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Carpentry Training Programs

Carpentry School & Career Courses

The smell of sawdust, the slide of a chisel, the beat of a hammer as you create that perfect piece of furniture or craft shelves to hold your favorite books. These are the things a carpenter does and more. If you like working with your hands and crafting something that will last, you should think about a career in carpentry. This is a great career so find carpentry schools below and start your education research. In today's industrial world of pre-made goods, skilled craftsmen like carpenters are hard to find and highly sought after. To make top dollar and have the knowledge and skills to create anything with woodworking, from baby cradles, to cabinets, to housing frames, you need the proper education and industry recognized credentials which can only be gained by taking Carpentry courses.

carpentry school Taking carpentry courses will not only give you the skills you need but also give you certifications that you can take with you for the rest of your career. Certified carpenters being in such high demand, can ask for higher salaries and qualify for better positions.


Carpenters have two paths they can take: residential carpentry or commercial. Residential carpentry deals with the more creative side of woodworking where commercial carpenters deal more with framing and technical aspects. Each type of carpentry requires its own skills and if all this sounds good to you, than look into carpentry courses today.

Where do I Find Carpentry Courses

You can find courses in carpentry in a number of places-from your local high school adult education department, to community colleges, trade schools and even specialized carpentry schools both online and offline. Some woodworking classes are even offered through home improvement and woodcraft stores! Carpentry brings in a huge range of people, from hobbyists who just want to learn how to build something for their home to high end professionals who want to build those homes!

The more training you have, the more confidence you will have and you will be in higher demand, and paid higher wages. It is strictly up to you how in depth your carpentry courses go and how specialized you want to be in this hands-on rewarding career.

What Will I Learn In My Carpentry Courses

You will learn a variety of skills with wood so that you can create both decorative and functional structures. These include skills such as:

  • Cabinetry
  • Framing
  • Exterior finishing
  • Roofing & Flooring
  • Estimation & Building materials
  • OSHA and other Regulatory requirements
  • The care and use of hand tools & power tools

Many schools and course studies for appliance repair offer certification which will only add to your resume, putting you ahead of the rest when looking for employment.

What Can I Expect After I Graduate

After you complete your study of carpentry courses, you will be able to enter the competitive and rapidly growing career of carpentry. You will find jobs in both commercial and residential environments doing jobs such as interior renovations, furniture making, cabinetry, roofing, flooring and framework, to name a few.

With ever increasing growth in new building and remodeling, a skilled carpenter is sure to find a niche for his level of training and specialization. So begin your training today with carpentry courses and frame your future. Don't wait another minute, request information from any of the carpentry schools below.

 

Skills of the Trade

 

If you have been looking for a skilled trade, one you can watch all of your hard work pay off then look into carpentry school. Carpenters do much more than just build houses. Many of them depending on their skill level go into more specialized work which could include making doors, custom kitchens and even furniture. The majority of the time however when you first get started you’ll find work constructing fixed structures like houses and commercial buildings. If you are ready to start your career in carpentry then get started today.

 

Carpentry Training Programs

 

Your first step like with any career is to find the right school and training program. With so many options to choose from we have tried to narrow the choices down for you so that we list the most popular ones. The first thing to look for is accreditation. We try to list only those career schools that are fully accredited. We do this as it protects the student when they enroll and ensures the student the school abides by strict accreditation rules and they are in a good financial status. This is important as you don’t want to enroll in a school and have them shut down half way in the middle of your program and you can’t get a refund.


When you find a school on this page that looks good your next step is to request information from that school so you can further research what they are about. Most schools will send you out a program packet in the mail so you can review the program in more detail on your own time. As I’ll go over below many of the schools are self-paced which could be a great fit for you, especially if you currently are employed and can only study at night or on the weekends. This allows you to not be held back by the rest of the class and you study on your own time.


One thing I always like to cover is how the school supports their students. When looking into a carpentry training class make sure you ask the school what type of support they have. Is it live support 24/7? Do you have set times you can call in to ask questions? Some schools usually give you a phone number and email so you always have access to support. Becoming a carpentry is hard work and you’ll need the right support to make your career dreams come true.


