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How to Become a Carpenter

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A carpenter is a person who makes things out of wood. They help to build houses, furniture, and even boats. A carpenter needs to know how to cut and shape pieces of wood so they fit together perfectly and stay strong as they are used over time. They also need to know how to use tools such as saws, drills, and hammers to make sure their work looks great!

Fundamental knowledge

To become a carpenter, you need to have a fundamental knowledge of carpentry. You should know how to use the tools and materials involved. This is because if you don’t understand how things should be done, then it will be difficult for you to do them yourself. 

Safety and public awareness

Safety is a priority when it comes to carpentry work. It’s important that you’re aware of your surroundings, your working environment, and the tools and equipment that are available to you.

You’ll also need to be careful about the type of safety equipment you wear. Depending on the size and scope of your job, there may be different types of protective gear that will help prevent injury while working on-site. The most common type is goggles or glasses with side shields (which protect against debris flying into your eyes). Ear protection is also recommended, as hearing loss can result from exposure to high noise levels over time (commonly known as occupational deafness). Other types include hard hats, steel-capped boots, and gloves for the best results in protecting yourself from cuts or burns if any accidents occur.

Carpentry materials

There are a lot of materials that you need to know about in order to become a carpenter. These include:

  • Wood. This is one of the most common materials used in carpentry and construction because it’s renewable and has a variety of uses. Depending on how it’s cut and treated, wood can be made into timber, timber cladding, timber framing, timber decking and flooring, as well as siding or roofing.
  • Steel. Steel is another common material used in carpentry, mainly because it’s strong and durable. It can be used as a structural or non-structural element in construction.
  • Wrought iron. This is another common building material that you can use to create gates, fences and railings. It’s also popular for making ornamental garden structures like pergolas and arbours.

There are many opportunities within the industry for carpentry apprentices who want to learn how to work with these materials during their training period with their employer/mentor!

Tools and equipment

There are many tools and equipment required to become a carpenter.

Power tools that you may need include:

  • Cordless drills
  • Circular saws (hand-held or table-mounted)
  • Planers and routers


Hand tools you might use include hammers, such as claw hammers, nail hammers, and mallets; these can be used for striking chisels, nails, or punches. You will also need a variety of screwdrivers – flat head, Phillips head and T-shaped – as well as spanners for nuts and bolts. Other hand tools you may need include plane blades for smoothing wood surfaces prior to applying sandpaper; chisels for cutting mortises in wood joints (mortise locks); saws for making cross cuts; and auger bits, which are used with electric drills to drill holes into wood or metal (this is necessary before inserting screws).

Safety equipment includes safety glasses, and dust masks in particular when working with power tools such as circular saws which produce large amounts of dust during operation because they cut through dry materials such as timber quickly without much lubrication so they tend not only wear out fast but also create a lot more airborne particles than other types of machines do). Safety glasses should always be worn while operating any power tool because flying particles could cause serious eye injuries if not properly protected by appropriate eyewear.

Structures and formwork

To become a carpenter, you need to know how to work with structures and formwork.

Structure refers to the individual pieces of wood that make up a building’s frame. These are usually nailed together using metal nails or screws, but they could also be bonded using glue for bricklaying or concrete blocks.

Formwork refers to any temporary structure used when building a permanent structure: for example, if you’re building houses from bricks or blocks then your formwork will involve wooden boards laid on top of each other in order to create walls while they are being built; if you’re creating frames out of timber then your formwork will be made out of wood too (although not always).

General construction

In this role, you will be working on a variety of projects, from residential to commercial. You will need to have a good understanding of construction techniques and materials. This means that you may be able to carry out tasks like installing windows and doors, constructing new walls and floors, or designing custom stairs for homes. Your job may also involve repairing existing structures such as roof tiling or flooring; fixing cracks in walls caused by water damage; replacing old windows with new ones; re-decorating interior spaces with paint and wallpaper; moving furniture around inside houses (in addition to loading and unloading trucks); laying down tiles on floors or walls using adhesives; and measuring distances between objects using tape measures, rulers, and tape guns before cutting them out with saws.

You need a Certificate III to work as a qualified carpenter

To be a qualified carpenter, you will need to study and get a CPC3220 Certificate III in Carpentry from a training provider like Everthought.

If you want to continue your training, you can upgrade your qualification with a CPC40120 Certificate IV in Building and Construction or a  diploma of building and construction (see our builders licence courses) through Everthought. This will help broaden your opportunities and allow you to work on projects of greater complexity.

If you’re looking for a career with great prospects and one that is always in demand, then becoming a carpenter may be for you. You’ll need to complete a Certificate III qualification, either through an apprenticeship program or RPL, but once you have the right experience under your belt, there are plenty of opportunities out there to explore.

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