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Home furnishings in France and Italy
Company zone
Candidate zone
Skills files
Home furnishings in France and Italy
- Cabinet maker
- Marquetry inlayer
- Tapestry and textile restoration
- Wood Carver
- Upholsterer
FAQ Map Contact
CABINET MAKER

A cabinet maker is a specialist craftsperson who builds furniture then decorates it with veneers.

Skills required :

Ability to draw

 Be able to draw sketches and scale drawings. A cabinet maker should have a solid understanding of geometrical drawing.

Some idea of art and Art History

Knowledge of furniture art history and the key styles.

Knowledge of the materials and their properties

Knowledge of the different types of wood which can be used either as solid wood or as veneer.
Knowledge of the different areas of the tree trunk (the bark, the heartwood, the pith and the medullary rays).
Knowledge of other materials associated with cabinet making : metals and non-ferrous metals, glass and synthetic materials.

Techniques for the materials

Knowledge of the main mechanical properties of wood (compression, traction, shearing and flexion) and wood drying techniques (air drying, covered drying, artificial drying and solar drying).

Key craft tools to be familiar with

Measuring and marking tools, tools for making holes (drill bits, gimlets, breast drills...)
Finishing tools (rasps, scrapers, sandpapering blocks...)
Pressing tools (presses and clamps...)
Profiling and planing tools (tongue planes, rabbet planes, tarabiscots…)
Scoring and boring tools (wood chisels, cutters, cape chisels...)
Minting tools (hammers and mallets)
Extraction tools (pliers)
Description of the principal tasks
Prepare a detailed drawing.
Prepare the wood : planing and sawing of the wood in order to obtain squared pieces
Mark the wood using jigs
Manufacture the pieces which form the item
Assemble the pieces to obtain the necessary length, width and thickness to manufacture the item.
First assembly to see if the pieces fit together correctly.
Veneering: technique which consists of applying sheets of high quality wood to an item made of ordinary wood. This is a purely decorative exercise.
Final assembly and gluing of the pieces.
Shaping : making mouldings, grooves, sculptures and all work which gives the item its contours and depth.
Finish : the item is finished with a rasp, scraped and sanded, waxed or varnished.
The iron work is put in place

Working with other craftspeople

The item is sometimes finished by a specialised craftsperson : an inlayer, a bronze caster, a wood carver, a gilder, a lacquerer.

Specific characteristics

Expertise
Clientele
Local / regional
Location of workshops
Production
Materials
Tools
Styles

Federations and organisations :

Syndicat des artisans d’art en meubles et objets sculptés du Queyras
Maison de l’artisanat, Ville Vieille, 05350 Château-Ville-Vieille
Tel./Fax : 04 92 46 75 06
Queyras-meubles@artisanat.com
http://www.meubles-queyras.com

Union nationale de l’artisanat des métiers de l’ameublement (UNAMA)
28 bis, Avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
Tel. : 01 44 68 18 79
Fax. : 01 44 74 37 66
unama@mobilier.fr
www.unama.org