Life as a Carpenter: What to expect?

I'm considering a trade career and carpentry caught my eye. What kind of jobs do carpenters do day-to-day, and what should I know about this trade before diving in?

Carpentry is a skilled trade that involves working with wood to construct, install, and maintain buildings, furniture, and other structures. It is a versatile career with many different paths you can take.

Day-to-day duties of a carpenter may vary widely depending on the type of carpentry you specialize in. The two main types are construction carpentry and finish carpentry. Construction carpenters typically make things like framing for buildings and formwork for pouring concrete, while finish carpenters focus on trim, molding, and other decorative details. If you find yourself in construction carpentry, you might work on anything from a home's structural frame to a bridge's supportive components. In finish carpentry, you could be creating intricate crown molding for a historic renovation, or building custom cabinetry for a modern kitchen.

Whichever route you take in your carpentry career, some common tasks you might find yourself doing include: reading blueprints, measuring and cutting materials, constructing wooden structures, and ensuring the accuracy of your work.

Before diving into this trade, there are a few important things you should know. Carpentry can be physically demanding—it often includes lifting heavy materials, operating machinery, and working for extended periods on your feet. Safety is crucial, so understanding proper procedures and equipment is a must.

Additionally, carpentry requires a good balance of mental and physical skills. You need to be good at problem-solving and have solid math skills for accurate measurement and estimation. On the physical side, manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination, and physical fitness are critical.

There are different ways to break into this trade. Some carpenters start as helpers or laborers before learning the trade through a formal apprenticeship program. Others might learn through vocational schools or community colleges.

Lastly, the job market for carpenters tends to be tied to the construction industry. When there's a lot of building going on, carpenters can be in high demand. However, during economic downturns, jobs can be scarcer.

Hope this gives you a basic understanding of what life as a carpenter could entail!