Before the great advancement in the manipulation of iron and steel, wood had a much more extended application than exists at the present day. Structures such as buildings, furniture, and implements, were made entirely of wood; the pieces were stiffened by wooden braces and the joints fastened by wooden pins. But the superior strength of metal, and the convenience which attends its use in connection with wood, have led to great changes in the manner of construction and the form of the work. Wooden pins and hand-made nails have given way to machine-cut nails and screws, and the superior joints obtained by the latter allow the wooden parts to be made of different kinds and much lighter than before.

In America, where wood is plentiful and cheap, dwellings and buildings generally are made of this material. In portions of the larger cities where the houses are necessarily high and crowded, the danger attending the use of such a readily inflammable substance as wood has led to the adoption of brick and stone for the walls, and metal or slate for the roofs.

Lightness of weight and the natural beauty of its grain will always insure the employment of wood in the manufacture of furniture, and for the trim and interior decoration of houses. To secure lightness and elasticity in implements and machinery, many parts must be constructed of wood.

Temporary structures, such as scaffolding and the false work of bridges and trestles, are built of wood, and require almost as much care in their construction as if intended to be permanent.

In ship-building, iron and steel have almost supplanted the employment of wood. Their superior strength and firmness at the joints make safer and faster vessels.

As a direct result of the progress in the manufacture of iron and steel, most of the wood-working tools and machinery have been greatly modified and improved. This is best seen among the measuring, boring, and planing tools, which have so changed that greater accuracy, easier work, and better finish are now within the power of every workman. Among the machines may be found appliances for imitating many of the operations formerly done by hand, and, while this may seem to be an encroachment upon the province of the workman, it must be remembered that the proper care and adjustment of these machines, and the accurate union of the pieces shaped by them, necessitate a thorough knowledge of the manipulation of the hand tools.