The final step once you found the perfect carpentry course is to make sure the tuition cost is what you are comfortable paying. I’ll discuss what a typical carpenter makes per year so make sure you look at your tuition costs vs. what you’ll be making. Some tuition is less than $2000 per year which is inexpensive vs the media salary range of a carpenter. Once you feel comfortable you can call up the school and enroll. Some schools you can start your program instantly that same day where others might have you start at the next starting date (usually every 3-6 weeks).

 

Coursework Modules

 

During your class you’ll typically take a wide variety of what they call modules which go over all of the different aspects of carpentry. You usually start out by learning how to read the blueprints that were designed by an architect or engineer. These plans ensure everything is done correctly to exact specifications. It will show where walls will go, where stairs are to be placed and all the exact measurements for each. You’ll be taught not only how to read these but also how to make precise measurements. You’ll learn how to use a leveler, how to correctly cut wood.


Other topics you’ll cover will be the tools of the trade. You’ll be taught how to properly use both hand as well as electric tools but more importantly how to safely use these tools. On-site job accidents by power tools does happen and you’ll want properly trained to avoid them. Many of the programs are broken down into two separate groups depending on if you are going into residential carpentry or commercial. The biggest difference is in residential you could cover things such as decks, kitchens, drywall and other what they call finishing techniques. In commercial carpentry most of the time finishing work isn’t as important and you might go over large scale framing, how to use scaffolding and even some schools will cover concrete pouring and or forming.


Classes in carpentry can also be self-taught via online from many of the schools. Today with the ability to learn over the internet on about anything, schools have implemented really detailed videos and even live correspondence to help you through your training program. Be open to this learning method as we are seeing more and more schools moving online.

 

Finding Carpentry Work

 

Finding work is easier than in most careers as the need for skilled carpenters has continued to grow. The last estimate was close to a million jobs were held by carpenters. Unlike many other careers over 35% of all carpenters run their own business. This is a pretty high number so if you have ever thought about being self-employed and owning your own carpentry business then this could be the right fit. Many residential builders will hire independent contractors to come in and do specific jobs. Others might hire you for a week’s worth of work where some might hire carpenters to come in and complete a job. Once that job is done the company moves over to the next one. Larger residential builders are loyal to their workers and once you get hired and do a good job it is pretty common to continue to be a great source for that builder for future builds.


Another place carpenter’s find work is to specialize in something like kitchen carpentry or door framing. These specialized jobs are not typically something the general contractor will do themselves. Kitchen work is usually very skilled and requires someone with a great deal of knowledge of kitchen design. The most important thing is if you have the skills to do custom kitchen work. This involves making custom doors, pantries, cabinets and even countertops. The ability to create a great looking kitchen comes from the detailed work that a skilled carpenter must possess.


Carpentry doesn’t stop with the inside of the house. Many schools will teach you how to build decks as well. This is something a larger company typically hires out as so much goes into deck design these days including the different types of woods you can use or the newer recycled non-wood products that last up to 30 years.


When it comes to salary many factors come into play. The first is where you plan on working when you get done with your training. If you live in a large city finding work might be easier than if you live in a small town. On the other hand if you are the only carpenter in the town then you will have all of the work that is available. Personally speaking I grew up in a very small town of less than 2000 people and we only had 2-3 carpenters in the entire town and most of them took jobs whenever they needed to and has been carpenters for over 40 years. Pay ranges on demand and your skill level. General carpenters could get paid as high as $70,000 where the media salary was closer to $40,000. More specialized workers however are typically paid more as they are paid per job


To get hired you’ll first need to find the right school that has the right training course for your carpentry needs. Research any on this site and request information today to get started on reviewing that school.


Carpentry Resources
BLS for Carpentry
National Association of the Remodeling Industry
The National Center for Construction Education and Research
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Woodworkers Guild of America