Let's celebrate! April is finally here, and it's National Woodworking Month! That's a whole month dedicated to the art and craft of woodworking. But where did this event come from? The Woodworkers Guild of America founded the celebration in 1990, and it has become an annual event every year since. Whether you're an experienced craftsman or a newbie, April is the perfect month to start a new project and test your skill set. This post gives you everything you need to know about this special month. We'll unpack the event's origin, the types of tasks, and the tooling required for a successful project.
April is National Woodworking Month
The Origin of Woodworking
Artifacts from Ancient Egypt show that this civilization was the first to embrace woodworking as an artisanal craft. The culture used it to build boats, furniture, and other arts and crafts.
Medieval Europe saw the introduction of master woodworking craftsmen who passed down their skills to apprentices. Craftsmen formed guilds to formalize quality woodworking standards.
The Industrial Revolution played a key role in advancing woodworking. The invention of machines made woodworking tasks easier and improved project results. Today, we have a DIY culture, and professional artisans are taking woodworking projects to the next level.
Types of Woodworking Jobs
Residential & Commercial Carpentry
Residential carpenters undertake tasks like constructing fittings, frames, and furniture. These artisans also select their lumber for projects.
Commercial carpenters design and create projects for industrial and commercial projects. You might see their work in commercial buildings like retail outlets, libraries, and factories.
Joining & Cabinetmaking
Joiners combine several pieces of wood to create fixtures, fittings, and units in small-scale production projects.
Compared to carpenters, joiners take a design-focused approach to projects and follow specific briefs. They typically create decorative, bespoke units. Joiners also handle project lumber procurement and carve projects directly.
They specialize in the specific design and construction of cabinets. In this niche, the artisan works closely with the client to ensure they realize their vision while staying on track with the project budget.
Wood Machinists
These artisans prepare and produce lumber for several projects. They shape the wood to specific dimensions to construct door frames, floorboards, counters, and skirting boards.
Machinists follow technical project specifications to create wood pieces with precise measurements that join seamlessly with other wooden components. They utilize tools like CNC saws and planes for tasks.
Hand Tool Woodworking Skills
The woodworking industry utilizes two types of tooling for projects.
- Hand tools
- CNC machines
Hand tools like sanders and saws refine and manipulate the project design, ensuring a smooth finish.
Carpenters and woodworkers work with this equipment and adapt their knowledge to tooling innovations as the industry progresses. Specialists in hand tools for woodworking projects can select the right tool for the task and have experience in maintaining and repairing the equipment.
CNC Woodworking Skills
Some artisans specialize in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) woodworking. These craftsmen utilize CAD drawings to program woodworking machines with CAM software. CNC machines can produce wooden components to precise measurements and in greater volumes than hand tools.
CNC machines are commonly used to produce multiple identical wooden parts, such as table legs, for DIY furniture companies. This is especially true in large-scale production projects.
The machinist operates the CNC machine and monitors the production process. They don't actively use the tools to shape the wood themselves, the machine does all the work. Machinists will have skills and experience with maintaining the machine and its tooling.
Fun Facts
-
- Wood is one of the few natural biodegradable materials used in manufacturing projects.
- All US states have an official state tree.
- Artifacts show the earliest woodworking tools featured construction from materials like bone, rock, and animal antlers.
- The formation of the guild system in the Middle Ages standardized woodworking techniques.
- Woodworkers are the largest group of tradesmen.
- A tree adds around 260 pounds of oxygen to the atmosphere each year.
- The origin of woodworking stretches back more than 2 million years.
- Woodworking can be a hobby or a profession.
- The tallest tree, the Redwood, originates from America and is endangered.
Contour Construction | Commercial Carpentry Omaha, NE
Contour can complete large and small carpentry and concrete projects:
- Multi‐Family Residential
- Commercial
- Educational
- Small-scale tenant improvement and build-out projects
- Senior Living Facilities
- Churches
- Schools
Contact Contour Construction to outline your performance in carpentry on your next project. Click to check out our services, and projects, or contact us today
We are currently hiring, if interested, please click on Careers and contact us.
