Carpenter's Day

In Rus', wood has long been used for construction and was the main material for the manufacture of tools, doors, window frames, furniture, parquet, dishes and other household utensils The process was carried out by master woodworkers "The necessary workers are joiners and carpenters!" - wrote V Mayakovsky in 1928 in the poem “Who to be?” The work of representatives of this profession is now in demand no less than a hundred years ago Carpenters made frames for stagecoaches and carriages, sculptures and frames for icons, and decorated huts, royal mansions and churches with skillful carvings Today, jigsaws, screwdrivers, CNC machines for carving and laser engraving have come to the aid of the master, who previously used a plane, saw and clamps in his work In recognition of representatives of the ancient craft, a professional holiday was established August 28th is Carpenter's Day The celebration appeared in the Russian holiday calendar in 2000 In honor of Carpenter's Day, fairs, exhibitions of products from furniture and interior items to works of decorative and applied art, master classes and other events are held Their participants demonstrate various carving techniques (through, sculptural, relief, etc), and give lectures in educational institutions that train woodworking specialists The holiday is an excellent occasion to congratulate professionals and amateurs who do carpentry in their free time The ancient Egyptians are considered the founders of the craft Back in the 15th century BC they used various technologies for processing wood imported from Lebanon, Nubia and Phenicia, from which they made furniture and interior decoration items The Egyptians made sailing boats and large sea vessels with a displacement of up to 80 tons from the forest The ancient Greeks used a prototype of the modern lathe to create convex and concave wood products In addition to shipbuilding, the Hellenes were engaged in the manufacture of carved furniture of original shapes The craftsmen of Ancient Rome made beds, cabinets, tables and chairs from wood, decorating them with ivory, stones and bronze details Representatives of the Scandinavian peoples were fluent in artistic carving Europeans living in the north had woodworking skills more than a thousand years ago The Drevlyans, Krivichi and representatives of other Slavic tribes have long lived in forests Therefore, in the valleys of Lake Ilmen, the Volga and Don rivers there were large settlements with solid wooden huts, mansions, outbuildings, and carved idols of pagan deities In Kievan Rus, most churches were built from unhewn logs Architects built churches from logs and decorated them with carvings and other decor Carpenters were engaged in rough processing of wood, carpenters - finishing: they chiseled, sanded, planed and sanded Craftsmen used up to 27 types of wood They used pine, willow, ash, elm, apple, oak, maple, rowan, aspen, as well as imported species: cedar, walnut, fir, boxwood, yew, etc Russian carpenters and joiners knew many technological operations - cutting, turning and drilling of workpieces, building up and joining parts The descendants of the ancient masters were left with ancient buildings as a souvenir - examples of wooden architecture Unfortunately, this historical heritage is quickly being lost Today you rarely see a residential building from the 14th-16th centuries However, in museums and antique stores you can still find antique furniture and other interior items made from mahogany and other valuable species These products are hundreds of years old The secrets of craftsmanship and the basics of carpentry, which grew out of carpentry, are passed on from generation to generation Specialists are trained in woodworking and furniture production in educational institutions located in different parts of Russia All representatives of the most ancient and respected profession, from students to masters, are congratulated on August 28 on Carpenter's Day