How to become a cabinet maker or Wood related trades worker
Official title: Cabinet maker/Wood related trades worker
Also called: Barrel maker, Cabinet maker, Cabinet maker (furniture), Cask maker, Clock case maker, Clog maker, Coffin maker, Cooper, Exhibition stand erector, Furniture maker (wood), Ladder maker (wood), Model maker (wood)
Cabinet maker/Wood related trades worker makes, decorates and repairs wooden furniture, carts and other vehicles, wheels, parts, fittings, patterns, models and other wooden products using woodworking machines, machine tools and specialised hand tools.
Main tasks
- Operating woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, mortisers and shapers, and using hand tools to cut, shape and form parts and components
- Studying plans, verifying dimensions of articles to be made, or preparing specifications and checking the quality and fit of pieces in order to ensure adherence to specifications
- Trimming joints and fitting parts and subassemblies together to form complete units using glue and clamps, and reinforcing joints using nails, screws or other fasteners
- Making, restyling and repairing various wooden articles, such as cabinets, furniture, vehicles, scale models, sports equipment and other parts or products
- Decorating furniture and fixtures by inlaying wood, applying veneer and carving designs
- Finishing surfaces of wooden articles or furniture
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a cabinet maker or Wood related trades worker?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026