How to Get a Job in Finish Carpentry
By getting a job in finish carpentry, you can turn your woodworking skills into a trade. Finish carpenters earn more than frame carpenters and do not depend on new construction for work. New finish work is requested on existing homes to replace cabinets, baseboards, door and window frames and crown molding. A finish carpenter can work with a subcontractor while learning the trade, then go on to start a private business.
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Things You'll Need
- Tool belt with nail pouch
- Leather work shoes
- Work gloves
- Eye protection
- Circular saw
- Coping saw
- Finish hammer
- Nail sets
- Screwdrivers
- Chisels
- Pliers
- Utility knife
- Rasp
- Files
- Tape measure
- No. 1 pencil
Instructions
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Buy tools, clothing and protective gear for carpentry work. Carpenters are expected to bring their own hand tools and protective gear to a work site. Contractors usually provide most of the power tools necessary for specialized carpentry work.
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Gain carpentry experience while working as an unskilled laborer. Take any entry-level job in the field of carpentry that becomes available. Most carpenters start out by working on framing crews. Finish carpentry is delicate work with materials that show on the inside of a consumer's home, so interior-finish subcontractors hire workers with experience.
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3
Educate yourself about the trade. Gather books, videos, periodicals and online articles dealing with skilled carpentry. Learn the techniques that professionals use to do quality work efficiently.
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4
Practice finish work. Buy molding and trim pieces to practice cutting, fitting and nailing the stock. Do small finish jobs around your house and the homes of willing friends and relatives. Familiarize yourself with all the procedures in a finish carpenter's job description, and perform as many of the tasks as possible.
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Market yourself as a finish carpenter. Make it known to all contacts that you are on a job search for finish carpentry work. Apply with local trim, finish and cabinet carpenters regardless of whether they are advertising for help. Take the first finish carpenter job you are offered. The skills you develop will help you earn a better salary from future finish carpentry jobs.
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