Thread: Career in Carpentry

Check with Fair Trading Victoria and TAFE Vic; they will have the exact qualifications requirements.

For NSW, it's a TAFE course at Cert III level, then a couple of hundred with your application form to Fair Trading NSW.

Along the way, you spend about $6-10K on tools and consumables, get sucked into underpaid (or no pay) jobs for friends, and generally have a riot at TAFE. A lot of TAFE students drop out because they're earning well (for a 17-year-old) and get cocky; think they can keep going without finishing the course, which they see as reducing their paying hours on the job.

More seriously, it's important to look after your safety from day one - this includes protecting your hearing. Also, a plain Carpentry qualification may limit the value of work you can do directly contracted to a homeowner (it does in NSW). It is, however, the first step towards a full contractor licence in building...

Cheers, Adam.

Hey thanks for the reply

While enquiries may lead to a minimum school level to get an apprenticeship, remember that there is nothing wrong with planning to stay at school longer and take up an apprenticeship with a higher level of education.

While this may delay you from earning an income for another year or too, it will be at the start of you career, and not quite as drastic financially as taking a year off when you are 30 because you need to update your education in order to continue your career development.

We now live in a society which expects everyone to keep updating their quals just to stay in their current jobs. I know three ex plumbers and other trades who gave up their trade with the changes in registration requirements that came in about 10 years ago. These were guys who did not do well at school, but were coached through apprenticeships by family etc, and were well regarded registered tradies. Change the registration requirements, and without the support that they originally had, they could not keep up with the rate of change and maintain their registration. All ended up working as factory hands or handyman, despite having 20 + years as experienced self employed tradies.

Are you talking about becoming a chippie, a cabinet-maker or what? I'm guessing you mean a chippie, but...

...there's so many different types of carpenters: framer, formers, trim carpenters, joiners, cabinet-makers - not to mention the more specialised types such as shipwrights (wood), luthiers, etc. etc. etc. Really, they're all craftsmen and they're all carpenters, but the "best" path to each can be quite varied. eg a framer or former are probably best started off as a chippie, but a cabinetmaker or joiner are probably best approached "in shop."

Mind you, what's learned in one area generally applies to all areas of woodwork but I don't see much sense in signing up for a luthier's course if what you want to do is marquetry or just slap up housing.

So, if you're asking for career advice, I think it's best if you're clearer about what you're asking...

Originally Posted by DarkWolfz

Hey I'm planning to have a career in Carpentry when I'm older.

Can anyone tell me everything i need to be a carpenter. Qualifications etc...

Thanks

You have to be able to live eat and breath saw dust!
But most of all you have to be passionate about working with wood!!!

Darkwolf.... if you want to get fit and muscular, become a joiner in a busy shop. All the joiners I know always have girls hanging around them. true. excepting me for some reason.......

I'm trying to get into Carpentry as in Houses and stuff

And yeah sean@nthnsw i am passionate about working with wood

Originally Posted by sean@nthnsw

You have to be able to live eat and breath saw dust!
But most of all you have to be passionate about working with wood!!!

yeah, that real great advice - if you want to get cancer. The pine they use for house frames is treated with arsenic. Always wear a mask

Originally Posted by big_gumbo

yeah, that real great advice - if you want to get cancer. The pine they use for house frames is treated with arsenic. Always wear a mask

Really, I never knew that. When did all the framing timber start being treated with arsenic?

Originally Posted by boban

Really, I never knew that. When did all the framing timber start being treated with arsenic?

I dont know how long. My teacher told me that and i looked it up and its true. MDF or chipboard dust is way worst though and i work with that all day

Originally Posted by boban

Really, I never knew that. When did all the framing timber start being treated with arsenic?

Only some timber was treated with it (CCA = Copper Chrome Arsenate) but its use has been discontinued.

Mick

Originally Posted by big_gumbo

I dont know how long. My teacher told me that and i looked it up and its true.

We need references, not, "I looked it up"

Its a good way to scare off anyone interested in the trade..

Anover urbun myff..

Originally Posted by big_gumbo

yeah, that real great advice - if you want to get cancer. The pine they use for house frames is treated with arsenic. Always wear a mask

I heard that plain old air is deadly too, everyone who breaths it eventually dies!

Originally Posted by Brickie

We need references, not, "I looked it up"

Its a good way to scare off anyone interested in the trade..

Anover urbun myff..

Have a look at this site http://www.pinesolutions.com.au/prod...SDS/index.html

It shows the Material Safety Data Sheets of the types of pine avaliable and the effects it can do to you