Craft and Precision
Craft and Precision features glimpses of the carpentry trade— the workmanship; its past and present; the tools and types of common wood used.
Copyright Š 2015 by National Heritage Board All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or machanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher (except for reasonable excerpts for purpose of review or schloarship). Any members of educational insitutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their enquiries to the publisher at the address below. Published and printed in Singapore by National Heritage Board 61 Stamford Road, #03-08, Stamford Court, Singapore 178892 nhb.gov.sg/NHBPortal National Heritage Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data ISBN : 978-981-07-1461-1 (pbk.) PR9570.S53 S822 -- dc22 First Edition
OCN776769919
Craft and Precision: The Carpenter’s Trade
“It is the accuracy and detail inherent in crafted goods that endows them with lasting value.
It is the time and attention paid by the carpenter that makes this detail possible.� — Tim Jackson
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Time and the Carpenter
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History of Carpentry
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History of Craftsmanship
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Tools of the Trade
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Basic Anatomy of Wood
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Common Types of Wood
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Time and the Carpenter Time is the foundation of a carpenter. Patience, skills and value—they can be seen through the work made. They are constantly and relentlessly searching for ways to improve their craft. The longer they are in the trade, the more valued they will be, because of the amount of experience and skills they have acquired. Similar to trees, they too take time to grow—and in time, they become stronger.
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History of Carpentry The history of carpentry harkens back to the origins of hand tools and the term carpenter is the English rendering of an old French word carpentier, which in turn, was derived from the ancient Latin carpentrius, or maker of a carriage. Wood is one of the oldest building materials known to man. This prevalence of wood and man’s need for shelter is a major reason why carpentry was one of the first real professions. Unfortunately, not much was documented about carpentry before written language. The earliest written examples are found in the text De Architectura from late 1st century B.C. Wood also has the misfortune of deteriorating over time, so physical examples from the past are rare. Some of the oldest surviving examples are the Nanchan Temple in China from the year 782 and Greensted Church in England with parts surviving from the 11th century. The evolution of carpentry was largely dependent upon the evolution of carpentry tools. 18
Past The first carpenters were the inventors and users of wood working tools. The necessity to construct wood-based structures for homes gave birth to the carpenter’s profession. Wood does not stand the test of time very well, but there are existing structures from Japan that were built by Japanese carpenters in the 7th Century. There is also evidence of stone and wood structures from ancient Greece. Carpentry evolved as tools evolved, with skills becoming more fine-tuned and the carpenter becoming a trade of renown. Many historical and contemporary carpenters are considered artisans, surpassing functional skill levels to create wood works of unique beauty.
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Today
As the history of carpentry unfolded, it found carpenters coming together in 1271 to form an organization bound by their common profession. Eventually, a carpenters union was formed in 1881. In later years, it became a strong voice in supporting legislation to establish the 8-hour workday.
Technology may add precision or speed to certain carpentry tasks, but the carpenter’s expertise is still locked to the basics of building and shaping wood. Unbroken chains of transferred knowledge and experience create the history of carpentry.
Throughout the development of cultures around the world, carpenters have been an essential factor in the success or failure of each budding community. Learning through experience, carpenters historically took on an apprentice, either a son or other young man, to pass on their knowledge.
The carpentry trade grew under the tradition of apprenticeship and eventual advancement to what we now call journeyman (an individual who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master) status.
The carpenter is a craftsman who plies his trade indoors and out—rain or shine, summer or winter—and reaps the benefits of operating under adverse and perfect conditions.
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History of Craftsmanship
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As the Industrial Revolution expanded in with its time- and labor-saving machines, the devaluation of nature and the human touch in favor of progress and production especially worried Augustus Pugin (An English architect, 1812-1852). He saw that in striving to master the future, this new era was rapidly turning its back on the simple pleasures of traditional craftsmanship and artistry. Pugin was not necessarily anti-technology, but he wanted machines to perform the tedious and repetitive tasks they were designed for and not in the creation of second-rate, mass-produced decorative objects.That was when the rise of the Arts and Crafts movement came about. The idea that handcrafted things were inherently better is a direct result of Arts and Crafts philosophers’ rejection of the Industrial Revolution. If philosophers like Pugin had come out in favour of mass production, people today might quite possibly hold no special value in clothing, furniture or decorative arts made by hand.
