Why a cabinet maker is not a carpenter and visa versa!

Back in the day my father would scream and howl every time he was called a “carpenter”. I never quite understood why until it started happening to me on the very many job sites that I’ve been on. During odd and very random moments, people from various walks of life would walk up to me while they held a piece of wood and would ask me to cut it with my saw. When I’d reply, “I’m sorry ma’am but my saw isn’t here, it’s in my shop” That same person would look at me with some absolutely horrified look on their face and reply with, “Whhaaaaaaaat? Aren’t you a carpenter?” Whereby I’d reply with, “No ma’am, I’m not a carpenter…. I’m a cabinet -furniture maker / woodworker”. Then, after the puzzled look dissipated from whence would come the next and last statement they’d make, “It’s the same thing!” , No ma’am.. it’s not. 🙂

There are huge differences in the materials that a carpenter uses as opposed to the type of materials that we professional cabinet makers/artisans use. A carpenter’s machinery is quite often small hand tools whereby a cabinet maker who has a shop very commonly uses a saw (and btw this is one piece of equipment) that is worth 10’s of thousands of dollars where a carpenter’s electric saw you can buy for what? $125.00?

I have personally seen and worked on houses and rooms that were terribly out of square and not plumb. In this day and age, that’s perfectly acceptable and a known fact. Building materials along with the weather change quite rapidly. Houses settle, they move, shift and sometimes even shake and or crack. Cabinets on the other hand are built to precise specifications and are built (usually) square and true even though they aren’t going in a perfect place or opening. That’s just how it is. Carpenters can build a house within a 1/4″ of an inch or more (I’ve seen whole room’s one inch out of square and not plumb!) out of square whereby a cabinet maker builds cabinets usually within a 1/32″ tolerance. I’m sure there’s been very many cabinet makers who’ve cussed out carpenters during an installation for their lack of accuracy. On the contrary, I’m sure there’s been more than one carpenter who’s called a cabinet maker uptight, anal or has said, “Ahh don’t worry about it!” Trust me, us professional cabinet makers worry about it!

Would you call this guy a carpenter? Really would you???? He has an amazing resemblance to my son Mike. But this isn’t Mike or Tyler. So let me ask you then, would you ask a carpenter to build you a set of kitchen cabinets or bookshelves for that matter? I’m sure any carpenter would agree to build cabinets for you. After all, he works with wood doesn’t he? Building a cabinet professionally takes a very huge amount of skill and knowledge to build it right, to build it with the right types of materials, finishes and to make sure it lasts. Cabinet makers are usually pretty smart guys or gals. However, its been my experience to meet a few who were not or aren’t so smart. So the bottom lines is, just don’t let anyone who pulls up in a van wearing a hard hat who also owns an electric saw and a ruler (who barely knows how to use it let alone measure something with it) cut a bunch of shelves for you.  Call a professional cabinet maker like the guy in the photo. He’s invested his whole life into his trade. I think he deserves your respect.