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Career

Patternmakers, Wood

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate 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 $49,630 Median per year · $23.86/hr Most earn $37,600–$83,780

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
  • Correct patterns to compensate for defects in castings.
  • Repair broken or damaged patterns.
  • Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and lathes to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications.
  • Glue fillets along interior angles of patterns.
  • Estimate costs for patternmaking jobs.

Job outlook

United States
2% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 100 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

  • Self-employed (their own business)64.3%

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

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

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: 2 to 4 years

Wood patternmaking usually needs a high school diploma plus about 2 to 4 years of related woodworking experience, so most people don't start in this job right out of school. It's a career you build toward by learning precise woodworking first.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school with strong math, shop, and drafting or technical drawing classes, since patterns must be measured and built to exact sizes.

  2. Cabinetmaker

    3-6 months

    Start as a cabinetmaker or bench carpenter to learn how to use woodworking tools, read plans, and cut and join wood accurately.

  3. Model Maker, Wood

    1-2 years

    Build wooden models and prototypes, which teaches the careful fitting, finishing, and layout skills used in pattern work.

  4. Wood Patternmaker

    2-4 years of related experience

    Build wooden patterns that foundries use to form sand molds for metal castings, working from drawings to make exact, durable shapes.

Where it can lead

  1. Patternmaker, Metal and Plastic

    2-4 years of experience first

    Move into making patterns from metal or plastic, which often requires more precision and different machine and material skills.

  2. Tool and Die Maker

    2-4 years of experience first

    Make the precision tools, molds, and dies used in manufacturing, which builds on the measuring and machining skills used in pattern work and usually takes further training.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop and woodworking classesHands-on practice with saws, planers, and joinery builds the core skills this career depends on.
  • Take geometry and math coursesMeasuring and calculating exact dimensions is a daily part of making patterns.
  • Take drafting or technical drawingReading and making drawings helps you turn plans into accurately built wooden parts.
  • Join a building or technology clubTeamwork on build projects shows you how shops and manufacturing work together.
  • Find a starter job or volunteer at a woodshop or hardware storeWorking around lumber and tools builds experience and shows employers you're reliable.

In college

  • Take courses in woodworking, drafting, or manufacturing technologyTechnical courses build the drawing and hands-on skills needed for pattern work.
  • Get a part-time job in a cabinet shop or furniture workshopPaid shop experience counts toward the 2 to 4 years of related work employers usually want.
  • Pursue a summer internship at a foundry or manufacturerSeeing how patterns are used to make castings helps you understand what makes a good pattern.
  • Build a portfolio of wooden projectsPhotos and descriptions of precise builds show your skill when you apply for jobs or apprenticeships.
  • Ask about apprenticeships or certificate programs at your schoolStructured training can speed up your path into skilled patternmaking work.

Tips for getting started

  • Take shop, woodworking, and drafting classes now, and keep a simple portfolio of projects you built, since employers look for hands-on skill.
  • Look for a part-time or summer job at a cabinet shop, lumberyard, or furniture maker to get real experience using woodworking tools.
  • Ask about apprenticeships or on-the-job training at local foundries or manufacturers, which can help you learn the trade while earning.

Related jobs that often lead here

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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