Woodworking Help - Beginners Guide to Woodworking Carpentry

Tools, dwellings, utensils to name a few, had to be originally made from something, which would help the ancient civilizations live as comfortably as possible. They learned to take the wood from the trees, where they were, at the specific time and to make a place to stay under, to keep them dry and fairly warm, protected from the weather conditions. Of course, this took some time and ingenuity, for them to discover that this process could be at all possible. The skills for working with wood, improved over time and new uses for wood has been put into practice.

In time, they found that they needed some form of transportation to get across the waters, which was in front of them. The very first thing, which was made, was a primitive raft, which did the job quite nicely, but eventually they developed a birchbark canoe. Then they found that they could make a boat out of the wood. They wanted to explore beyond the land, which they happened to be on at the time, and they wanted to see if there were other people besides themselves on the earth.

Many of these people became very skilled at making things from wood sources, gaining knowledge as to which trees were best for certain types of articles to be made. These tradesmen became important artisans, as people saw that they needed their skills to make their lives easier. Apprentices came on the scene and then documents were made, to keep these arts preserved for generations to come. Workshops and guilds were developed to help train other people to make these necessary items.

Different techniques were developed, each with a specific job to be done. Some used all types of tools, while others had their own tools, which did a specific part of the job. The carpenter was a maker of wagons, which people needed as they roamed and looked for new places to live. Now these tradesmen are fashioning homes which they build for people. To keep these wagons moving, the wheelwright was needed. He was the person who made the spokes and wheels for the wagons, so the people could travel across land.

They had to carry their belongings in something, so the cooper made the barrels, to keep water and other various articles, needed kept out of the elements. A shipwright would build ships and also would use other craftsmen, to have the more detailed work done on the ships. There were many carvings done and this is where pieces of wood would be removed with a tool, to make a pattern in the wood.

The turners would be people who made the arms and legs for tables and chairs, turning the wood on a lathe, so a pattern would eventually emerge. There were others who made the cups and bowls and they were called the bodgers.

The skill of the people who did the intricate designs, to place on pieces of furniture, was called marquetry. They would make elaborate patterns from the thin pieces of wood, in the shapes of life forms and scenery. Then parquetry would also be used to carve intricate designs of geometric shapes. These people also would make pictures and artwork.