It's up to how you want to do it. If I were to go to school for it, I would go to school to be an engineer. The trade is only learned in the trenches. If you want to get in the field, do some research and be sure you get with someone who's going to give you a good base to work from as far as knowledge goes. Might be a good idea to work with a couple or a few different carpenters, since no 2 will use the same techniques.
Remember this is just my opinion, i'm sure a few more will chime in with their .02.

 

Hi Im very new to the trade and have a few questions. Is going to school for carpentry/framing a good idea if you have the financial means of doing it, or is starting as a laborer and learning with time a better idea? I am really interested in this trade and plan on learning everything there is to know, I hope to some day have my own crew. Any tips, suggestions, or comments welcome. Thanks guys.

My 'helper' is 20 years old, - - a 'hard worker' all week, - - usually 6 days, - - and he goes to 'carpentry classes' 2 nights a week, - - 3 hours each session, - - at our local 'community college'. Don't quote me on it, - - but I believe he pays about $250/semester.

My advice is to do like him, - - get in the trenches AND hit the books.

Make sure you find someone both 'SKILLED' and 'REPUTABLE' to work for, - - it's much more efficient in the long run to learn 'HOW' to do things, - - then 'HOW NOT TO' . . .

GOOD LUCK!! :thumbsup:

 

I see what your saying. I guess I didnt mean go to college for it, I thought there are small trade schools where you can get licensed and atleast get a spot on a crew and do something other then just be the laborer. I am going to start as a laborer and try and ask one of the more expierienced guys to teach my if time permits. But, I dont want to be a laborer forever. Thank you for your reply.

 

Thanks tom! I checked the nearest comm college to where I live and they do not offer carpentry classes. But I will check the surrounding cities also.

I thought of another Q.

What if nobody that I work with is willing to take some time and teach me a few things? Another words they just wont care that I want to learn and move up.

 

I see what your saying. I guess I didnt mean go to college for it, I thought there are small trade schools where you can get licensed and atleast get a spot on a crew and do something other then just be the laborer. I am going to start as a laborer and try and ask one of the more expierienced guys to teach my if time permits. But, I dont want to be a laborer forever. Thank you for your reply.

That's basically what it is, - - Vo-Tech, - - TRADE SCHOOL, - - he doesn't want to be a laborer all his life either, - - and he's not going to be!! :thumbsup:

 

Awsome, looks like i will be taking those some steps. Been searching for an hour now and I can not find any Carpentry Trade schools in Arizona....

 

OOps, thought you were talking about college. Go for it, and you won't have to start as a laborer. I started in 10th grade as a carpenters helper thankfully from someone who taught me the old school ways and truelly cared about his work. If you're going into it with that much desire, you're going to be hell to deal with when your seasoned.
Good luck.

 

Awsome, looks like i will be taking those some steps. Been searching for an hour now and I can not find any Carpentry Trade schools in Arizona....

Don't know exactly where you're at in Arizona, - - but if it's say, - - around Phoenix, - - you would check with Mesa County Community College, - - call them Monday and ask about their 'night courses'. :thumbsup:

 

Tom, I think you are talking about Mesa Community College which is part of Maricopa(county) Community Colleges. I do remember in their paper catalogs, they had constructions/carpentry classes, but I checked online and I didnt find anyhthing. I will pick one of those catalogs up and talk to someone there. A small part of MCC is only 4 miles out from me. Used to go the for my general studies classes. Thanks tom.

 

Tom, I think you are talking about Mesa Community College which is part of Maricopa(county) Community Colleges. I do remember in their paper catalogs, they had constructions/carpentry classes, but I checked online and I didnt find anyhthing. I will pick one of those catalogs up and talk to someone there. A small part of MCC is only 4 miles out from me. Used to go the for my general studies classes. Thanks tom.

Hey, - - what can I say??, - - pretty tough callin' the 'shots' all the way from Jersey . . . :laughing:

Anyway, - - good luck with it!! :thumbsup:

 

learning carpentry

Buy the book "Roof Framing " by Marshall Gross and build the models in the book.

