Carpentry is an ancient and highly skilled craft. For millennia, carpenters have used the earth's natural resources to produce a bewildering variety of objects. The carpentry trade has been of consistent relevance for nearly all of human history. Modern carpenters use a series of specialist tools and fixings in order to complete projects. Here is a brief guide to some of the most important things inside a carpenter's toolbox.

Hammers

Carpenters make use of several kinds of hammers in their work Conventional clawhammers are used for inserting single nails and pins. Jointing mallets are used for knocking joints together in a gentle fashion that does not warp the wood being worked with. Mallets are used to impact chisels and secure wooden pegs. Companies like Tradefix supply all kinds of carpentry hammers, including specialist types.

Chisels

Chisels are cutting tools that are used in conjunction with a mallet. They allow carpenters to shave and shape bits of wood very accurately indeed. Carpenters typically bring large sets of chisels with them on each job. Chisels come in many sizes and with many kinds of shaped blade. Some are used to make round channels and are equipped with concave blade types.

Screws

Screws have all sorts of applications in carpentry. The basic wood screw has a wide thread with a shank designed to grip onto soft materials. Using modern battery powered drills carpenters can quickly install screws without hurting their wrists using a screwdriver.

Saws And Circular Saws

The hand saw is one of the ancient staples of the carpentry trade. Handsaws have quite literally been used by carpenters for thousands of years. They are still used by carpenters for small tasks today.

For larger tasks – including the quick cutting of wooden lengths modern carpenters make use of circular saws. Circular saws were invented during the industrial revolution for use in lumber mills and make quick work of wood. They allow carpenters to accurately cut the materials they need for a project without breaking a sweat. Most carpenters will bring a variety of saws to a job including circular power saws with multiple blades.

Nail Guns

Nail guns make multiple nail insertions easy, although they can damage wood if the wrong type of nail is used. Most carpenters carry several kinds of nail and pin gun each suitable for a different kind of material. Nail guns can be very dangerous, so thorough training needs to be given to carpenters that use them.

Safety Equipment

Woodworkers face all sorts of dangers on the job. Carpentry is one of the only industries in which injuries associated with machinery and tools are more common than those associated with trips and slips. Carpenters need to work with gloves, goggles and other safety equipment if they are to work safely and comply with government legislation. They need to be well covered in overalls. Splinters or wood kicked back from machines can be very dangerous if skin is exposed in any way.

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