Master Carpenter's Final Exam

[Mini Me]

A Video on a German Master Carpenter's Final Exam.

 

[Cypren]

This was a great watch and an impressive first video for a new YouTuber. Great cinematography and clear explanations of so many of the small decisions that go into creating a piece of fine furniture.

And boy, that workshop he was using left me drooling. So many Martin toys!

 

[woodferret]

Thanks.  I giggled over the Osmo recommendations   They're really all over the place, partly depending on which field you're in (eg flooring vs furniture vs exterior).  The only consistency they have between them is to get it on evenly, then wipe off before it gums up.

 

[ChuckM]

A very nice video (up to 20:30 as the rest has yet to be watched) with no annoying music or fillers. I liked his emphasis on wood movement (e.g. drawer front orientation).

However, I couldn't believe what I saw at 11:00 as he fed the stock with his bare hands instead of a push block, and at 20:15 when he placed his hand so close to the blade with the Kapex.

I might be mistaken but it seems at18:06, he oriented the bottom board piece the wrong way in the drawer where the board would expand side to side rather than front to back. The camera moved away quickly from there for me to be sure.

I'll resume watching the video later today or tomorrow.

 

[smorgasbord]

First, since when do carpenters build furniture, not houses?

Just started watching and trying to wrap my head around taking wide boards and cutting them down only to glue them back up to wide boards.

At 7:15 or so, he's wrong about the Tersa cutterhead producing results that don't need further attention, such as sanding. I have a Tersa cutterhead on my Jointer/Planer combo unit and while it's nice, you still get scallops since it's just straight blades. Slowing down the feed rate reduces the scallops, but they'll still be there.

I'm surprised for his "test" he's allowed to bypass the safety features with painter's tape over the cameras.

I would have liked to have seen him make the plywood for the drawer bottoms.

Interesting idea to wet the back of the tambour slats to compensate for the moisture from gluing them on the other side.

Also interesting that the examiners wanted dovetails (I assume sliding) instead of dominos for building the carcase. I wonder why - to show he could do a sliding dovetail or something practical?

 

[Cypren]

However, I couldn't believe what I saw at 11:00 as he fed the stock with his bare hands instead of a push block, and at 20:15 when he placed his hand so close to the blade with the Kapex.

That stood out to me as well. I realize people who spend a lot of time with tools tend to get much more comfortable doing risky things, but after more than a decade in this hobby my brain would still be freaking the heck out at the thought of putting my hand that close to a blade. I’ve just got too much healthy fear for how quickly a machine can grab onto a piece of wood and throw it around unpredictably while taking your hand along for the ride.

 

[MikeGE]

First, since when do carpenters build furniture, not houses?

 

The title is likely a translation mistake since English is not his native language.  In the comments section of the video he acknowledges this.  A "Zimmermann" is a traditional carpenter, while a "Schreiner" is a cabinet maker.  However, sometimes they both translate to "carpenter".  Regardless, achieving the "Meister" status is a significant event. 

My German language skills are not the best, but I would call a Schrenerei to have furniture made if I didn't want to make it.  I'm confident [member=61712]six-point socket II[/member] can clarify this much better than I can.

 

[bruegf]

My father did his training in germany in the late 40's early 50's.  Back then a cabinet maker was a "Tischler".  I still have a couple of his german books from that time.

 

[hdv]

In the German-speaking countries you have 3 titles for people working with wood: Zimmerer, Tischler and Schreiner.

A Zimmerer is what you would call a carpenter in English. In other words people focussed at constructing buildings and such.

Tischler and Schreiner is for all practical purposes the same occupation. It is just that in Austria and most regions in Germany they use the term Tischler, whereas in Switzerland and the south of Germany they use Schreiner. These are the people making or restoring furniture and other wooden objects.

There is some overlap in when someone is called a Zimmerer or a Tischler, but that is probably not relevant for this forum.

HTH

 

[ChuckM]

However, I couldn't believe what I saw at 11:00 as he fed the stock with his bare hands instead of a push block, and at 20:15 when he placed his hand so close to the blade with the Kapex.

That stood out to me as well. I realize people who spend a lot of time with tools tend to get much more comfortable doing risky things, but after more than a decade in this hobby my brain would still be freaking the heck out at the thought of putting my hand that close to a blade. I’ve just got too much healthy fear for how quickly a machine can grab onto a piece of wood and throw it around unpredictably while taking your hand along for the ride.

YouTubers are particularly at risk as they have to manage both the milling operation and the video recording, which in itself can be distracting, at the same time.

One popular YouTuber had his fingers cut by a blade coasting down as he was talking, turning around, and moving his hand above the table saw -- forgetting that the saw had yet to stop completely. Previously, he also noted that the SawStop wasn't really necessary in a hobby shop or the like.

