Patternmakers, Wood

ManufacturingO*NET 51-7032.00United States

Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $47,277
Projected change: −24.1%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 266 jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What patternmakers, wood do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, and screws.
Lay out patterns on wood stock and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products, based on blueprint specifications and sketches, and using marking and measuring devices.
Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
Verify dimensions of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors.
Divide patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
Correct patterns to compensate for defects in castings.
Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and lathes to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications.
Finish completed products or models with shellac, lacquer, wax, or paint.
Mark identifying information such as colors or codes on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods.
Repair broken or damaged patterns.
Maintain pattern records for reference.
Estimate costs for patternmaking jobs.
Glue fillets along interior angles of patterns.
Construct wooden models, templates, full scale mock-ups, jigs, or molds for shaping parts of products.
Compute dimensions, areas, volumes, and weights.
Select lumber to be used for patterns.
Collect and store patterns and lumber.
Inventory equipment and supplies, ordering parts and tools as necessary.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $21,527
25th percentile: $30,547
50th percentile: $47,277
75th percentile: $71,562
90th percentile: $124,333

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $47,277 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−24.1%projected to decline

2025266 jobs

2035 projected202 jobs

64 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 58%
Certificate: 26.5%
Some college: 15.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Pattern Making
Blueprinting
Tooling
Casting
Digital Acumen
Fabrication
Internal Documentation
Lathes
Machinery
Machining
Mills
Molding (Manufacturing Process)
Sand Casting
Sawing
Technical Drawing
Woodworking
CNC Machining
Cabinetry
Calipers
Carpentry

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Patternmakers4 postings
02Factory Workers1 postings
03Woodworkers1 postings

Top employers

01Cascade Pattern3 postings
02Gillmann Services1 postings
03Townley Foundry & Machine1 postings

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