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Tools of the Trade
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A tool, unlike a machine, is unable to produce anything without the willful and deliberate act of the carpenter. Often used for repairs, tools developed over time and took on increasingly specialized functions. Their functions, however, are not ‘ends’ in themselves, instead they participate in the process of creating and exploring.
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Smoothing Plane
Coping Saw
Also known as smooth plane; it is a type of bench plane used in woodworking. It is typically the last plane used on a woodsurface—when used properly, the finish it gives will be far superior to that made by sandpaper or scrapers.
A type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cutouts in woodworking or carpentry. It is widely used to cut moldings to create coped rather than miter joints. It is also occasionally used to create fretwork (ornamental work consisting of interlacing parts), particularly in thin materials.
Chisel
C-Clamp
A characteristically-shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal by hand, struck with a mallet, or mechanical power.
Also known as a G-clamp, is a type of clamp device typically used to hold a wood or metal workpiece. It’s often used in, but not limited to, carpentry and welding. These clamps are called “C” clamps because of their C shaped frame, but are otherwise often called G-clamps or G-cramps because including the screw part they are shaped like an uppercase G.
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F-Clamp
Claw Hammer
Also known as a bar clamp or speed clamp and a “G-clamp�. The F-clamp is similar to a C-clamp in use, but has a wider opening capacity (throat). This tool is used in woodworking while more permanent attachment is being made with screws or glue, or in metalworking to hold pieces together for welding or bolting.
A tool primarily used for pounding nails into, or extracting nails from an object. Generally, a claw hammer is associated with woodworking but is not limited to use with wood products. It is not suitable for heavy hammering on metal surfaces (such as in machining work), as the steel of its head is somewhat brittle.
Saw
Spirit Level
Consists of a hard blade, wire, or chain with a toothed edge. It is used to cut through relatively hard material, most often wood. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and moving it forcefully back and forth. This force may be applied by hand, or powered by steam, water, electricity or other power sources.
Also known as a bubble level. Designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal (level) or vertical (plumb). Different types of spirit levels may be used by carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, other building trades workers, surveyors, millwrights and other metalworkers, and in some photographic or videographic work.
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Wood Router
Cordless Drill
A router is a power tool designed to remove material from wood. Like drills, routers use cutting attachments called bits, although router bits and drill bits are not interchangeable. Routers are typically handheld, but they can be mounted in a router table to facilitate large jobs or repetitive work.
It is an electric drill, which uses rechargeable batteries. These drills are available with similar features to an AC mains-powered drill. They are available in the hammer drill configuration and most have a clutch, which aids in driving screws into various substrates while not damaging them.
Jig Saw
Circular Saw
Most commonly associated with cutting curves and intricate patterns in various materials. Unlike many types of saws that are limited in the directionality of cuts due to larger blades or other stationary limitations, the jig saw’s smaller construction and portability allow the user to more accurately guide the saw to a design. It is commonly thought of as a saw for more artistic purposes, but the power and versatility of the saw makes it a viable option throughout all types of construction work.
It is a power-saw using a toothed or abrasive disc or blade to cut different materials using a rotary motion spinning around an arbor. It cuts many materials such as wood, masonry, plastic, or metal and may be hand-held or mounted to a machine. In woodworking, the term circular saw refers specifically to the hand-held type—the table saw and chop saw are other common forms of circular saws.
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Basic Anatomy of Wood — Principal Features of a Tree Stem Cambium Layer of actively dividing cells between xylem (wood) and phloem (bast) tissues that is responsible for the secondary growth of stems and roots. The cambium is also responsible for growing wood. Pith
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Stores nutrition and transports nutrients to through the stem, branches, leaves, and roots of the plant. New pith growth is usually soft, spongy, and white or pale in color. As the tissue ages, it commonly darkens to a deeper brown. Tree pith is generally present in young growth.
