Carpentry is a skilled profession done by people called carpenters. It is basically working with wood to construct, repair or install wooden items in a building. These wooden items such as furniture, closets, cupboards, sideboards, doors, windows are carved out of wood and it involves manual labour done by the carpenter. There are various types of carpentry such as:

Finish carpentry: here the carpenter will specialize in furniture making, fine wood work, instrument making etc.

Trim carpentry: this carpentry specializes in moulding and trims such as mantels, baseboards, window and door casting.

Ship carpentry: this branch of carpentry specializes in ship building, its maintenance and repair methods and other carpentry specific to nautical needs.

Scenic carpentry: this branch of carpentry specializes in film making and the construction of sets, scenery and theatre builds.

Since carpentry is a skilled profession it is but obvious that it would need specific tools .The tools that are used in carpentry can be broadly classified into the following types:

STRIKING TOOLS

1. Tools that are used for striking only, as Hammers and Mallets

2. Tools that are used for striking and cutting, as Hatchets, Axes, Adzes, etc.

RASPING TOOLS OR TOOLS THAT ACT BY ABRASION

1. Saws of all kinds, for cutting wood.

2. Rasps and Files, for smoothing, shaping, cutting, etc.

PARING TOOLS OF ALL KINDS

1. Planes of various kinds, for smoothing, moulding, etc.

2. Spoke shaves and Drawing-knives.

3. Chisels and Gouges.

BORING TOOLS

1. Bradawls, Gimlets, and Augers.

2. Brace and Bit, sometimes called Stock and Bit.

HOLDING OR GRASPING TOOLS

1. Pincers and Pliers, Nippers, Spanners, and Wrenches.

2. The Vice, including Hand-vice, Bench Vice, etc.

TOOLS OF GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION

1. The Carpenter's Rule and Chalk Line.

2. The Square, Bevel, Gauge, Mortising Gauge, MITRE-Box.

3. Spirit Level, Straight Edge, Plumb and Level.

4. Compasses and Calipers.

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS NOT SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION.

Screwdriver, Nail-Punch, Scriber, Reamer, etc.

With such a lot of tools, it is evident that carpentry is not something which everyone can do without getting trained in it formally.

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Lots of people want and try to do their own finish carpentry. They begin with high hopes and good intentions. They buy books, watch videos, talk to professionals, and use the web for information only to end up with total aggravation.  Failure is often inevitable and they reluctantly end up giving up because their trim work doesn't turn out as good as they expected. They then have to spend precious dollars to hire a professional finish carpenter to come in and finish and sometimes repair the job they have started.  Here are some good tips and general information to help get that professional looking trim work for your project and hopefully keep the aggravation at bay. You always pass failure on your way to success.

 First, when doing finish carpentry work, your attitude and mood directly affects your performance and quality of the trim work. Some of the best finish carpenters have a difficult time doing quality work if they are upset or mad or depressed about something in their life. To prevent this, in the morning before you begin working, take a shower, eat breakfast, put on some new shoes, have a clear mind, be in a fantastic mood and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish. Focus is the key. Having the right tools for the project is also a huge factor for quality. Poor tools can some times produce poor quality. Poor tools can fuel aggravation. So be sure to buy or borrow the best tools you can. Make sure the saws have sharp blades, keep your pencil sharp, your knife sharp and your mind sharp and your work will be sharp. Remember - success doesn't come to you, you go to it.

 Knowing how to use these tools safely and effectively is also a big factor. Practice a while with them before working with them if you are not familiar with them.  Practice making some angle cuts that are involved with trim work. All the different joints and miters can be a bit of a challenge at first - so practice making miters or coping or doing outside corners before cutting and installing the actual pieces. Practice with the different trim pieces like the casing or baseboard or shoe or chair rail whatever the job entails. Practice makes perfect.

 Another factor that can distract you is the environment you are working in. Interruptions like too many people around or in the way, interrupting phone calls, working where it is cold or hot or what ever the case, all of these should be addressed before you begin. Do your best to make it as comfortable as possible. When you get to your working area clean it up and do what you can to keep it clean and clutter free. Walking over wood scraps and cords and hoses is not only annoying but also dangerous.  I once tripped over a hose with my hands full and fell to the floor. I caught my self with one hand hitting the floor and fractured my wrist. The best part is that I am indestructible and that sort of thing never happens to me....Yea Right! 

Your goal is to make it as comfortable and as safe as you can any way you can, given the situation. Even after taking all of these suggestions into consideration this work can still try your patience. There may be times when no matter how hard you try you can't make something work.  When this happens, take a break, clean up, or go start something different, chances are when you come back it will work.  Remember this, wisdom and experience doesn't come without a little suffering and rarely do we experience success without practice. If you take the time to prepare both mentally and with your technique, you will end up with a finished project you can be proud of. 

