TEXT: History of the word Cabinetmaking

In Europe, the oldest woodworking techniques date back to the Middle Ages. In France, since the 11th century, woodworkers were grouped into two distinct guilds: carpenters for heavy construction and joiners for smaller objects. But for highly precise woodworking, neither guild possessed the necessary skills.

With the arrival of exotic woods in the 17th century, notably ebony, the term "Ebony Joiner" appeared, simplified to "Cabinetmaker" in 1676. The cabinetmaker's trade then distinguished itself as a specific branch of joinery, notably through the working of exotic woods and veneers or the integration of marquetry into furniture.

This is how the first cabinetmakers came from the Netherlands, the only ones at the time who knew how to work with ebony, a hard and resistant wood.

In 1732 the word cabinetmaking appeared in the dictionary of the Academy. In 1743 the Guild of Master Cabinetmakers (JME) was formed and it was in Paris that the cabinetmakers' guild was created in 1783.