Growth Rings Result of new growth in the cambium, seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk. One ring generally marks the passage of one year in the life of the tree. Wood Rays (Medullary Rays) They divide the stem into sections like the slices of a pie. They allow the transport of water and dissolved nutrients radially across the stem.
Bark Protects the tree from the outside world and against extreme weather elements. Also helps keep moisture in the tree during dry periods. It further protects the tree against diseases and insects. Bast (Phloem) Acts as the pipeline through which the food produced in the leaves passes to the rest of the living tree. It lives for only a short time before it becomes part of the outer bark. Heartwood Forms the central support of the tree. Although it is made up of dead cells, it will never decay or lose strength as long as the sapwood and bark remain intact. Accumulation of extractives gives the heartwood of many species a darker color than that of the sapwood. Sapwood Provides a pipeline for the movement of water and nutrients through the trunk and into the leaves, where the process of photosynthesis occurs. As new rings of sapwood are laid on top, the older sapwood loses its vitality and turns into heartwood.
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— Macroscopic Structure of Wood Because of the way trees grow, you can generally view three very different surfaces of wood, including transverse, radial, or tangential surfaces.
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These three surfaces of wood are important because wood structures appear very differently, depending on which surface is being viewed. Carpenters can alter the appearance of their wood projects by working with the different surfaces for the same kinds of wood.
Transverse The transverse or cross-sectional surface is what you see when you look at the end of a board or log, and down on a tree trunk. Growth rings are very apparent and appear as part of a circle on this surface.
Radial The radial surface parallels the stem and passes through the pith. If you split a log in half, you will produce two radial surfaces. 39
Tangential The tangential surface is named because it is the surface tangent to the growth rings. It is perpendicular to the direction of the wood rays.
Common Types of Wood The more one knows about the unique characteristics of wood and its source, the better one can understand the degree of warmth and beauty that it brings to our everyday dĂŠcor. The type of wood you choose determines the beauty and strength of the finished piece. Many varieties of wood are available, and each has its own properties. The classification of wood has historically always been either hard wood; any leaf bearing tree, and soft wood; any cone bearing tree.
Hardwoods Maple Variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Maple is very hard and resistant to shocks. Its diffused evenly sized pores give the wood a fine texture and even grain.
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Oak A tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family, Fagaceae. It is of great strength and hardness, and is very resistant to insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has very appealing grain markings, particularly when quartersawn.
Teak A tropical tree of species Tectona grandis. It is a yellowish brown timber with good grain and texture. Over time teak can mature to a silvery-grey finish, especially when exposed to sunlight. Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it is freshly milled. True teak is indigenous to Southeast Asia.
Softwoods Beech It is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae. It is widely used for furniture framing and carcass construction, flooring and engineering purposes, in plywood and in household items like plates, but rarely as a decorative wood.
Birch A broadleaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula in the family Betulaceae, and is closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. Birch is a hard, heavy, close grained hardwood with a light brown or reddish colored heartwood and cream or light sapwood. Drums are often made from birch. Pine Pines are coniferous trees in the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae. They are among the most commercially important tree species valued for their timber and wood pulp throughout the world. Widely used in highvalue carpentry items such as furniture, window frames, floors and roofing.
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Love and Dedication
Love and Dedication is a photo journal about a Singapore story— a local carpenter’s workday. It features his quirky working habits, some of his favourite items to make and thoughts about the industry.
Love and Dedication: The Carpenter’s Passion
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*OP: office
My name is Goh Tim Tun, I’m 63 years old this year. I started learning wood craft for furniture when I was 13 years old. Back then it was a means of livelihood. Now, wood craft is used for various aspects like furnitures, shop fronts, office renovations, etc. I am still passionate about carpentry even after 50 years, and intend to retire slowly (because not many carpenters are aged 70-80 years old, and carpentry is becoming increasingly difficult).
