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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Building & Construction › Carpentry › Capstone Project: Integrated Carpentry Build › Lesson 3
BLD-CARP03-09 · Lesson 3 · 72 clock hours · lab

Finish Carpentry, Doors, Windows, Stairs, and Cabinetry Phase

Objective. Students install at least three finish assemblies drawn from doors, windows, interior trim, a stair or ramp unit, and a cabinet or shelf assembly, achieving plumb, level, and square tolerances and a finish quality suitable for inspection.

Finish Carpentry, Doors, Windows, Stairs, and Cabinetry Phase

This phase is where the structure you framed becomes a finished, inspectable building. Finish carpentry demands precision: tolerances are measured in fractions of an inch, and flaws are visible to anyone who walks through the door. Work slowly, measure twice, and never skip a plumb or level check.

Safety Before You Pick Up a Tool

Wear safety glasses at all times in the work area. When operating the finish nailer or compressor, add hearing protection—sustained exposure to compressor and nailer noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Sand only with a P100 dust mask; wood dust is a respiratory hazard and some composite sheet goods contain formaldehyde-based resins. Keep the miter-saw blade guard in place and let the blade come to a full stop before raising it from the cut. Never reach under a spinning blade to clear a cutoff. When using chisels, always cut away from your body and keep the edge sharp—a dull chisel requires extra force and is more likely to slip. Secure pre-hung units against tipping before you release them; a full door unit can weigh 80 pounds or more.

Installing a Door or Window Unit

Begin by confirming the rough opening is the correct size for the unit—typically the unit width plus a half-inch on each side for shimming, and the unit height plus a half-inch at the head. Set the unit in the opening and tack it loosely. Place a 4-foot level on the hinge jamb: it must read plumb on both the face and the edge. Slide cedar or composite shims in pairs from opposite sides behind the jamb at the hinge locations and at the latch side. Drive shims until the level reads plumb, then check the head jamb for level. Once plumb and level are confirmed, nail through the jamb and shims with casing nails or screws per the manufacturer's recommendation—fastening through shims transfers load to the framing, not to the jamb alone. Score and snap (or cut) the protruding shim tails flush. Test the door: it should swing freely, latch without forcing, and show a uniform reveal—the gap between the door sash and the jamb—of roughly 1/8 inch on all sides. Instructor will check that reveal with a combination square.

Apply exterior casing first to seal the weather side. Interior casing goes on after: mark a reveal line (typically 3/16 inch) back from the inside face of the jamb using a combination square, and align the casing to that line. Miter the head casing at 45 degrees and miter or cope the legs to match. Nail through the casing into the jamb and into the framing at regular intervals. Set nails below the surface with a nail set.

Stairs and Ramps

If your structure includes a level change, you will build a stair unit of at least two risers or an ADA-compliant ramp. For stairs, consistent riser height is critical—a variation of more than 3/16 inch between any two risers is a trip hazard and a code deficiency. Lay out the stringer by calculating total rise and dividing by the number of risers to get unit rise; repeat for unit run. Use a framing square with stair gauges to step off the cuts. Cut stringers with a circular saw, finishing corners with a jigsaw so you do not overcut. Riser boards and treads must be nailed or screwed securely so they cannot shift under load.

For an ADA-compliant ramp, the maximum slope is 1:12 (one inch of rise per twelve inches of run) and handrails are required when the rise exceeds six inches. Edge protection prevents wheels and canes from slipping off the side.

If your structure has no level change, you will substitute a wall-hung cabinet or built-in shelving of at least four linear feet. Locate studs, establish a level layout line, and fasten blocking or hanging rails into framing—not just into drywall. Cabinet doors and drawers must operate without binding after installation.

Interior Finish Trim

Baseboard covers the joint between wall and floor and gives the room a finished look. Measure each wall and record the cut list before touching the saw. Inside corners are best done with a coped joint: cut the first piece square and butt it into the corner; cut the second piece with a 45-degree miter to reveal the profile, then use a coping saw or jigsaw to follow the profile line, undercutting slightly so the face fits tight. Outside corners get matching 45-degree miters. Dry-fit every joint before nailing. Nail baseboard to the plate and into studs with a finish nailer; set nails and fill holes with wood filler. Photograph every completed assembly with a tape measure in frame for your portfolio.

