Skilled Trades

Patternmakers, Wood

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

Median salary

$52,520

Typical range

$41k – $83k

Job outlook

See national outlook

AI exposure

Plan a path to Patternmakers, Wood

Education

Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)

•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.
•Divide patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.

Any field

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.