Master carpenters or woodworkers, or for that matter, any woodworkers shouldn't take chances with their fingers or bare hands like that seen in the German video. A beloved career or pastime could be destroyed. The risk is not necessary.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.

I would have liked to have seen him make the plywood for the drawer bottoms.

Snip

I watched the drawer part again and believe that given how he chamfered the bottom edges with a block plane, the bottoms are solid walnut, not plywood, and the way the bottoms are in the drawers doesn't allow for wood expansion.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[woodbutcherbower]

The term 'Master' is hugely over-used in the UK. A guy can be a 'Master Painter', a 'Master Plasterer' or a 'Master Toilet Cleaner'. Just anything he dreams up, really. No qualifications. no exam, no certificate, no nothing. It mysteriously elevates him from being a bog-standard trader with 12 months on the job, into a mythical being who turns everything he touches into gold.

Fun fact = the term originated during the 15th and 16th centuries when cathedral-building was at its pinnnacle in Europe. The 'Master Stonemason' was the guy who oversaw the carving of critically-dimensioned stones for Gothic arches and similar, checking everything for dimensional accuracy - a kind of supervisor. Not an ordinarily-skilled guy with an exaggerated sense of his own importance and a desire to pull the wool over the eyes of gullible customers.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

First, since when do carpenters build furniture, not houses?

 

The title is likely a translation mistake since English is not his native language.  In the comments section of the video he acknowledges this.  A "Zimmermann" is a traditional carpenter, while a "Schreiner" is a cabinet maker.  However, sometimes they both translate to "carpenter".  Regardless, achieving the "Meister" status is a significant event. 

My German language skills are not the best, but I would call a Schrenerei to have furniture made if I didn't want to make it.  I'm confident [member=61712]six-point socket II[/member] can clarify this much better than I can.

All of the guys I've ever worked with describe themselves as 'Holzarbeiters' ...

 

[smorgasbord]

I would have liked to have seen him make the plywood for the drawer bottoms.

I watched the drawer part again and believe that given how he chamfered the bottom edges with a block plane, the bottoms are solid walnut, not plywood, and the way the bottoms are in the drawers doesn't allow for wood expansion.

I missed the chamfering part, but here's the snippet where he claims it's plywood:
[attachimg=1]

If the bottom are indeed solid wood, then I totally agree with your comments on orientation and expansion.

 

[ChuckM]

I didn't pay attention to the cc. If he had properly oriented the layers when he made the walnut plywood, that could allay the concern about wood movement.

 

[hdv]

Be aware that what is called "plywood" in this translation probably is Dreischicht-Platte [1] (see attached picture). This not really plywood, but "Leimholz". Not sure what you would call that in English. But, as you can see in the picture, the layers can be quite thick.

[member=77266]smorgasbord[/member] : you wrote "I would have liked to have seen him make the plywood for the drawer bottoms." I remember a video by Heiko Rech where he did this. If you want I can try to find it for you.

[1] I haven't watched the video, so I can't be sure.

 

[hdv]

Hmm, that picture clearly didn't come through. Let's try again.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I think most woodworkers are considered carpenters by average people (layman's term)
On the job site, the rest of the trades consider the cabinet installers to be carpenters. At least that's how they refer to them.
I have heard it from people about me. I'm not offended, but I am also not a carpenter.
To me, it's a very generic term, that essentially means nothing. There are framers and trim carpenters, for building houses, rarely are they the same guys.
Cabinet makers are different too, the rest are hobbyist woodworkers, so who exactly is a carpenter?

Now, way back in the day, it was different. When my house was built (1929) the cabinets were built on site, by those who I would consider a carpenter. They weren't installing something that was made elsewhere. They are solid wood (Pine/Fir?) but not a complete "box". They are merely a face frame, with a bottom and side (on the finished end) the back and top are the wall and ceiling.
Maybe we have specialized away from the term?

The drawer bottom issue: To me, the grain should run side to side, even with plywood. It's not that it is required physically, because the plywood is stable. I just think it should "look" like a real solid wood bottom would.

 

[woodferret]

Be aware that what is called "plywood" in this translation probably is Dreischicht-Platte [1] (see attached picture). This not really plywood, but "Leimholz". Not sure what you would call that in English. But, as you can see in the picture, the layers can be quite thick.

[member=77266]smorgasbord[/member] : you wrote "I would have liked to have seen him make the plywood for the drawer bottoms." I remember a video by Heiko Rech where he did this. If you want I can try to find it for you.

[1] I haven't watched the video, so I can't be sure.

Mass timber. Specifically CLT (cross laminated timber).  That said, it's mostly sized for construction projects here.  Furniture wise, you're more likely to see blockboard or lumber core plywood.  The face layer tends to be thinner, better grade.

 

[hdv]

In the German-speaking countries this type of layered material is regularly used for furniture. Of course with good quality outer layers. I seem to remember that Hülsta even had a whole range where the layers were purposely used as a "feature".