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Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

Cut, shape, and assemble wooden articles or set up and operate a variety of woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, and mortisers to surface, cut, or shape lumber or to fabricate parts for wood products.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $46,680 Median per year · $22.44/hr Most earn $35,650–$63,720

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Install hardware, such as hinges, handles, catches, or drawer pulls, using hand tools.
  • Set up or operate machines, including power saws, jointers, mortisers, tenoners, molders, or shapers, to cut, mold, or shape woodstock or wood substitutes.
  • Repair or alter wooden furniture, cabinetry, fixtures, paneling, or other pieces.
  • Measure and mark dimensions of parts on paper or lumber stock prior to cutting, following blueprints, to ensure a tight fit and quality product.
  • Produce or assemble components of articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, or high-grade furniture.
  • 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.

Job outlook

United States
3% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 6,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Furniture and related product manufacturing68.2%
  • Self-employed (their own business)6.4%
  • Other wood product manufacturing6.1%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

Cabinetmaker and bench carpenter is an entry-level job. Most people finish high school, then learn on the job for about 3 to 6 months before they work on their own. Skill grows over years of practice.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school gives you the basic math, reading, and shop skills that employers expect for this job.

  2. Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

    3-6 months

    You learn to run and set up woodworking machines safely, which builds the hands-on skills needed to cut and shape wood for cabinets and furniture.

  3. Cabinetmaker

    Ongoing

    You cut, shape, and assemble wood pieces into finished cabinets, furniture, and other wooden products, often working from plans and measurements.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Cabinetmaker

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take charge of projects, check the quality of other people's work, and help plan the job, so you need strong skill and good communication.

  2. Patternmaker, Wood

    2-4 years of experience first

    You make precise patterns and molds that other workers use to make parts, which takes advanced measuring skill and careful planning.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take woodshop or industrial arts classesHands-on practice with saws, planes, and joinery is the best start for this career.
  • Take geometry and drafting or CAD classesMeasuring angles and reading drawings are everyday tasks for cabinetmakers.
  • Get a summer or after-school job at a lumber yard, hardware store, or carpentry crewYou will learn how wood and tools work in a real workplace.
  • Build a small project at home, like a box, shelf, or stoolA finished project shows interest and gives you something to talk about in an interview.
  • Join a shop club or FFA chapter if your school has oneThese groups offer hands-on projects and sometimes competitions in woodworking.

In college

  • Take a woodworking or cabinetmaking course at a community collegeMany community colleges offer courses or certificates in cabinetmaking and furniture making that teach you shop safety and joinery.
  • Get a part-time job or internship at a cabinet shop, millwork company, or furniture makerPaid shop experience counts toward the on-the-job learning that employers look for.
  • Learn to use CAD or design software for cabinetsMany shops use software to plan cabinets, and knowing it can make you more hireable.
  • Take a safety course such as OSHA 10 for general industryShop safety training shows employers you take safety seriously around power tools.
  • Join a woodworking or maker club on campusYou can practice skills, work on projects with others, and meet people in the trade.

Tips for getting started

  • Take shop, drafting, or math classes. Being good at measuring and reading plans helps you a lot in this job.
  • Ask a local cabinet shop, woodworking business, or home builder if you can shadow someone or get a part-time helper job. Real shop time is the best way to learn.
  • Keep a small portfolio of projects you built, with photos. Employers like to see what you can make.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Woodworking Certificate: typical pay 1 year after finishing $24,988 a year

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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