Model Makers, Wood

What the work can involve

• 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.

Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.

Preparation and entry routes

Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.

Skills used in this occupation

• Monitoring
• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Speaking
• Active Listening

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Knowledge to build

• Production and Processing
• Design
• Building and Construction
• Engineering and Technology
• Mathematics

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Common work activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Training subjects to investigate

The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.

• Cabinetmaking and Millwork56 institutions →
• Wooden Boatbuilding Technology/Technician3 institutions →

Working conditions to consider

These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.

O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.

Software used in the workplace

Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.

• Computer aided design CAD software: Dassault Systemes CATIA, Siemens NX
• Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
• Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word

Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.

Pay & employment outlook

Salary estimates for model makers, wood

The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.

National outlook: 2025–2035

Typical education for entry

High school diploma or equivalent

Related work experience

None

Typical on-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.

Compare the route and prepare for work

• Compare construction training routes →
• Compare transportation training routes →
• Explore other careers by interest →
• Prepare your foundation skills →
• Build a first-job and progression plan →

Questions to test the fit

1. What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
2. Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
3. What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
4. Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
5. How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?

Related occupations to compare

• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters→
• Patternmakers, Wood→
• Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood→
• Woodworkers, All Other→
• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing→

Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.

Sources and attribution

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 CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 51-7031.00.

Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.