Woodworking Vs. Carpentry...What is the Distinction to You?

[Rich Riddle]

Some folks in the local woodworking club point out that I do more carpentry related tasks than actual woodworking tasks. I sometimes point out to them that they make more trinkets than products. What is the distinction between woodworking and carpentry to you?

[Joe Kieve]

To me, carpentry is using skill saws, portable hand drills, hammers, framing squares, etc. Woodworking is using table saws, band saws, drill presses, combination squares.
Just my $.02.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

Carpenters don't measure smaller than 1/16".

[Don Sundberg]

Carpentry is the process of building or repairing a structure. Generally dealing with wood.
Woodworking is the process of making things from wood, just not structures.
IE milling the trim for my living room is woodworking. Installing of said trim is finish carpentry.

[Ole Anderson]

Woodworkers make furniture and small hand held fine wood items, carpenters make houses.

[Jason Roehl]

Carpenters don't measure smaller than 1/16".

I think any carpenter worth his salt would take great exception to that. Even though my former trade was painting, I did, on occasion, do some carpentry for hire. I'd have been embarrassed if I were leaving 1/16" gaps in miter joints.

[Mark Wooden]

Carpenters don't measure smaller than 1/16".

All the good ones I know do, repeatedly and with great accuracy.

Carpenters-the real ones- mostly concentrate on the built environment. Fully trained and skilled carpenters are able to take a building from the hole in the ground to finishing the cabinets and woodwork in accordance to plans with accuracy and fidelity. It is- at least, used to be, a trained career trade requiring a wide range of skill sets.

"Woodworking" most often covers making arts and crafts, some furniture, jewel boxes and trunks, and assorted objets d' art. Most often, woodworkers are talented people than are able to visualize an object and make it with little more than sketches; accuracy and fidelity are often not as important as interpretation and execution.

There are the various other trades involved in woodworking, most notably furniture makers and cabinet makers. These are- again, at least used to be- trained professions requiring specialized knowledge and skills.

There are many "specialized' offshoots of the trades these days and a lot of self taught "pros". I don't always agree with a lot of it.


Mark
Trained, career carpenter of forty years and proud of it

[Jerry Bruette]

Like stated above, I always thought of carpentry as the structure and wood working as the stuff you fill the structure with.

Also I don't normally think of carpenters working with exotic woods, not that they can't though.

[Rich Engelhardt]

A carpenter that adheres to the disciplines of a woodworker will go hungry in a hurry.....

They'll do phenomenal work, but, it will take so long there'l be no way to compete with others that build to a "good enough" standard.

Thankfully, I have the luxury of doing carpentry with a woodworking slant.

Carpenters don't measure smaller than 1/16".

Each and every crown install I do says different. .
Same with door casings...

[Tom M King]

windows4 005 (800x600).jpgwindows4 009 (800x600).jpgCarpentry is one of the things included in what I do for a living. Woodworking is a sub-heading included in that. The distinction is not worth arguing over the definition. As far as not measuring smaller than a 1/16, check out pictures below. They are already stored on here. Even if I am framing a house, I use a sharp no. 3 pencil. There are plenty of people willing to pay for Good work in place of Fast and Cheap. I turn down work every week-not going hungry. I did quit building new houses in 2007, when all the other builders outsmarted me. Now I only work on old houses.

The stuff on the window page of my web site may qualify under anyone's definition of "woodworking", but if it doesn't, it doesn't bother me a bit.

[Martin Wasner]

I don't think there is a real distinction other than worthless opinions.

My worthless take is woodworking transpires in a shop, carpentry happens on site or in the field. Those are broad brush strokes though.

[Robert Engel]

To me, carpentry = efficiency > accuracy.

WW'ing = accuracy > efficiency.

Also, ww'ing has more of an artistic component whereas carpentry more engineering.

Either way, the guys who are really good at either one will be pretty good at the other.

I've seen some finish carpenters with skills I envy.

[Prashun Patel]

I don't think there is a real distinction other than worthless opinions.

My worthless take is woodworking transpires in a shop, carpentry happens on site or in the field. Those are broad brush strokes though.

me too. I am not into semantics - or do I mean definitions? I hate irony too

[Wakahisa Shinta]

The people who think of themselves as woodworkers look down on the folks who they labeled as carpenters?

[jack duren]

Some folks in the local woodworking club point out that I do more carpentry related tasks than actual woodworking tasks. I sometimes point out to them that they make more trinkets than products. What is the distinction between woodworking and carpentry to you?

Your question needs to be more defined. No specifics... A woodworker can be anyone that works with wood. A carpenter works with wood as well. Too many gray areas to be specific.
9odDVly.jpg