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Cabinet Maker

Teacher note: A number of students contributed to these pages on Colonial times. Each contributed diffferent information or a different perspective. You may find that each article adds to your understanding and research base.

By: Gabriel S(2002)

The Craft:

A cabinetmaker was a colonial craftsman who made fine furniture. They would carve wood into fine pieces of furniture with very nice designs on them. For instance, a bed is one of the things that they made. The headboard would very decorative designs and carvings on it. Other things that they would make are chandeliers, beds, coffins, tables chairs, desks, book cases, and of course, cabinets.

Steps that are required to make a cabinet were not as hard as you thought. First, you would choose what wood you were going to work with. (It is very important to know what wood you are working with.) Then, you would start to carve the wood into desired shapes with the lathe. Then you would carve out the joints that would lock together when joined together. After that, you would carve the nice designs into the wood with a chisel. Then after the designs are in the wood, you would join the wood together. After you joined the wood together, any cracks that were not filled when put together, you would fill with glue. Then, you would pain the wood with a desired color.

Tools of the trade:

• Saws: A tool that would cut off large pieces of wood off of maybe a large tree trunk or something like it.
• Drawknife: A two handed tool that you would place on the wood and then pull toward you. It would shave off small portions of the wood.
• Lathe: A great wooden wheel that turned a piece of wood so the cabinetmaker would carve into a desired shape.
• Sand or Steel wool: materials to shave off portions of the wood that creates saw dust and it makes the wood smooth. You have to know when to use these tools.
• Hammers: A tool that would drive nails into pieces of wood to join them together.
• Plane: A box tool that has a blade in it. The blade would be placed at a very specific angle so that the wood would become smooth.
• Glue: A hot substance that was made out of animal bones and skin. This glue when applied to a piece of wood, you could then join that piece of wood with another. This glue was very sticky, and when dry, became very hard.

Setting:

The cabinetmaker would usually work in a shop. It would be in town. The items that were made by cabinetmakers would either be from town or imported from other countries.

Required Skills:

He has to know how to work with wood, with the tools, and they to know what wood they were working with. Other skills were needed. The cabinetmaker also had to know how to clean up the shop when they were all done.

The cabinetmaker got his skills from being an apprentice for seven years. His master would show him how to do the skills like carve wood with a lathe or drawknife. More skills include cutting, joining wood, to shape, what wood he was working with, and to measure wood. He also has to learn how to clean up the shop after the day is done. The things that could be built after the training was over were cabinets, musical instruments, coffins, tables, chairs, beds, desks, and bookcases.

In the Community:

The society depended on the cabinetmaker to make furniture for them nice things like beds, chairs, tables, and other nice things. A family in colonial times might want a nice table, so they go to the cabinetmaker and get a nice table. Then they would need chairs to go with that table, so they would get some chairs from the cabinetmaker that went with the table. People also depend on him to make their coffins for them. The cabinetmaker would make the coffins and sometimes, perform the ceremonies for them. So in a way, the cabinetmaker is like a minister or priest.

Cabinetmaking produced a luxury for the people. If the were tables that people wanted, the cabinetmaker would make some very nice decorations on the furniture and make it very good looking. You could just go out and buy a regular table that did not have any decorations and that was very plain looking. That would be a very cheap table. If they wanted a nice piece of furniture, they would go to the cabinetmaker.

The middle and the upper class could buy from the cabinetmaker. The lower class were to poor to buy from the cabinetmaker. The middle class would buy cheaper furniture than the upper class. The upper class would get the best furniture.

This craft was not necessary to live. It was not even necessary for the upper or middle classes. It was a luxury.

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Last updated on April 3, 2003