I grew up on a farm making things. When family and friends came out to visit us the prevailing question was always, "what do you do out here in the middle of nowhere?" For me, the question was always, “What couldn't you do out here?”
People have been making things out of wood for a very long time. I'm not going to be the person to spend a long time formulating an argument for when it started. I am sure that there are anthropologists out there that have argued it and have promulgated some sketchy theories.