It is difficult and you will be challenged but if you seriously study this book you will have some good roof framing skills.

A lot of so-called carpenters can't frame half the roofs in the book.

 

Buy the book "Roof Framing " by Marshall Gross and build the models in the book.

It is difficult and you will be challenged but if you seriously study this book you will have some good roof framing skills.

A lot of so-called carpenters can't frame half the roofs in the book.

Thank you for the suggestion, Im currently reading Framing Basics by Rick Peters, and I also have House Framing by Jack P Jones. Maybe ill buy the book someday but for now I dont even have a toolbelt.

 

Thank you for the suggestion, Im currently reading Framing Basics by Rick Peters, and I also have House Framing by Jack P Jones. Maybe ill buy the book someday but for now I dont even have a toolbelt.

also get the book/video set(walls, floor,roofs) by Larry Haun.

 

Use the search engine, you can drag up a lot of good info right here on this site. Ya just have to weed threw my BS.:whistling

Bob

 

New in the biz...

Hey "F",

Try checking out your state's Labor and Industries website, poke around for "Apprenticeships" and courses offered through trade schools, etc.; try visiting their office, tell them what you'd like to do, glean some info from them.

And, Fer Chrissakes, put a shortcut on your desktop! You'll be coming here ALOT...

Pretty soon, you'll have to change your name to "OSF" (Old Seasoned Fart)...

 

Is going to school for carpentry/framing a good idea if you have the financial means of doing it, or is starting as a laborer and learning with time a better idea?

Bottom line: everyone learns differently. There's nothing that will replace hands-on learning, but that requires both a watchful student and a willing teacher. What you'll find in the field is that most "builders" have more personal preference than hard knowledge about building science.

If you think you're good at classroom learning, there's no better way to get a foundation in building theory and practice.

You might check for owner-builder schools. Don't dismiss them. I got my start in a 3-week crash course in Energy-Efficient Building in a school in Maine run by an engineer and taught by the first woman to become a master carpenter in the Chicago union.

I went right from that class to supervising construction and rehab projects. Now I'm teaching building to others in formal classes and have taught "on-site" for 15 years.

If there's a carpenter's union, they probably have an apprenticeship program.

Otherwise, a quick Google search turned up these possible tech schools:

American Institute Of Technology Phoenix AZ
Arizona Automotive Institute Glendale AZ
Arizona Western College Yuma AZ
Central Arizona College Coolidge AZ
Chandler/Gilbert Community College Chandler AZ
Clinton Technical Institute-Motorcycle Mech Div Phoenix AZ
Cochise College Douglas AZ
Coconino County Community College Flagstaff AZ
Eastern Arizona College Thatcher AZ
Gateway Community College Phoenix AZ
Gateway Community College - Maricopa Skill Center Phoenix AZ
Glendale Community College Glendale AZ
High-Tech Institute Phoenix AZ
Mesa Community College Mesa AZ
Mohave Community College Kingman AZ
North American Technical College Phoenix AZ
Northland Pioneer College Holbrook AZ
Phoenix College Phoenix AZ
Pima Community College Tucson AZ
Refrigeration School Inc Phoenix AZ
Rio Salado Community College Tempe AZ
Roberto-Venn School Of Luthiery Phoenix AZ
Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale AZ
Universal Technical Institute Inc Phoenix AZ
Yavapai College Prescott AZ

Good luck,
- Robert

 

One of your first tools......

a good framing square with all the tables. Study it, and have someone who actually knows how to use it teach you. Don't learn on a speed square. Speed squares are awesome, but you must know why and how those angles are achieved. My first boss when I was 17 was great at teaching me how to use the framing square. Of course that was way before speed squares, and roof trusses were'nt real common. I get a kick out of telling a new kid to buy a good square----- He comes back with a plastic speed square.:whistling

 

Wow, I get a feeling that between going to school and coming here and reading thru all the posts ill be learning alot, and at a fast pace. Thank you to everyone who responded.

