Wooden desks, chairs, shelving units, and other types of furniture are built or repaired by a furniture carpenter. Many of these people work for themselves, while others work for manufacturing companies, retailers, or service businesses. Some carpenters work with a variety of materials and products, while others specialize in crafting, repairing, or restoring specific items.
Community colleges in some countries offer short-term vocational courses in which students learn how to work with wood in a variety of ways. These sessions typically cover carpentry in general rather than just furniture-related work, though some institutions offer classes on specific aspects of the trade that students can enroll in after completing the general courses. Many people working in this field receive on-the-job training while working as apprentices, so anyone interested in becoming a furniture carpenter should look for work with a company that manufactures or repairs wooden products. Industry associations in some areas offer training classes that culminate in a practical exam; those who complete this training may become certified master carpenters. Many of these programs, like college courses, are designed to prepare people to work in the trades in general rather than focusing on a specific job.
A skilled furniture carpenter may specialize in a specific product category, such as cribs, rocking chairs, or dressers. In many cases, these professionals prefer to work with a single type of wood, such as pine, oak, or cedar, and one carpenter may create an entire line of stylistically similar products using the same materials. A furniture carpenter may sell these items to retailers or wholesalers, while others in the field may own and operate their own stores, in which case they may even create customized products for individual customers.
Aside from creating new products, some people in this field work on repairing items that have been created by others. Carpenters may replace rotten or damaged wood from beds, wardrobes, or dressers in some cases, while other types of repairs may include smoothing out scratches or reapplying staining materials or varnish in others. Many antique pieces of furniture are painted with no longer mass-produced paints or have ornate decorations that are difficult to replicate. Some carpenters specialize in restoring these unusual pieces of furniture by studying historic production techniques.
A furniture carpenter who works with a variety of products typically earns a fixed salary or a consistent income by working with a large number of business and consumer clients. Because the restoration and production process is more labor intensive, people who perform more specialized work may charge higher fees. Furthermore, because antique furniture is often rare, people who work with limited product lines often take on other projects to supplement their income during times when customers are scarce.