Many of the skills required for commercial carpenters are obvious. They need to have the appropriate certifications and training. And they ought to have a certain amount of knowledge and expertise in all things carpentry.
But what other skills do carpenters need? What other non-carpentry skills will help a carpenter truly succeed? Commercial and residential carpenters alike.
The following is a list of important non-carpentry skills that every carpenter should have:
Problem-Solving and Critical Thought
It’s one thing to know how to perform tasks. It’s another thing entirely to organize tasks into a successful project. Especially when things don’t go as planned! As the saying goes, “the only certain thing is change.” You are bound to run into issues along the way in any project. Whether you experience delays, last-minute changes, or budget discrepancies. That’s why it is important to know how to problem-solve and utilize critical thought in the moment.
Leadership/Management Skills
A commercial or residential carpenter is responsible for their team. For the well being and safety of their team, as well as their productivity and efficiency. It is imperative to know how to lead and manage people well because that’s a large part of your day-to-day job. It will be hard to get anything accomplished if you cannot lead your employees to work towards a common goal. And people are not always easy to lead, so management and leadership skills are imperative for your success as a carpenter.
Vision and Creativity
Carpenters will also greatly benefit from skills of overall vision and creativity. They are the ones that lead the charge, draw up plans, and direct their teams. They need to have the creativity and vision to take a project from start to finish. And they need to be able to envision the final product before the work has even started. Oftentimes it requires creativity to match the client’s expectations and desires with the realities of making it come together.
Mathematics
Do you remember being in high school algebra class saying, “when will I ever use this?” Well, the answer is when you are a carpenter! Being skilled in math is an extremely valuable quality for carpenters to possess. You are constantly solving math problems. Not just trivial math problems either. The integrity of your entire structure depends on correctly computing math equations. There is no room for errors. So it might be time to brush up on your geometry!
Physical Fitness
Last but not least, carpenters need to be physically fit. Carpentry is a physically demanding job. It requires strength, flexibility, and agility. It’s important to prioritize physical fitness and health in order to do the job well. And to do it for the long-term! This includes eating a nutritional diet and staying hydrated.
These are simply a few of the useful non-carpentry skills that a carpenter should possess. There are many more skills to consider, however, when striving to be a successful carpenter.
At Waldron Carpentry, we believe in going above and beyond in everything we do. This includes thinking outside of the box to utilize an array of important skills. As a team, we will use whatever skills necessary to complete a job with the utmost integrity and excellence.