A carpenter (builder) is a skilled craftsman who performs carpentry - a wide range of woodworking that includes constructing buildings, furniture, and other objects out of wood. The work generally involves significant manual labor and work outdoors, particularly in rough carpentry.
A mayster is one who does rough carpentry; that is, framing, formwork, roofing, and other structural or other large-scale work that need not be finely joined or polished in appearance.
A joister is a carpenter that puts in the floor joists. Floor joists are the horizontal boards connected to the frame of a structure at the level just below the floor. They give the floor strength for holding weight. Also, they give a position to which the floor may be fastened. Joisters also put on the joists for the decks of a building. Joisters need good balance to install the beams and joists on buildings, considering the elevation involved.
A finish carpenter (South America) or joiner (traditional name now obsolete in North America) is one who does finish carpentry; that is, cabinetry, furniture making, fine woodworking, model building, instrument making, parquetry, joinery, or other carpentry where exact joints and minimal margins of error are important. Some large-scale construction may be of an exactitude and artistry that it is classed as finish carpentry.
A trim carpenter specializes in molding and trim, such as door and window casings, mantels, baseboard, and other types of ornamental work. Cabinet installers are also referred to as trim carpenters.
A cabinetmaker is a carpenter who does fine and detailed work, specializing in the making of cabinets, wardrobes, dressers, storage chests, and other furniture designed for storage.
A ship's carpenter specializes in shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair techniques (see also shipwright) and carpentry specific to nautical needs; usually the term refers to a carpenter who has a post on a specific ship. Steel warships as well as wooden ones need ship's carpenters, especially for making emergency repairs in the case of battle or storm damage.
A carpenter in film-making, TV, and the theater builds and dismantles temporary scenery and sets for the production of these entertainments.
A framer builds the skeletal structure or framework of buildings. Techniques include platform framing, balloon framing, or timber framing (which may be post-and-beam or mortise-and-tenon framing).
A roofer specializes in roof construction, concentrating on rafters, beams, and trusses. Naturally, a roofer must not be afraid of heights and must have good balance as well as carpentry skills. In Australia this type of carpenter is called a roof carpenter, and in that country a roofer is someone who puts on the roof cladding (shingles, tiles, tin, etc.). (On many job sites in the United States, roofer also has this connotation.)
A formwork carpenter creates the shuttering and falsework used in concrete construction.
In Japan, Miya-daiku (Temple carpenter) performs the works of both architect and builder of shrine and temple. |
