Finish carpentry is sometimes referred to
as trim carpentry, but in reality, it involves much more than just the
installation of moulding in a building or house. The cutting, fitting and
installation of moulding and fascias, both interior and exterior, comprises
a large portion of what today we refer to as finish carpentry.
Most professional carpenters use various power tools and
apparatus to provide a proper fit. This skill also involves careful
planning so the task can be accomplished efficiently and most of all
safely.
Finish carpentry involves working both on the inside and the
outside of the house, and it can include building stairs, installing wood
siding, hanging doors and putting in such items as wainscoting, bookcases and
mantelpieces.
To become proficient in this skill takes years of practice,
where one must become familiar with a wide range of woodworking tools.
Windows and Doors
Windows and doors are a major part of a finish carpenter's job. This
includes not only putting up the trim that surrounds each door and
window, but also properly installing each unit so that it is level
and plumb and operates correctly. Once the door or window is in
place, the trim is cut and nailed into place to complete the task.
Today, much window and door trim is installed as if one were making
a picture frame, with each corner consisting of two boards cut at a
45-degree angle and fit together to form a neat corner. In older
houses, one might see window and door trim that is cut square to
form a butt joint.
Exterior Trim
Exterior trim is cut and fit in much the same way as interior trim,
except one has to take precautions against the elements. This means
every board needs some caulk especially along the top surface, and
all wood joints need to fit tightly. There are certain locations,
such as above doors and windows, that require special pieces of
wood, called drip caps, to shed water. Everywhere exterior trim is
applied, there will likely be some extra precaution to make the
outside of the house watertight.
Tools of the Trade
Finish carpentry today requires a wide variety of power tools and
quite an assortment of hand tools as well. Some of the power tools
commonly used on a job site are the circular saw, electric drill,
electric screw gun, table saw, router and the power miter saw, nail
guns and pinners.
Victorian Houses
In many elegant homes with high baseboards and wide window casings,
it is common to find mouldings that were cut with a coping saw
before they are nailed into place. These joints stand out because
they are not mitred, but instead one piece of moulding is cut and
shaped with a coping saw so that it wraps tightly around the other
piece, which is not cut at all. This technique is called coping, and
not every carpenter today knows how to cope moulding joints. Coping
cannot be used everywhere, but it is most commonly used to put
together an inside corner. In some old houses it is not uncommon to
find almost all inside corners in the interior cut with a coping
saw.
Dean
Brandhagen
'ChimneyMeister'
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