Woodwork is the art or craft of creating things out of wood, which includes cabinet making, cabinet construction, turnery, joinery, and woodworking. Woodwork is a very fun and relaxing hobby. It requires patience and time to create a variety of projects from simple boxes, chairs, tables, beds, shelves, and cabinets to beautiful furniture and decorative items for your home. There are different types of woodworking such as varnishing and furniture restoration, wood turning, as well as carpentering and furniture painting.
A person who specializes in woodwork is called a woodworker. The term woodworker can also be applied to a maker who makes things from wood such as furniture and statues. Woodwork is also known as carpenter, craftsman, or woodworker. In the United Kingdom, “woodwork” is commonly used in place of the phrase “craftsman,” since craftsmen in that country are normally allowed a more polite term when referring to themselves. In some areas of the world, the word artisan is considered pejorative, so woodwork is often alternatively called woodwork or carpenter. In the United States, however, the phrase wood worker is commonly used.
Woodwork is an art that has developed through human effort over time. Through technology, woodworkers can now make things much faster and easier. With computers and computer aided design programs, woodworkers can churn out woodcarvings, table legs, chair legs, shelves, doors, and many other types of woodcrafts without having to create their work manually. While woodworking was considered a hobby only a few years ago, today it has become a part of everyday life for many people.
Woodwork is done for a variety of reasons, but there are three primary motivations. The first is to beautify the home. The second is to supply functional furniture for the home. The third is to generate income.
The noun woodwork encompasses a wide variety of activities. Woodcarving, the noun, is usually associated with interior decoration; furniture is meant to be functional, whereas woodworking, the verb, is generally used to describe a type of woodcraft. The category of woodwork is broad, but there are some broad divisions, which I will describe below.
The most obvious division is between furniture and hardware, since woodworking tools are used to carve, grind, join, etc. Furniture, on the other hand, is designed to be used as a permanent fixture in a home. Examples of common furniture include beds and tables, chairs, dressers, shelves, beds and couches, among others. While woodworking tools are commonly used woodcarving may not be the intended purpose of the item. In this instance, woodworking terminology would most appropriately be “jewelery making,” or something similar.
A third division is between power tools and hand-held devices such as brooms, saws, and planers. Power tools are typically used to cut, split, shape, etc., while hand-held woodworking devices are meant to manipulate wood by hand or with the assistance of various tools. A number of woodworking tools may be used for both tasks; a hammer and chisel for cutting hard materials, such as plywood, board and lumber, a router for cutting patterns into boards, and sander for polishing surfaces. A variety of hand held woodworking devices are also available such as knives and screwdrivers, hand trowels and hand drills.
One more classification is between “grain” and “groove” work. Grain work, such as cross cut and mitre saw cutting, is intended to produce a smooth, flat surface from long, horizontal pieces of wood. Grain should not be confused with strip or chip work, which is often done with hand tools. Examples of grain tools are the band saw, bench saw, table saw, and the circular sander.