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Saturday, 31/o1/2o14
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8:02 a.m.
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Tim Tun’s daily ritual before work— eat, read and exercise. He usually cooks his breakfast which consists of protein and carbohydrates. While eating he’d read the newspaper. He believes in the importance of reading newspapers. In fact, he is learning Chinese from them everyday. After that, he does workouts which consists of pumping and dumbbell exercises.
8:48 a.m. He rides his motorcycle to work. His workplace is near where he lives, so it usually takes him just about 10-15 minutes to reach.
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9:00 a.m. Gnarled hands Calloused feet
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10:32 a.m. Second cup of the day— the warm smell of Ipoh white coffee along with the lingering smell of freshly cut wood
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美美
Mei Mei At work, Tim Tun’s colleagues call him “Mei Mei”, which means pretty in Chinese. One day, a foreign employee asked what his name was. He tried to joke by replying “Mei Mei” to him. Since that day, everyone started calling him that instead, even his boss! Now, Tim Tun usually labels his tools with his nickname.
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11:33 a.m.
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Prized Possession When asked about what he treasured the most, Tim Tun mentioned that the tools used in the past were very different as there were lesser machinery involved. So he treasured the skills he learned in the past. His most treasured tool is the wooden smoothing planes, which have been with him for 40-50 years. They were about $40-50 each then. He also mentioned that such wooden planes are considered obsolete and have been replaced by modern ones.
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Past Tense, Present Tense The greatest difference Tim Tun has experienced about carpentry between the past and today is the tools used. In the past, furnitures are built using wood and are always hand-made. Back then, machineries are not so common, therefore learning carpentry took a long time. Besides mastering the craft, you also have to draft out your own designs. Now, in a more industrialised era, furnitures are designed by professional product designers and has to be fast. Technology has also improved carpentry in terms of accuracy and speed.
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12:06 p.m.
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Craftsmanship With but meager tools The carpenter went to work Fashioning his workmanship He gave the wood a new meaning With a depiction so sublime On completing the task He put the finishing touches on Adapted from Artistry by Elizabeth Squires
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Importance of Craftsmanship Being the only local carpenter in the company, craftsmanship to Tim Tun used to be just a way to earn a living. Today, carpentry is a craft that is highly competitive among entrepreneurs. Craftsmanship embroils passion, conveying values and attention to small details to a lasting beautifully crafted artifact. Although the notion of craft has changed its meaning over time, there are still organisms that emphasize its noble role in today’s culture and society. A finely made piece of wooden furniture is a thing of true beauty. The smoothness of the joined wood, the elegance of the construction, and the beauty of the precise use of ornamentation all make something that is functional and beautiful. The untrained hand might be able to pound together some pieces of wood to make a functional piece, but it is clear and recognizable that a great gulf exists between the skills of the beginner and those of the master craftsman. What is equally apparent is the importance of study, practice, and work with other master craftsmen all before one can attain that status for oneself.
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1:00 p.m.
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1:07 p.m. Chicken Rice Paradise He went to chicken rice paradise Nasi ayam very nice That’s one of our specialties Chicken rice paradise Shiok is how it’s been described Shiok: an expression of satisfaction and/or happiness Adapted from Fried Rice Paradise by Dick Lee
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Blueprints and Work Plans Every project has a blueprint or building plan that a carpenter follows, to meet the needs of the clients and/or designers. Hence, basic math skills are a must for any carpenter—it helps carpenters study blueprints to understand a project’s layout, to figure dimensions for supplies and also complete other projectplanning tasks. To finish a job on time and within budget, carpenters use estimation skills to calculate sizes, distances and quantities of material, and how much time and money they need to wrap up the project.
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2:48 p.m. A Wooden Cabinet The wooden cabinet offering plenty of space Leading nothing in become an obsolete waste A wooden masterpiece A craftsmen patent, but can’t be released A wooden cabinet any wardrobe would be proud A structure not looking loud A creation well put together The wood cabinet being like no other. Written by preservation man
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Favourite Item to Build Tim Tun likes to use original materials to make oblique and round cabinets, because it is not easy to build and not many people know how to build them. He also likes IQ puzzles. His favourite is the wooden Burr puzzle, an interlocking puzzle consisting of notched sticks, combined to make one threedimensional, usually symmetrical unit.
