How old is carpentry

Ancient Egyptian woodworkers were noted for regularly practicing their craft and for developing techniques that advanced the craft for future generations. For instance, they invented the art of veneering, which is the practice of gluing thin slices of wood together. The earliest examples of veneering are over 5, years old, found in the tomb of Semerkhet. Many of the pharaohs were buried with objects that had African ebony veneer and ivory inlays. Finishing is the art of placing some kind of protective sealant on wood materials in order to preserve them.

Ancient Egyptian woodworkers used a variety of tools, including axes, adzes, chisels, pull saws, and bow drills. During the earliest pre-dynastic period circa B. Pegs, dowels, and leather or cord lashings strengthened these joints. Animal glue was used during the New Kingdom period — B. It was made of six layers of wood four millimeters thick held together by wooden pegs. The Egyptians used a variety of wood to build their furniture and other objects. The wood came from native acacias, local sycamore, and tamarisk trees.

However, when deforestation occurred in the Nile Valley starting from the Second Dynasty, they began importing cedar, Aleppo pine, boxwood, and oak from various parts of the Middle East. They also imported ebony from Egyptian colonies and used it to construct items that went into tombs such as inlaid wooden chests. After God revealed his plan to destroy a corrupt humanity by flooding the earth, He gave Noah a year project — build an ark of cypress wood coated with pitch inside and out.

God furnished him and his three sons with precise instructions and dimensions. The ark was to be cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. If we convert cubits into feet based on the common cubit of The sheer size of the Ark staggers the imagination and seems an impossible task for Noah and his sons. The Scriptures, however, do not suggest that Noah had to build the ark without the help of hired men. After all, the size of the timbers for such a huge vessel would likely have been beyond the powers of four men to handle.

After the flood, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. The mountains of Ararat are in present-day Turkey. While Noah and his woodworking crew displayed exceptional skills in building the ark, the Hebrew Bible paints a different picture of the Israelite woodworkers during the time of Solomon. As written in Chapter 5 of 1 Kings, Solomon had to import Phoenician artisans from the coastal city of Tyre to build his temple. In Isaiah , the prophet describes the carpenter and his tools, suggesting that during the era of the kings, the Israelites were becoming more adept and involved in carpentry.

In fact, carpenters were among those Israelites exiled to Babylon after the Babylonians captured Jerusalem in B. Jeremiah ; Lebanese cedar, imported from Lebanon, was one of the most popular building materials used in the Biblical world by ancient woodworkers because of its high quality, pleasant scent, and resistance to both rot and insects. In , two brothers discovered the boat in the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee after a tremendous drought had lowered the water level.

It was similar to the boats Jesus and his disciples would have used to cross and fish the Sea of Galilee.

It was the first near-complete boat ever found in the Sea of Galilee. Early Chinese civilizations also promoted the art of woodworking.

When that happened, the Chinese developed many sophisticated applications of woodworking, including precise measurements used for making pots, tables, and other pieces of furniture. During this time, a well-known carpenter, Lu Ban, was credited as being one of the originators of woodworking in China. This book documented his work as a carpenter and contained descriptions of dimensions for building various objects — such as flower pots, tables, and altars.

It also provided specific instructions concerning Feng Shui wind and water. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of geomancy, that is, the positioning of physical objects in strategic locations in the home and in work environments to stimulate optimal wellness, health, and happiness.

Ironically, the book says almost nothing of the intricate glue-less and nail-less joinery for which Chinese furniture was so famous.

Woodworkers today who practice the ancient oriental woodworking techniques take pride in their mastery of the fitted joint and their skill of not using electric equipment, nails or glue to hold their pieces together. Japan is where this style of woodworking primarily originated. Their use of high-quality blades and the engineering of the lathe made ancient Japanese woodworkers leaders in crafting round and curved objects. Cooperage the making of barrels and casks and bentwood works wood that is artificially shaped for use in making furniture were popular in Japan for everyday household objects.

Japanese woodworkers also made exquisitely-sculpted scenery. Their popularity and the techniques used in the process spread across Southeast Asia. These craftsmen first had to chop down trees before beginning to chisel, saw or hammer. Today, carpenters can work indoors and outdoors on many different types of construction projects, including everything from kitchen cabinets to bridges.

They may use a variety of hand or power tools to cut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass, drywall and other substances. Carpenters then fasten these materials with nails, screws, staples and adhesives. The result is something entirely new that is more useful than a piece of wood. The history of carpentry is the story of a constantly evolving and improving trade. Even as technology continues to change, carpentry will continue to be one of the most vital of the skilled trades.

Suite Garden City NY, In fact, carpentry became such a popular trade that guilds were created. Guilds were essentially early versions of unions. They were created to ensure fair competition between carpenters in the area. Luckily, there was always plenty of work to go around. Carpenters were needed to build everything from tools to carriages to buildings. The Middle Ages saw the beginning of the division of carpentry into different sectors.

Some carpenters began to specialize in ornate woodwork, furniture making, or construction. And thus began commercial carpentry. When the Industrial Revolution came around, carpentry saw yet another enormous shift. Commercial carpenters were suddenly hired to help construct enormous mills, waterwheels, and worker homes.

At the same time, machines were being created to make a carpenter's job easier! Tools like the gimlet auger were invented which made drilling holes easy. In addition, steel was becoming a popular building material, replacing wooden frames in some buildings. However, carpenters were still crucial tradesmen and were looked upon favorably. Tools were crafted to be more ergonomic for long-term use, and construction sites saw big changes that directly affected commercial carpenters.

According to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, "The early s brought change to the carpentry trade. The number of large building employers was rising, and contractors were increasingly used to coordinate and supervise construction.

It was becoming harder and harder for the average carpenter to become an independent master. At the convention, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters was born. Later, in , , workers demonstrated to get shorter work hours. Strikes continued for several years, and commercial carpenters saw a lot of changes in wages, hours, benefits, and more. More advanced tools came out including the early power tools. Commercial carpenters could get jobs done much faster and with less work! Today, commercial carpenters are called on to help construct all kinds of buildings.

Wooden framing is still used in many projects, as is the scaffolding that requires carpenters to erect. Staircases, floors, cement molds, and more are all also the responsibilities of commercial carpenters. Show More. Views Total views. Actions Shares. No notes for slide. History of carpentry 1. San Marcelino St. BSA — 2B 2. What is Carpentry? During this time, many intricacies of woodworking were developed among the Chinese including precise measurements used for making pots, tables, and other pieces of furniture.

Finishing is basically the art of placing some sort of protective sealant on wooden material in order to enhance its preservation. In order to make panels. This marking serves as a reference line for checking its vertical position with the aid of plumb bob. However it is assumed that the concrete footing is horizontally leveled with the floor line.

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