Documenting Your Work

Your daily log must be current through every session of this phase. Record what you installed, the tolerances you measured, any corrections you made, and the tools you used. This log, combined with your photographs, becomes the evidence base for your portfolio and supports the NCCER Registry record of your competency. Inspectors—and future employers—read portfolios. Make yours accurate and detailed.

Key terms9

RevealA deliberate, uniform setback—such as the gap between a door sash and its jamb, or the offset between casing and jamb face—that is checked with a combination square to confirm consistent installation.
ShimA thin, tapered wedge, usually cedar or composite, inserted in pairs from opposite sides to fill gaps and transfer load while bringing a unit to plumb, level, or square.
Coped jointAn inside corner joint in which one molding piece is cut square and butted to the wall, and the mating piece is profile-cut with a coping saw so its face overlaps and fits tightly against the first piece.
Unit riseThe vertical height of a single stair step, calculated by dividing the total rise of the stairway by the number of risers; consistency within 3/16 inch is required to prevent a trip hazard.
Unit runThe horizontal depth of a single stair tread, measured from riser face to riser face, calculated during stringer layout using a framing square.
StringerThe inclined structural member, cut in a sawtooth profile, that supports the treads and risers of a stairway.
Pre-hung unitA door or window that arrives from the factory already assembled in its frame or jamb, ready to be set into a rough opening and shimmed to plumb and level.
Nail setA small punch tool used to drive a finish nail head slightly below the wood surface so the hole can be filled and the fastener hidden.
ADA-compliant rampAn accessible ramp built to a maximum slope of 1:12 (one inch of rise per twelve inches of horizontal run), with required handrails and edge protection where applicable under accessibility standards.

Worked examples4

1. A door opening has a total height from subfloor to head framing of 82 inches. The pre-hung door unit is 80 inches tall. How much shimming space is available at the head jamb, and is it within the typical allowance of 1/2 inch per side?
  1. Step 1 – Find the gap: 82 in (rough opening height) − 80 in (unit height) = 2 in total gap.
  2. Step 2 – Divide equally: 2 in ÷ 2 = 1 in per side (one at the sill/threshold, one at the head).
  3. Step 3 – Compare to typical allowance: 1 in per side is larger than the common 1/2-inch target, which means the rough opening is oversized. You will need to add a filler strip or use thicker shims to take up the extra space before the jamb can be secured without gaps.
Answer: There is 2 inches of total gap, or 1 inch per side. This exceeds the typical 1/2-inch shimming allowance, so a filler or packer must be added to avoid an undersupported jamb.
2. You are laying out a stair stringer. The total rise from finish floor to finish floor is 42 inches and you plan to use 6 risers. Calculate the unit rise and confirm it falls within the common residential guideline of 7 to 7-3/4 inches.
  1. Step 1 – Calculate unit rise: 42 in ÷ 6 risers = 7 in per riser.
  2. Step 2 – Check the range: 7 in is at the low end of the common 7–7-3/4 in guideline.
  3. Step 3 – Verify consistency requirement: all six risers must be cut to exactly 7 in; variation between any two must not exceed 3/16 in.
Answer: Unit rise = 7 inches. This is within the common residential guideline. All risers must be cut to exactly 7 inches; no two adjacent risers may differ by more than 3/16 inch.
3. You are installing baseboard on a wall that measures 11 feet 4-1/2 inches from corner to corner. Both ends get 45-degree miter cuts (outside corners). What is the short-point-to-short-point length you set on the miter saw fence?
  1. Step 1 – Convert the wall measurement to inches: 11 ft × 12 = 132 in, plus 4-1/2 in = 136.5 in total.
  2. Step 2 – For 45-degree outside miters, the short points of the miter cuts match the wall-to-wall dimension. The short-point-to-short-point length equals the wall length: 136.5 in (11 ft 4-1/2 in).
  3. Step 3 – Set the stop on the miter saw so the short point of the first miter is at 136.5 in, then cut the matching miter on the opposite end at 45 degrees in the opposite direction.
Answer: Set the short-point-to-short-point length at 136-1/2 inches (11 feet 4-1/2 inches). Both miters angle outward at 45 degrees.
4. You are checking whether a door jamb is plumb. Your 4-foot level reads a 3/16-inch out-of-plumb condition over the 80-inch jamb height. Is this within the acceptable tolerance of 1/8 inch over the full height?
  1. Step 1 – Note the tolerance: 1/8 inch (0.125 in) over the full height of the jamb.
  2. Step 2 – Compare the measured deviation: 3/16 inch = 0.1875 in.
  3. Step 3 – 0.1875 in > 0.125 in, so the jamb exceeds the acceptable tolerance.
Answer: A 3/16-inch deviation exceeds the 1/8-inch tolerance. The shims must be adjusted—add or reduce shimming at the appropriate location—until the level reads 1/8 inch or less out of plumb over the full jamb height.

