demand, while woodworking was lesser known then. With the time, new technologies came into construction and less wood started being used. Moreover, with more modernization, people started preferring residing in a flat, rather than an independent house. This reduced the demand of carpentry. New norms on environment (FSC) affected availability of wood, which earlier was freely available. Overall demand of carpentry thus drastically reduced day by day.

Woodworking on the other hand was developing new tools, machines, techniques and raw materials to substitute wood and reduce use of wood. Availability of new technologies made our dependency more on machines, which were accurate and faster, thus increasing demand of woodworking day by day. With emerging trends and flat culture, knock down flat packed furniture became popular and this is how woodworking became a inseparable part of our lives.

It was always easy for a carpenter to become a woodworker and vice versa. With time, demand of carpentry declined while demand of woodworking inclined. These two terms were always misunderstood and misused in daily life by us.

In countries like India, people seldom refer to woodworker, as carpenter is most used word for woodworker. In fact woodworker word is rarely used. In such scenario, we feel strongly that we must give permission to ‘’carpentry’’ and ‘’ woodworking’’ to get marry, so that all confusion about them vanishes forever. Carpentry can still exist under shadows of woodworking as her God father.

Perhaps both professions would live happily ever after and we would no longer need to scratch our head thinking, Carpentry or Woodworking. Although carpentry have been a sincere servant yet it failed to address needs of today’s fast changing world.

In our views, truly crown goes to ‘Woodworking’ as the chosen one and its legacy continues.