“In the Middle Ages, carpenters, also called “small ax hutches” [petite hache, ndlr] manufacture chests and tables in solid wood. Following the discovery of America, exotic woods arrived in Europe. Their beauty and rarity explain the birth of veneer, which consists of covering oak or poplar furniture and allows patterns to be created. It was in the 17th century that the profession of cabinetmaker appeared, first called “ebony carpenter”. says Lucile Allinger, trainer in professional aptitude certificate (CAP) Cabinetmaking at the Compagnons du Devoir, in Rennes.
Carpenter or cabinetmaker?
Today, the cabinetmaker is mainly dedicated to the manufacture of furniture while the carpenter manufactures doors, windows, parquet flooring, stairs, woodwork and even fitting furniture. Although the skills required are essentially the same, the approach is different. “A carpenter thinks about the strongest assembly and ensures the tightness of the door or window he is making, while the cabinetmaker thinks about the aesthetics and then the techniques to implement”, she explains.
At the heart of the construction site, waxing the cleaned and restored woodwork. © Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos
In the first year of CAP Carpentry and Cabinetmaking, the various species of wood and the use of different machines are covered: for cutting, which consists of removing the bark and sapwood (soft part located just under the bark) then cut the piece according to a defined width and length, and for working, all the operations (jointing and planing) aimed at roughening the wood on all its faces. It is in the second year of CAP that the lessons differ a little: if they learn the different types of assemblies – the mortise-tenon assembly being the most traditional – the carpentry student designs mixed works combining solid wood and melamine wood panels while the cabinetmaking student takes courses in art history and learns the veneer technique.
The meticulous restoration of the choir stalls, in March 2024. © Patrick Zachmann/Magnum Photos
Molding and sculpture
“We work with dry wood which generally arrives in the workshop in “bill”, that is to say a trunk cut into boards. Whether for a creation or restoration project, we create a plan. In the case of a restoration, we make sure to use the same wood whenever possible,” explains Julien Bénéteau, a carpenter trained with the Compagnons du Devoir. Work manager at Établissements Giffard (Val-de-Marne), he is part of Wilfrid Leray's team, which coordinates all the associated trades: the varnisher-tinter, the sculptors and the gilder. The carpenters remove the damaged elements and reinstall them at the end of the restoration. In the event that there are missing parts, they design grafts for the moldings and the ornate elements are entrusted to a wood carver.
Wood chisels, essential tools for carpenters. © David Bordes/RNDP
For almost thirty years, Marcel Guignard, a wood sculptor trained at the Boulle school and the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, has been restoring pieces in carved wood and creating decorations. To reproduce the cherub heads adorning the choir stalls, he first produced a drawing and a modeling study, drawing inspiration from the existing heads – all different – and taking care to maintain this diversity. For other pieces, such as the hilt of the sword of Saint Paul and the key of Saint Peter, Alexandre, the son of Marcel Guignard, developed a molding technique in order to take an impression of their still intact counterpart to restore the missing elements. “After having cut a piece of wood and twisted it [découpé selon des profils complexes, ndlr]we carve with gouges and clasps in the direction of the grain of the existing wood »he elaborates.
Varnish or gilding
Once the wood is assembled or carved, comes the finishing stage, the role of which is to protect or decorate. A trained carpenter and cabinetmaker, Bernard Cuissard became a varnisher-stainer at the Saint-Jacques workshops, based in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (Yvelines), before taking charge of the finishing workshop at Établissements Giffard. “There was no training at the time. I trained around fifteen companions every year. It’s an exciting job that requires a good knowledge of wood and its reactions depending on the finishes,” he explains. There are different types of varnish: shellac-based buffer varnish, generally applied with a brush, and polyurethane or cellulose varnish, applied with a spray gun. “While the first, the oldest, necessarily gives a brilliant result; the latter offer an extra matte to very high gloss finish “, he specifies.
Detail of resculpted elements of a musical angel during restoration. © David Bordes/RNDP
It was at the age of 16 that Maxime Seigneury discovered the profession of wood gilder during a one-week internship in his godfather's workshop. He stayed there for three years while following a CAP Gilder in ornamental leaf at La Bonne Graine, a Paris furniture school. The gilder masters two techniques: water gilding or tempera gilding, and gilding with a mixture based on drying oil. Gilding can be done on different supports: wood, leather, plaster, metal or stone. For the project carried out at Notre-Dame, Maxime Seigneury took details of the statues and the foliage and pistils of flowers decorating the preaching pulpit, using the mixed gilding technique used at the time. According to him, the qualities required to practice the profession of gilder are patience and calm to be able to hold your breath when applying the gold leaf.
Luis, cabinetmaker – Jobs on the Notre-Dame de Paris construction site
