What does a carpenter do?
You set out, mark and cut timber to fit a building that is never quite square, and you only get to cut each piece once.
Also called: joiner, chippy, site carpenter.
A day looks like
- 1You check what is actually there before you believe the drawing, because nothing on site is exactly the dimension it says.
- 2You mark the face side, so that every subsequent measurement is from the same reference.
- 3You dry-fit before you fix, which feels slow and is always faster.
- 4You hang a door so it closes with one finger, which is a small thing somebody will notice every day for thirty years.
Hardest part
Buildings are out of square, out of plumb and out of level, and the timber has to look right rather than measure right. Working to a building's actual geometry instead of its intended one is the craft.
Best part
A staircase that goes together off the cuts you marked, with every riser equal, in a stairwell that was two centimetres out at the top.
How you actually become a carpenter
- At schoolAn apprenticeship or a college course, plus a lot of practice cutting things.
- TrainingLevel 2 and 3 carpentry and joinery; site carpentry and bench joinery are different routes.
- How longTwo to four years to qualify, and a long time after that to be quick.
- Your first jobApprentice carpenter — cutting noggins and carrying timber.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a carpenter and a joiner?
- Broadly, a joiner makes components in a workshop — doors, windows, staircases — and a carpenter fits and builds on site. Many people do both, and the training splits into bench joinery and site carpentry.
- Why does 'measure twice, cut once' actually matter?
- Because timber cannot be made longer. A short piece is waste, and on site the material is often the thing you cannot easily replace that afternoon.
- Are buildings really not square?
- Almost never exactly. Walls lean, floors slope and openings are out of square, especially in older buildings — so a carpenter works to the geometry that is actually there while making the result look right.
More from Architecture & Construction
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Structural Engineer
You calculate whether a building will stand up, and you put your name on the answer.
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Fire Safety Engineer
You design how everybody gets out of a building that is on fire, and how long the building has to hold up while they do.
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You make old houses warm, and the whole skill is doing it without trapping moisture inside the wall.
Architect
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Quantity Surveyor
You work out what a building will cost before it exists, and then you defend or challenge every change to that number.
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You work out why a wall is wet, which is almost never the reason the last person said, and you are paid by people who sell the cure.
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Land Surveyor
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