This has nothing to do with Jerome's translation. The Vulgate conveys the exact same sense a the original Greek. The misunderstanding was introduced later, with the translation from Latin to English.
The Latin term is faber, and the Greek term tekton, both of which literally mean person with (practical) skills. Both are very broad terms. Neither implies anything about the materials in which one specializes. Carpenter, stonemason, bricklayer, and blacksmith all all equally valid choices. In a literal sense they usually means someone who builds the physical structure of a building, but they can be extended metaphorically to those whose skills are in such areas as making poetry or music. Apparently the Aramic word mostly likely used by those who passed on the story orally before it was writren in Koine Greek is naggar, which may be translated as either Craftsman or Scholar.
It also does not say a great deal about how advanced the skills are. He could have only very base skills from working a long time in hard and demeaning labor, or he could have been a well educated engineer or architect (which is literally "master tekton"). I tend to think that Joseph being an architect is most likely, but bear in mind that the profession was much different then than now. Today architects tend to see themselves as a type of artist, but back then they mostly filled the roles now handled by General Contractors. Also, at the time they were generally expected to have personal experience in at least one skill needed for the actual building. Stonemasons and Woodworkers could both be architects, but stonemasons tended to be a little more respected and there was a lot of stone building going on during Joseph's lifetime so that seems more likely. It is quite possible that Joseph was involved in the design and/or construction of Herod's Temple, Caesarea Maritima, and/or Caesarea Philippi.
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