Sounds like you're writing a paper on the evolution of a/c manufacturing techniques. Is this the case?
I tend to think that most of the modern manufacturing techniques were laid down by 1945 with obvious exceptions such as spot welding and carbon fibre composites.
The biggest advances to my mind have been in propulsion and avionics.
I have been privileged to have seen the inside of a vickers Valiant. Down in the nose compartment I saw what I was told was the bomb computer. It was a black metal drum about three feet tall by 18 ins. in diameter, probably full of brass gears with perhaps some valve electronics. I'm sure that the same function could be carried out today on a single microprocessor.
I don't think that wood & canvas is used much now, but that is probably more to do with the availabilty and cost of suitable materials.