History of Carpentry

History of Carpentry

Introduction

Given that timber tends to degrade naturally, there are not so many existing ancient and early examples with regards to carpentry. Nevertheless, amongst the oldest wooden archeological artifacts to be discovered include a number of water well casings built through the use of split oak timber, and whose excavation occurred in Germany and were dated back to 5000 BC circa. On the other hand, amongst the globe’s oldest wood constructions are the Chinese temples that include the Nanchan Temple that was constructed in 782, as well as Norway’s stave churches that include the Heddal stave church that was constructed in the 12^th and 13^th centuries.

Over the centuries, carpentry has evolved in proportion to tools and technology that were employed in the construction. In the 16^th century, sawmill were widely spread and this resulted in the establishment of sectors such as the timber industry. However, the 18^th century industrial revolution lead to the introduction of the steam engines alongside the cut nails that also freed the carpenters from the increasingly labor intensive procedure that depended on the hand-made nails. During the period, the carpenters mostly concentrated on the framed post-and-beam constructions up to the conclusion of the 19^th century, when materials that included concrete and steel turned out to be very popular (Jones & Kong, 2016).  Nevertheless, it has been observed that in the recent times, there have been a revival in the use of timber in constructions in recent times, even as products like laminated veneer lumber and glulam have continuously sought to exploit the various sustainable benefits offered by timber. This paper has, therefore, been written with the objective of reviewing the history of construction, and particularly carpentry.

Discussion

According to Calame and Hyde (2017), carpentry’s history refers to a tale that may be dated back to the ancient civilizations. Given that wood as a resource was in plenty, human beings discovers various means of shaping it into various utilitari.an objects such as homes, weapons and ships amongst others. As from the ancient Egyptians to this day, carpentry is seen as having played a considerable functions with regards to shaping human history (Prior, 2015). However, not very much was recorded with regards to carpentry prior to the development of written language. The initial written samples were found in the De Architectura text that date back to the 1^st century BC. In agreement with this observation, Fleming, Singler and Ramage (2015) note that carpentry’s history is almost as old as time and that the initial indications of carpentry first appeared during the Stone Age in instances where human beings used various kinds of primeval tools in the shaping of wood. The Egyptians later created various kinds of copper tools that we used in the building of objects such as furniture.

Furthermore, the early Chinese civilizations were able to advance the craft through the use of accurate measurements with regards to their construction and woodwork. According to Jones and Kong (2016), it has widely supposed that woodworking and carpentry exploded in the ancient Chinese civilizations in 720 B.C., which was a period in which a number of the woodworking intricacies were developed by the Chinese and included the accurate measurement that were employed in the production of tables, pots and other furniture pieces (Calame & Hyde, 2017). It is worth noting that the carpentry and woodwork knowledge possessed by the Egyptians and the Chinese was able definitely spread to other parts of the globe during the earlier periods given that archeologists have been able to discovers a number of woodworking beauties and gems that were developed by the Persians, Greeks and Babylonians amongst other ancient civilizations (Fleming, Singler & Ramage, 2015). Also, during this period, the Viking became outstanding wood c5raftsmen who were able to build boats and ships that were used by the Norse and assisted them in becoming the naval powerhouse. Still, in Europe, the revolutionary reforms brought about by Charlemagne assisted in the further development and advancement of carpentry as a result of the renewal of focus on culture and architecture. The initial northern Europe churches and castles were mainly constructed using wood as opposed to stone. However, with time, carpentry has turned out to be a vital skilled trade that has been widely employed in the creation of nearly all things ranging from architecture to art.

Nevertheless, by the 16^th century, several saw mills had been produced and this led to the establishment and development of the lumber industry. The ability to cut logs into lumber led to the lasting changes in housing carpentry. This was further augmented by the development of steam engines and the cut nails during the 18^th century, a developmental aspect that implied non-reliance on the previous long, tiresome and slow process of producing handmade nails. Moreover, as a result of the industrial revolution, the disappearance of the old fashion timber framing practices commenced as balloon framing became appealing thereby gaining immense popularity amongst carpenters and construction workers. Such technological advancements along with the development of the circular saw have also been attributed to the development of the balloon framing and subsequent decline in the conventional framing methods. This also marked the beginning of the contemporary framing carpentry techniques that resulted in what is in use at present.

Further, the 19^th century witnessed the electrical engineering development alongside distribution that also enabled the invention of various kinds of hand-held woodwork and power tools, machines for mass production of screws and wire nails amongst others (Prior, 2015). During the 20^th century, the discovery of Portland cement implied widespread and common usage of cement in construction given that concrete foundations enabled the carpenters to forgo the use of heavy timber sills that were also required immense amount of labor in setting up (Prior, 2015). Furthermore, the plasterboards and drywalls also came into widespread use in the construction industry and as a result replaced the lime plasters that were often placed on the wooden lath. Furthermore, plywood, as well as the chemically treated and engineered lumbers were also developed and became common materials in the 20^th century construction industry (Calame & Hyde, 2017).

Conclusion

The carpentry industry has come a long way regardless of the observation that very little records are available to show the precise time that man started using wood in construction, the available evidence indicate immense development in the field. The advancement in the woodwork technologies and tools has resulted in the evolution of carpentry leading to the development of fine items, constructions and furniture amongst others. Over time, the carpentry industry is still undergoing evolution as a result of the faster development and advancement of woodworking technologies and tools.

References

Calame, F., & Hyde, A. (2017, May). Nicolas Fourneau: Master Carpenter and Author of the       First Modern French Treatise on Geometrical Carpentry Drawing. In Building Histories: the Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Construction History Society Conference: The           Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Construction History Society Conference (p. 187).   Lulu. com.

Fleming, P., Singler, S., & Ramage, M. (2015, March). Construction history and alteration of the oak roof structure of the Sidney Sussex College Hall. In Proceedings of the First         Conference of the Construction History Society (p. 113). Lulu. com.

Jones, P. B., & Kong, D. (2016). The case for an oral architecture: carpentry and communal          assembly among the Dong of Southwest China. arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, 20(2), 145-158.

Prior, D. (2015). 88 Great Whyte, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire: The Discovery of a Medieval Open   Hall and the Dating of Carpentry Techniques in a Fenland Town. Vernacular      Architecture, 46(1), 82-88.