The math in this lesson2

Learners compute shim space, unit rise for 42 in over 6 risers, baseboard length, and plumb deviation over 80 in.
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Brush up in the math halls at newSchoolWorks.com:
In class: Students install the rough-opening door or window unit they framed in Lesson 2: set the unit, shim to plumb and level (checking with a 4-foot level on both faces and both jambs), nail through shims, trim excess shim, apply interior and exterior casing with miter or butt joints, and test operation—gaps around the door or window sash must be uniform and the unit must latch or close without binding; instructor measures reveal with a combination square and checks operation. · Students build and install a stair unit (two or more risers) or ADA-compliant ramp connecting two levels of their structure, or, where the structure design does not include a height change, construct and install a wall-hung cabinet or built-in shelving unit of at least four linear feet; layout, cutting, and assembly are performed by the student using their cut list, with the instructor observing at least one critical layout and one critical cut. · Students apply interior finish trim (baseboard, corner bead, or equivalent) to at least one interior wall, cutting coped or mitered inside corners and mitered outside corners, nailing with a finish nailer or hand-set brads, setting nails, and filling holes; the student photographs each completed finish assembly with a tape measure in frame to document quality for the portfolio.
Materials: Pre-hung door unit or window unit (per project design), finish lumber and sheet goods per cut list, exterior and interior casing stock, baseboard stock, finish nailer and compressor, brad nailer, miter saw, jigsaw, router (optional), chisels, pry bar, shims, levels (2-foot and 4-foot), combination square, tape measure, nail set, wood filler, sandpaper, safety glasses, hearing protection, dust mask (P100 for sanding), NCCER Carpentry Level 1 and Level 4 modules (reference), student daily log
Check: Instructor inspects each finish assembly using a trade-standard tolerance checklist: door/window reveal uniform within 1/8 inch on all sides, unit plumb within 1/8 inch over its full height, stair riser heights uniform within 3/16 inch of each other, cabinet doors/drawers operate without binding, trim joints tight (gap less than 1/16 inch visible at face). Student must pass every assembly before the portfolio is assembled. Daily logs must be complete through this phase.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

NCCER Carpentry - Finish Carpentry
1. When installing a pre-hung door, why are shims always driven in pairs from opposite sides rather than as single wedges?
NCCER Carpentry - Stairs and Stairways
2. What is the maximum allowable variation in riser height between any two risers in the stair unit you are building for this capstone project?
NCCER Carpentry - Finish Carpentry
3. You measure the reveal between a door sash and its side jamb. On the hinge side the gap is 1/8 inch; on the latch side it is 1/4 inch. What corrective action is most appropriate?
OSHA 10 - PPE and Respiratory Protection
4. Which dust-control PPE is specified for sanding operations in this lesson, and why is a standard nuisance dust mask not sufficient?
NCCER Carpentry - Finish Carpentry
5. A coped inside corner joint is preferred over a mitered inside corner for baseboard trim primarily because:
NCCER Carpentry - Finish Carpentry
6. When using a finish nailer, what is the correct sequence to secure the nail below the wood surface and prepare for finishing?
NCCER Carpentry - Stairs, Ramps, and Accessibility
7. The maximum slope allowed for an ADA-compliant ramp connecting two levels is:
OSHA 10 - Power Tool Safety
8. Before raising the blade of a miter saw after completing a cut, the safest practice is to:
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