What Is Finish Carpentry?

Finish carpentry is sometimes referred to as trim carpentry, but in reality, it involves much more than just the installation of molding in a building or house. 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.

Trim Carpentry

The cutting, fitting and installation of molding and fascias, both interior and exterior, comprises a large portion of what today we refer to as finish carpentry. The installation of molding is a straightforward task that does not involve a large investment in tools. In fact, moldings can often be cut and fit with hand tools, but most professional carpenters use several power tools to save time and effort. Trim carpentry is more than just cutting and fitting This skill also involves careful planning so the task can be accomplished efficiently.

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.

Specialists

The field of finish carpentry involves so many skilled tasks, such as cabinetmaking and stair-building that certain areas of home-building may be handled by just one person or even a small crew. Building stairs and cabinets are two of the more complex tasks, where at least the original work needs to be done in a woodworking shop. Once the cabinets are made or the stairs built, the finish carpenter will have the task of installing these items at the site.

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 (different from a drill), table saw, radial arm saw, router and the power miter box. Perhaps this last tool is the most essential and most important for the finish carpenter, for without it he could not make so many of the angled cuts that the job requires..

Coping

In many old buildings it is common to find moldings that were cut with a coping saw before they are nailed into place. These joints stand out because they are not mitered, but instead one piece of molding 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 molding 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.