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Patternmakers, Wood

Builds cabinets, furniture and other wood products in a shop or factory.

Typical education to startHigh school diploma or equivalent
Job outlook2025–2035: -2%
Median pay$49,630 a year (2025)
Interest codeRAC Realistic, Artistic, Conventional

Read the full guide

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters build cabinets, counters and furniture from plans. Furniture finishers sand, stain and refinish pieces. Others run saws, routers and computer-controlled (CNC) machines in cabinet shops, sawmills and furniture plants, or make wood models and patterns. Most of the work is indoors in a shop, standing, with loud machines and dust. Carpenters who build houses have their own guide.

Open the cabinetmaker or woodworker guide

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High school courses that build toward it

Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.

Patternmakers, Wood on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.