The carpenter's materials and tools: wood, boards and machinery
Know your materials and the tools that shape them
The building joinery trade is based on material understanding and machine knowledge. You work with a living material that moves with humidity and with machines that are both precise and potentially dangerous. Knowing both is the foundation for good and safe work.
§Wood as a material
Wood is broadly divided into softwood and hardwood. Softwoods like spruce and pine are light, cheap and widely used for construction, windows and general work. Hardwoods like oak, beech and ash are heavier, harder and often more beautiful in structure — they are used where strength, wear resistance or appearance is important. Each wood species has its properties, and part of the trade is choosing the right one for the task.
§Sheet materials
Beyond solid wood, the joiner uses many sheet materials. Plywood is built up from thin veneer layers laid crosswise which gives strength and stability. Chipboard and MDF are made from wood fibres or chips pressed and glued together — they provide large, cheap and stable surfaces but do not tolerate moisture in the same way as solid wood. The choice depends on what the workpiece will be used for.
- 01Solid softwood (spruce fir) — light and versatile
- 02Solid hardwood (oak beech ash) — hard durable and beautiful
- 03Plywood — veneer layers on cross, strong and stable
- 04Chipboard and MDF – large, stable surfaces for furniture
§Hand tools and power tools
Although machines have taken over much the woodworker still uses hand tools daily: planes chisels saws angles and measuring tapes. In addition hand-held power tools such as drills jigsaws routers and circular saws make many tasks faster. Sharp tools are safe tools — a blunt chisel or blunt blade forces you to press and that is where accidents happen.
§The large machines
At the workshop are the stationary machines: cut-off saw, band saw and circular saw, planer and thicknesser, milling machine, and grinding machines. On modern workshops also CNC-controlled machines that cut and mill according to digital drawings. These machines are precise and efficient but they cut fast and without stopping — therefore shielding and correct operation is vital.
§Protective equipment and extraction
Carpentry work produces wood dust and noise. Therefore, hearing protection, eye protection and respiratory protection are part of the work, and the machines are connected to extraction that removes chips and fine dust. Wood dust is not harmless — it can strain airways over time — so good extraction and respiratory protection are not optional but part of the craft.