Handyman, Carpenter and Woodworker…what’s the difference?

Whether spoken out loud, or outlined by action, most people and potential customers ask this question. I mean really what is the difference? They all kinda do the same thing... right? 

No. Not at all, and in fact once you know the difference it's almost appalling that we're all lumped together in the same boat. But here let me break it down for you. 

Handyman: 

Just as the title implies. Someone who is crafty enough to do most simple tasks involving their hands. Oftentimes carpenters and woodworkers start as handymen who then compound their skills through experience and fundamental knowledge of the trade. Handymen also don't work in an official capacity, meaning they could at most be titled an amateur, but never a pro.  

Why is this distinction important? Because a lot of customers have reached out to me in pursuit of "handyman" work. "Oh I just need this TV hung, or can you put this ikea shelf together for me? I just need some organization done in my shed"  With these requests comes the expectation of "handyman" prices and work ethic. While some tradesmen may do it as a favor for friends/family or for lunch money, this is not professional work and customers should understand how we perceive it when propositioned to do it. 

Generally speaking, I and many other tradesmen outside of friends or family will not do handyman work. Not because I cannot, but because it's outside the boundary of protected, professional work. Protected meaning guaranteed by a contractual agreement and professional because you're paying me a living wage for my work. 

Carpenter: 

Now this is where the lines can get blurry. This is because carpenters/contractors are professionals, with the widest range of skill sets, labor costs and reputations therein. My distinction is really this: If it involves anything up to and including physical work on the bones of a house, that is contractor/carpenter work. If it's standalone furniture, or pieces that are built into the home that are "finished" that is what I would consider woodworking. The reason why the distinction is important is carpenters and woodworkers have two very different workflows and this impacts the way we approach projects. 

Carpenters in my eyes are extremely skilled at doing a lot with little, whereas woodworkers do a little with a lot. That sounds terrible, but let me explain. Carpenters typically work on site and spend a lot of their time doing rough construction with the most "finish" grade things they do being cabinets, windows, doors, wall trim and finished bathrooms or kitchens. They also tend to work with many materials, like stone, tile, brick, concrete, drywall as well as varying degrees of construction grade lumber and plywoods. These are all jobs that have a wider margin for error and can use mostly universal tools. This is why jobsite tool packages are offered by every color tool manufacturer. An 1/8" gap can be caulked and a board can be nailed. Time is money so they tend to work quicker and in larger teams. This is why I also mentioned the broad range of reputations, as carpenters have a musty stigma around them because lesser crews tend to employ a lot of handymen... not professional tradesmen.  

When someone asks me for carpenter grade jobs I also decline because customers expect an on site, timely, decent job that can sometimes deal with materials other than wood. This is not how woodworkers work and why oftentimes I've found myself at odds with potential clients because they do not understand why I won't just nail 2x4's together to fix their hole in the wall.  

Woodworkers: 

Now I said woodworkers do a little with a lot, and honestly that's more a perception thing than reality. What I meant is our work may "look" simple, for example butt-joining two boards together with nails, as opposed to a strong mortise and tenon joint that takes multiple saws and 3 hours. To the untrained eye they are the exact same thing. The reality is much further from that. Woodworkers specialize in furniture, specifically based around architectural design, and stout assembly methods that spare no expense in time and tooling to achieve the strongest, cleanest fit and finish. 

We in essence, are the race car version of a production vehicle. We do not factor in cost and time savings methods that appeal to the masses at the expense of longevity or quality. We instead push the limits of materials, and design to craft the best possible version without regard to the time it takes or how much it costs. We do this by having a broad understanding of wood species and their characteristics, woodworking tools, advanced joinery methods and finishes to build pieces that will last generations. 

This is why the distinction is so important when customers approach me for jobs. Because what a handyman may do in an hour that "works", a carpenter may do in 30 minutes that's "good" I will do in 2 days that is  either "incredible" or "overpriced and over engineered" depending on the project and the expectation. 

All roles serve their purpose. Handymen are excellent for friends, family or themselves to fix or build what may cost a lot of money otherwise. They also open the door to becoming more if they so desire. Carpenters are the bulk of the industry and that's because they can do almost anything related to building at a fair price in an allotted time (when you get a good carpenter). Woodworkers are for when you want to see what real handcrafted artisanal work can create. For example,  a dining table that can stand the abuse of hot plates, passionate banging, endless spills and being dragged around the house for decades. All the while being able to hold hundreds of pounds when you're moving or sorting through chapters of life with legs as thin as a walking stick and joints so tight a piece of paper couldn't be slid between them. 

I hope this wordy blog post sheds some light, and helps prospective customers understand and find the right tradesman for their project.