These days trim wood shrinkage in finish carpentry does cause some problems and has tested the reputation of even the most seasoned finish carpenters. This can be controlled some what if it is properly addressed however the shear speed at which houses get built and the use of new growth lumber these days poses a lot of the problems that are unfortunately some times unavoidable.

Trim wood should be acclimated to the inside environment of the house where it will be installed. This does also apply to the wood of a new wood floor to be installed. What this means exactly is the wood needs time to adjust to the temperature and humidity levels of the house where it will be installed. This in turn reduces the shrinkage of the wood and that helps to keep miters tight and doors working properly. There is much discussion on how long this acclimation period should be and a few variables do come into play here especially with a newly built home. A very minimum of an acclimation period would be 48 hrs. if the environment change of the storage place of the trim wood or the store to the house environment is not a huge difference. Another factor is after the acclimation period it is best to get the wood finished and sealed whether you do it before or after installation.

Ultimately wood is going to shrink and swell according to the seasons. Some places more than others due to the climate differences. The best way to reduce this is to try and keep the environment in the house relatively even with just the temperature although I have seen a new house with new trim work sitting empty with no activity like cooking or showering for a long period of time have major shrinkage in the trim wood due to no humidity. I had trimmed this house and was just sick when I went back for the final; fortunately the builder that I had done the work for understood this problem and took full responsibility. I had been in the finish carpentry business for a long time and had a good reputation of doing good work but some times that reputation doesn’t mean anything to the people that don’t understand these problems.

For the do it yourselfers doing trim work, there are a few things to consider. If you are remodeling or doing renovations to an existing home just simply taking the precautionary measure of acclimating the wood will eliminate the major shrinkage problem in most cases. On new homes it is however nice to know the humidity levels in the house as well as the wood. One easy way to check the wood is with a moisture meter tester. This little meter is relatively cheap or can be borrowed from a contractor that does building or remodeling. The use of a dehumidifier is recommended in a new house or new construction and doing a little research for the moisture content that is recommended for the area that you live in is also advisable. This is due to the different climates in the country and various temperature changes for the different areas. As a finish carpenter it is important for people to understand some of these issues concerned with wood shrinkage whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring a professional to do the work for you ultimately to protect yourself.

Finish carpentry refers to the installation of the decorative wood around doors, windows and base board. This also includes much more such as hand railings, cabinets, stair cases, crown molding, chair rail and can include even more depending on the wood finishing's in the home, office or business. There are many choices when it comes to choosing this trim wood. Let's look at some of these choices. 

Sometimes this trim wood is referred to as molding. This decorative trim wood or moldings come in many types of wood and is not limited to any type of wood. Some of the most common are oak, maple, birch, mahogany, cherry, pine, hickory, walnut and so on. These moldings can also be made of man made materials like high-density polymers. This trim wood or moldings can also be purchased in raw form or even prefinished form. 

This trim wood comes in a wide variety of styles also. Some of the most common styles include ranch style, colonial style, Princeton style (which is close to colonial), Victorian style and so on. You could even create your own style. Some places you may see a home made style is in cabins or lake homes. One thing to keep in mind when choosing your style and this is just a suggestion is to stick with one style throughout for conformity although not necessary. 

These different styles also come in different sizes. Some times in the older Victorian houses the trim wood is quite big. For example, let's say baseboard is commonly around 3" in height (at least in a lot of the newer homes) and in the older Victorian homes it can be as tall as 6" or more in height. This applies to the door and window trim also in these older homes, they liked it big. They not only liked it big but also very decorative. 

One of the next choices would be how this trim wood is to be finished. By this I mean the color of the stain or if it would be painted. If the trim wood is painted you would not need to go with the more expensive hard woods for your trim. Paint grade trim can be for example pine and is much less expensive and going this route of painted trim would cost considerably less especially if you are doing the painting on your own.  

So with all of these choices regarding finish carpentry no matter what is chosen it serves a number of functionalities, adds beauty, and you will have your own distinctive style.  After all the decisions, the installation process is next. If you elect to do your own finish carpentry I have found it to be very very rewarding work how ever it does take a little practice and patience. If you have access to all the right tools for the job and the time, it is well worth doing it yourself and saving yourself a bundle of money. There are plenty of instructions and a lot of good information with tips and tricks on the web to be able to pick up this unique craft without too much trouble without having to be an actual carpenter.  

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