Furniture makers and other craft woodworkers

Average National Salaries (2020)

What does this career do?

Furniture makers and other craft woodworkers make, repair and restore wooden furniture, decorative objects and other crafted pieces of woodwork.

Typical tasks

• examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements and appropriate materials
• selects, measures, cuts and shapes wood using saws, chisels, planes, powered hand tools and woodworking machines
• assembles parts with crafted joints, nails, screws, dowels or adhesives and fits locks, catches, hinges, castors, drawers, shelves and other fittings
• removes, replaces or repairs damaged parts of wooden furniture
• measures floor area to be covered and lays wood blocks, parquet panels or hardwood strips
• matches and marks out veneers ready for cutting and examines and repairs defects in veneer or plywood sheets.

Current entry requirements

There are no formal entry requirements, although entrants typically possess a variety of academic and vocational qualifications. Training is provided off- and on-the-job. A number of NVQs/SVQs and other vocational qualifications covering various aspects of furniture production and wood machining are available at various levels. Apprenticeships in Cabinet Making are available in some areas.

Percentage in work

• Employed

• Unemployed

Due to insufficient sample sizes, some data was excised.

Predicted employment status in 2022

• Full-time

• Part-time

• Self Employed

Predicted employment levels in the East Midlands

Career related courses available at West Notts

• Art and Design Practice Commercial Design (3D, Fashion and Interiors) (Advanced) - Level 3

About the statistics

Data is powered by LMI for All and is sourced from labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Institute for Employment Research, the Department for Works and Pensions, and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.