How does carpentry and woodworking differ?

At first glance, carpentry and woodworking might look indistinguishable. Both work with wood, adjacent to construction, and are skilled craftsmen. Upon further inquiry, though, you’ll find that woodworkers and carpenter are not the same at all. In fact, there are several key differences that separate the two trades from each other—how each professional handles wood, what tool each professional uses, and where each professional tends to work. Read this quick guide to better understand the differences between woodworkers and carpenters.

Creating vs. Installing Wood Products

Though carpenters and woodworkers both handle wood products, they do so in different ways. In short, woodworkers create wood products, and carpenters install them. Consider the following examples:

• A woodworker would craft a cabinet and prepare it for installation. A carpenter would install the cabinet in a home.
• A carpenter may cut wood lumber for construction. A woodworker would cut wood for furniture, cabinets, and other wood products.
• Woodworkers create products from organic or synthetic wood products. Carpenters cut wood and timber for resale.

Carpenters and woodworkers complete different tasks, though there is sometimes an overlap in the work that they do. Generally, though, woodworkers create wood products, while carpenters are responsible for installing them.

Tools of Carpenters vs. Tools of Woodworkers

Another important differentiation between carpenters and woodworkers is in the tools that they use. Different types of construction tools are used in carpentry than in woodworking. Some of the tools most commonly used by carpenters include the following:

• Hammers
• Tape measures
• Nail pullers
• Tin snips
• Utility knives

Woodworkers use many of these same tools, but also use specialized equipment such as the following:

• Power saws
• Hand saws
• Sander
• Planes
• Drills
• Mallets

Though both carpenters and woodworkers rely heavily on hand tools, you can see that they specific tools they use are different. Woodworkers often use more power tools while carpenters use more manual tools.

Job Location of Carpenters vs. Woodworkers

One of the final differentiations between woodworkers and carpenters is the job sites they are most commonly found at. More often than not, you’ll find a woodworker in a manufacturing plant or an industrial setting, due to the fact that many wood products are produced in mass. This is different than the typical job setting of carpenters, who are more commonly found on residential or commercial construction job sites. Of course, as with many of the other characteristics of these positions, there is some overlap. Some woodworkers will work on construction sites, and some carpenters work in industrials settings.

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