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Once, he lost the unnotched part of the Burr puzzle. He challenged himself to create a notched part that fits into the puzzle, even though they already existed. That took him 10 years. He even went on to build his own two-tier Burr puzzles.
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3:15 p.m. Third cup of the day— but this time partnering with two slices of multigrain bread
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4:19 p.m. Handle With Care After every completion of making, Tim Tun would wrap them up with cling wrap. He makes sure that they are kept away from any prevalent damages.
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5:29 p.m. Sawdust and Tiger Brand adhesive permeating the air
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6:09 p.m. When the sky turns a dappled rose it’s time to end work and head home
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Carpenter’s Traits
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What are some important characteristics that a carpenter should possess? Tim Tun mentions these three traits—physical strength, critical thinking ability, and meticulous craftsmanship. Physical Strength Carpenters need to be strong and physically healthy. A big sheet of plywood can weigh up to 1oo pounds, so you can’t have any physical limitations that preclude you from lifting and carrying heavy tools and equipment. The job is hard and also requires considerable standing, bending, kneeling and climbing so you’ve got to have the stamina to keep up with the physical demands for an 8- to 1o-hour shift. Critical Thinking Carpenters routinely face unexpected problems or issues during building, and thinking skills guide them through those rough spots. Every project is
different, and carpenters sometimes have to adjust plans on the fly. Certain materials may not be immediately available, or properties with foundations that have settled may need additional preparation work before they’re ready for upgrades. With critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, carpenters can use logic and reasoning to foresee potential issues and develop solutions. Craftsmanship There is something that a real artisan does that distinguishes the final object from the machine manufactured one. The machine treats all raw materials the same way, but the artisan selects by eye, feel and an intuitive understanding. The artisan sees the material as somehow speaking to him or her and in this dialogue the raw material itself - through its peculiarities and idiosyncrasies—it suggests its placement in the final work.
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For the Aspiring
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Carpentry is a very important field that assists in the construction of many different structures such as buildings, houses, retail spaces, roads, bridges, and other structures. Carpenters are skilled craftspeople that work with a variety of materials to construct, install, and maintain structures and other objects. Tim Tun says carpentry is difficult to learn, and most local companies are unable to hire locals and are hiring foreigners instead. Therefore youngsters these days rarely pick up carpentry. However, if one is willing to work hard, this trade has a promising future.
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There is nothing higher-class than real craftsmanship, diversity, originality, and the service of skilled human hands. — Bryant Mcgill
Bibliography National Heritage board would like to thank these authors:—
Basic Anatomy of Wood Characteristics Identification Properties Macroscopic Structure of Wood
Carpenter’s Traits Personal Skills or Qualities Skills Required to be a Carpenter Carpenter Career profile
Craftsmanship The Arts and Crafts Style The Craftsmanship and the Arts The Craftsman The Importance of Craft The Spirit of Craftsmanship The Role and Value of Crafts Today
Tools of the Trade 112
12 Basic Hand Tools for Woodworking Tools Every Woodworker Should Have Technical Library
History of Carpentry Brief History of Carpentry History of Carpentry
Short Stories Sanding Away Life Mr. Awa the Carpenter The Work of my Father’s Hands
Poems An Insatiable Thirst for Punctuation A Wooden Cabinet Artistry
University of Kentucky Lee Stover Peter Laks Mendel University in Brno
Global Post Chron Truity
Craftsman Perspective First Today, Then Tomorrow Yale Universtiy Press We Are Loot Master Artisan The British Museum
Start Woodworking Wagner Meters Industrial Artworks
Steve Allen Construction Inc. Toolbox Renovations Logan Ashley Eiji Aundria K.
Genevieve Brogdon Preservation Man Elizabeth Squires