 

I went to Tech school for carpentry and learned to figure and solve problems (stairs, sq.ft. and the sort). Now I run about 30 men and have 4 sub crews and I'm 28. I hired one guy outta the same school and he's pretty good. If you like the trade and skip the school study at home and this stuff on line. If your setting trusses or running dead wood the next day spend 10 min reading up on it at night. It's true, you'll learn more the first week on the job and how to move but you'll have an edge studing or going to school.

 

all fine and dandy! but remember the best place to learn is in the trenches. no better place , cant smash your thumb with apencil and teach you that lessonLOL! and doesn't most if not all folks learning this skill need to start as a laboror? just book learning would not do it for me. i would have to see his quality workmanship first. before i left him run a crew. and also learning tto deal with people is not learned in school. and we all know sometimes we are all babysitters.LOL! yes going to school is wonderful but my .02 cents says get a job with a reputible company get in the trenches and build baby build. with time and experience you"ll catch on. patience is difinitly a fertue in this bus.

 

vinylguy, I didn't say you wont learn more in the trenches, I said you'd learn more in the first week in the field but being one step a head is allways good, the more you know the more your worth unless your just slinging 60 sheets or better a day. Second, when I got out of school I started at 5.50 an hour and toted wood and cut blocks for a few months until I figured out how to set the job up, carried trash the other direction and run out of stuff to tote, wood to stack, and nails to pull. I started this guy the same way(the guy I hired from school). I dont usally hire people that say they have been to school or collage for framing because I know the dont know anything, I hired this guy because I needed a labor. School wont get you anymore money at first. This guy didn't sound like he was going into the union (Beg.Q) but he wanted to learn which could take the same amount of time job hunting to find someone like us to show them. I would say though, If your old enough to get work in the field study at home, your loosing an 8 hour pay per day.

 

Buy the books now, you can't own too many

try http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/EN/UserTemplate/51

Carpentry by Leonard Koel is very thorough if you can stand a text book format. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0826907393/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/002-3624757-3573600?_encoding=UTF8

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction by Rob Thallon is easy to understand. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1561583537/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-3624757-3573600#reader-link

The Very Efficient Carpenter by Larry Haun is well illustrated. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942580494/002-3624757-3573600?v=glance&n=283155

Fine Homebuilding has a few good framing books if you like slick photos.

And find a builder who builds from custom plans stamped by an architect and/or an engineer and read the specs and drawings repeatedly and ask questions until the design intention is clear to you.

It is easier to learn the how than to learn the why of construction but you need to know both to be good.

Join the JLC site so you can search their articles and download them. Join the Forum to get good professional information.

 

I am curently a student at commuinty college for residential construction. I have learned a great deal. However I also study and research construction in my free time and have practiced building for most of my family members. I have not worked for a crew, but I run the crew at school and sometimes think that in the feild it should go better. My class is not compitent at anything. I cannot trust any answer they give me. So it causes a lot of problems with things being wrong and us having to redue the work. Which is understandable since this is school. But i would not recommend anyone from my class to any framing crew as a framer, as a laborer yes but not a fromaer. Our classes give you 1hr calssroom 5hr field a day for 4 days a week and to get a certificate you need a 3hr credit arch. blue print reading course. My book knowledge is good enough to allow me to pass michigan's builders exam but my skills still need to become refined. But it was a great start.

 

ripping stuff apart and fixing it- sounds like the field. Really it is a skill, I've got one guy that speacilizes in doing it and he is fast, can twist on, beat on, and spit on to fix stuff. He carrys a 14" carriage bolt with a nut on it for driving nails in hard to reach places. He's good with a sledge hammer and our gas powered trim saw(18" ECHO).

 

I start a laborer job monday the 10th. Big custom home here in Mesa, AZ. Ill tell you guys one thing, the little book that was attached to my Craftsman speed square has been teaching me more about roofs then my book(gives you all of the pitch tables from 2-12 to the end). I think I could make a common cut if I were asked to. I also just got a big book called Modern Carpentry(all the other books seemed really old, the title made me get the book).