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Wood Patternmaker

What They Do

About This Career

Plans, lays out, and constructs wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

  • Reads blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
  • Fits, fastens, and assembles wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, and screws.
  • Lays out patterns on wood stock and draws outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products, based on blueprint specifications and sketches, and using marking and measuring devices.
  • Trims, smooths, and shapes surfaces, and planes, shaves, files, scrapes, and sands models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
  • Divides patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
  • Verifies dimensions of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors.
  • Corrects patterns to compensate for defects in castings.
  • Sets up, operates, and adjusts a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and lathes to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications.
  • Finishes completed products or models with shellac, lacquer, wax, or paint.
  • Marks identifying information such as colors or codes on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

  • You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
  • Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
  • Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
  • Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
  • Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
  • Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
  • Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

  • Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
  • Seeing clearly up close
  • Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
  • Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
  • Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

  • Regular working hours and limited travel

Specialty and Similar Careers

Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:

  • Woodshop Worker
  • Wood Shop Moldmaker
  • Pattern Engineer
  • Patternmaker
  • Mold Maker — Lays out, machines, fits, assembles, and finishes metal parts to make and repair dies for diecasting of metal products and metal molds.
  • Pattern Maker
  • Wood Pattern Maker