How to become a Wood Model Maker

Official title: Model Makers, Wood

Also called: Builder, Craftsman, Jig Maker, Model Builder, Model Maker, Product Development Carpenter, Sample Builder, Sample Maker, Sample Worker, Wood Carver

Construct full-size and scale wooden precision models of products. Includes wood jig builders and loft workers.

Main tasks

• Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers 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, screws, and other fasteners.
• Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices.
• Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
• Plan, lay out, and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products.
• Construct wooden models, patterns, templates, full scale mock-ups, and molds for parts of products and production tools.
• Select wooden stock, determine layouts, and mark layouts of parts on stock, using precision equipment such as scribers, squares, and protractors.
• Mark identifying information on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods and details.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Jig Builder (Wood Contain).
• Apprenticeship: Model Maker (Aircraft).
• Apprenticeship: Model Maker-Wood.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $56,550 a year The middle half earn $37,660 to $87,150.
• About 700 people work in this job now, and about 700 are projected by 2035. (-3.3%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Patternmakers, Wood
• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
• Furniture Finishers
• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Wood Model Maker?

Ways in include: Jig Builder (Wood Contain).

How much does a Wood Model Maker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $56,550 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $37,660 to $87,150.

Is a Wood Model Maker a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 3% by 2035, from about 700 to about 700 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Wood Model Maker?

Usually not. Only 21% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Jig Builder (Wood Contain).

Will AI change the work of a Wood Model Maker?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.