How to Become a Carpenter
Be part of the profession that holds society together.
When you begin your journey to learn how to become a carpenter, you’ll be joining one of the oldest skilled trades. The first carpenters used tools made of stone to shape wood into household items, shelters, and other small structures that archeologists have traced back to 8000 B.C.
Carpenter tools have evolved over the past 10,000 years and now include power tools like circular saws and jigsaws. As a carpenter, you can do all kinds of projects, from adding details to homes to building large structures. Even with modern building trends, the carpenter’s goal hasn’t changed: You use wood to build things that keep the world functioning.
Let’s look at a typical carpenter’s career path, the training you’ll need to become a carpenter, and the salary you can expect as a carpenter.
What Is a Carpenter?
Carpenters work with wood as their primary building material. When you learn how to be a carpenter, you might also use plywood and wallboard in your projects. You might build homes and other structures, work inside on decorative details, or work outside on infrastructure like bridges. You’ll get to choose from one of three classifications of carpenters:
- Construction carpenters build, install, and repair homes, buildings, and fixtures made of wood and wallboard. They use hand and power tools.
- Rough carpenters work on infrastructure projects like wooden forms for concrete, tunnels, bridges, and sewer supports. They build the scaffolding that other workers use to complete their jobs. They may also build the frame for shelters to use on the job site.
- Wood flooring installers use wood planks, strips, or parquet pieces to install floors with either nails or glue. They can also do finishing work to smooth and polish flooring once installed.
What Does a Carpenter Do?
When you start a carpentry job, you first meet with a client or contractor to discuss building plans and look at blueprints. You’ll use those blueprints to build and install anything from walls and supports to floors, windows, and molding. You might repair old or damaged wood structures. On larger jobs, you might oversee laborers and construction helpers who assist you.
The tools of a carpenter’s trade are specialized hand tools that include chisels, squares, hand saws, and levels. Power tools used by a carpenter include sanders, circular saws, and nail guns.
Most carpenters work full-time, but not always on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Some projects require evening and weekend work depending on the complexity of the job and the client’s needs.
About one-third of all carpenters are self-employed. As an independent contractor, you need to learn how to bid on jobs, purchase and organize inventory, and supervise other workers. You could work for residential or commercial building companies or contractors that work on foundations, structures, and building exteriors.
All carpenters need a defined skill set that includes:
- Dexterity and hand-eye coordination to use tools.
- Math skills, including basic trigonometry to calculate the area, size, and amount of material to complete the project.
- Physical strength to handle heavy tools and materials weighing as much as 100 pounds.
- The stamina to stand, climb, and bend for hours.
- Problem-solving skills to modify or correct plans as needed.
- Attention to detail and precision to cut, measure, and modify materials.
Look at this job description to see additional qualities and skills you’ll need to develop to find work as a carpenter.
How to Become a Carpenter
Carpentry is a career you can start right out of high school and learn on the job. You can get a head start if your high school has a vocational program or offers elective classes in mechanical drawing or woodshop. Be sure to do well in your math classes and take basic trigonometry.
What Is the Typical Carpenter Career Path?
Once you have your high school diploma or equivalent, you can learn carpentry on the job. You can boost your chances of being hired if you attend a vocational or technical school to earn an associate degree in carpentry. Once you know the basics, you’ll progress through a series of experience levels—apprenticeship, journeyman, and master carpenter.
1. How to Become an Apprentice Carpenter
The first stage of your carpentry career will be as an apprentice carpenter, working with an experienced carpenter while you take technical classes. It can be easier to get a carpentry apprenticeship if a union or contractor association in your area sponsors you. They will pay for your on-the-job training with a carpenter and enable you to take technical training.
To fulfill your apprenticeship, you’ll need to work at least 2,000 hours per year for at least three years. You’ll also need to complete the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour safety course along with a minimum of 144 hours of training in:
- carpentry basics
- blueprint reading
- mathematics needed in carpentry
- building code requirements
2. How to Become a Journeyman Carpenter
Once you’ve fulfilled your carpentry apprenticeship requirements, you are considered a journeyman carpenter. Your local United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union will issue you a journeyman card.
3. How to Become a Master Carpenter
There are no tests or official certifications to become a master carpenter. Generally, a carpenter who has completed an apprenticeship and has been a journeyman for at least 10 years can refer to themselves as a master carpenter.
4. Carpentry Certification
While you don’t need any overall certification to work as a carpenter, you can earn certificates when you learn how to become a carpenter in specialty areas. These include:
- The National Association of the Remodeling Industry certification for remodeling in several levels of expertise.
- The National Wood Flooring Association certification for installers, craftsmen, and master craftsmen.
How Much Do Carpenters Make?
The median carpenter salary is $19.39 per hour. Depending on your experience level and the area where you work, the hourly rate for carpenters, self-employed or working for a construction firm, ranges from $15.58 to $25.29 per hour. Here’s what you can expect to make as you advance in your carpenter career:
- An apprentice carpenter average salary is $35,000.
- A journeyman carpenter average salary is $55,000.
- A master carpenter can be paid $100 to $150 per hour.
You can look up the average carpenter salary in your location by using the Monster Salary Guide
How to Find Carpenter Jobs
Once you’ve learned how to become a carpenter, you’ll build your career from carpentry apprentice to master. These steps also help you build your resume. With each experience level, you’ll have additional carpentry skills and experience to add. Here is a sample carpenter resume you can use as a template for yours.
Once your resume is ready, take a look on Monster to apply for carpentry jobs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified states and areas employing the highest number of carpenters.
The states employing the most carpenters:
The areas employing the most carpenters are:
Build Your Carpenter Career With Help From Monster
Discover the best secret for how to become a carpenter with a job that fits you like a dovetail joint. Just complete a Monster profile. It will give you a solid foundation for your job hunt by putting your resume front and center for employers and recruiters to see. Monster will also support you by sending carpenter job postings and tailored career advice right to your inbox.