Cabinetmaking

As a cabinetmaker, you'll need special skills to meet the demand for kitchens, bathrooms, bookshelves, furniture, yachts and finely crafted wood products. You might work in a shop or factory or onsite in someone's home or business. What really matters is the quality of your work and the pride you take in it. You could find yourself making design drawings, calculating material needs, using machinery to cut and assemble components, applying finishes, and installing the finished products. It's rewarding to point to a beautiful wood product and know that you had a hand in making it.

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Essential Skills and Salary Information

State and National Wages & Employment Trends

Location	Pay Period	2014
Location	Pay Period	Low	Median	High
United States	Hourly	$9.88	$15.52	$24.01
United States	Yearly	$20,550	$32,270	$49,940
Pennsylvania	Hourly	$10.45	$16.30	$23.53
Pennsylvania	Yearly	$21,730	$33,890	$48,940

Notes: Yearly wage data applies only to workers with full-time, year-round schedules. For salary information for part-time or part-year workers, use hourly wage data.

United States	Employment		Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings ¹
United States	2014	2024	Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings ¹
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	98,100	99,300	+1%	920
Pennsylvania	Employment		Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings ¹
Pennsylvania	2014	2024	Percent Change	Projected Annual Job Openings ¹
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	5,010	5,010	0%	40

¹ Projected Annual Job Openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Information provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (2014 Wage Table)

Tasks

Produce or assemble components of articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, or high-grade furniture.
Verify dimensions or check the quality or fit of pieces to ensure adherence to specifications.
Set up or operate machines, including power saws, jointers, mortisers, tenoners, molders, or shapers, to cut, mold, or shape woodstock or wood substitutes.
Measure and mark dimensions of parts on paper or lumber stock prior to cutting, following blueprints, to ensure a tight fit and quality product.
Reinforce joints with nails or other fasteners to prepare articles for finishing.
Attach parts or subassemblies together to form completed units, using glue, dowels, nails, screws, or clamps.
Establish the specifications of articles to be constructed or repaired or plan the methods or operations for shaping or assembling parts, based on blueprints, drawings, diagrams, or oral or written instructions.
Cut timber to the right size and shape and trim parts of joints to ensure a snug fit, using hand tools, such as planes, chisels, or wood files.
Match materials for color, grain, or texture, giving attention to knots or other features of the wood.
Trim, sand, or scrape surfaces or joints to prepare articles for finishing.

Tools used in this occupation

Hand clamps — Bar clamps; Cam clamps; Quick-release clamps; Wedge clamps
Planes — Block planes; Jointer planes; Shapers; Smooth planes
Power routers — Panel routers; Plunge routers; Portable routers; Table routers
Power saws — Circular saws; Panel saws; Reciprocating saws; Sliding panel saws
Wood chisels — Bowl gouges; Morticers; Skew chisels; Spokeshaves

Technology used in this occupation

Computer aided design CAD software
Data base user interface and query software — Data entry software
Electronic mail software — Microsoft Outlook
Facilities management software — Computerized maintenance management system CMMS software
Project management software — Computer estimation software

Knowledge

Design — Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Skills

Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Selection — Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Troubleshooting — Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance — Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Repairing — Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Abilities

Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Reaction Time — The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.

Work Activities

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment — Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Interests

Interest code: RC

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Work Styles

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Work Values

Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.