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Wood machinist

  • Hours

    40 per week

  • Starting salary

    £12,000 + per year



The work

As a wood machinist you would cut and prepare timber for builders’ merchants, DIY stores and the furniture making and construction industries.

You could make a range of timber products, for example:

  • floorboards and skirting boards
  • staircases
  • door and window frames
  • kitchen units and cabinets
  • fencing and pallets.

Your work would involve:

  • planning jobs following detailed technical drawings
  • selecting the right type of wood for a particular product
  • working out the amount of timber needed
  • cutting and shaping timber, using tools like saws, planes and routers
  • cleaning workshop tools and servicing equipment.

As well as hand tools, you may use computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment, and you may also be trained to use computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) methods as part of your work.


Hours

You could expect to work up to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Overtime and shiftwork is common.

You would spend most of your time working in a sawmill or workshop where conditions are noisy and dusty. You would be expected to use protective equipment to reduce the effects of noise and dust. The work could be physically demanding.


Income

  • Starting salaries range from £12,000 to £15,000 a year
  • With qualifications and experience, this can rise to between £18,500 and £22,000.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

Construction employers tend to want workers with on-site experience. If you have not worked in construction before, you could look for work as a site labourer or timber yard worker to get this experience. Once working, your employer may be willing to offer you further training in wood machining.

You may be able to get into this career through an Apprenticeship in construction (wood occupations) or furniture manufacturing. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Alternatively, you could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed before you look for work (though employers may still want to see some experience). Relevant courses include:

  • City & Guilds Certificate for Basic Skills in Construction (6217)
  • BTEC Certificate/Diploma in Construction.

You should check with local colleges to see what courses are available and what their entry requirements are.

For more information about working as a wood machinist in furniture manufacturing, see the Proskills website.

The Know Your Place campaign aims to promote the construction trades as a career choice for women.


Training and development

You would usually be trained on the job when you start work, and your employer may also encourage you to achieve the work-based NVQ Diplomas at levels 2 and 3 in Woodmachining (Furniture or Construction/Sawmilling).

The NVQs include units on:

  • making sawn and planed products
  • producing shaped, turned, jointed, sanded and bored items
  • using CNC/NC machine tools
  • machinery and equipment maintenance.

Contact Construction Skills or Proskills UK for more information about relevant work-based qualifications in construction or furniture manufacturing.


Skills and knowledge

  • good practical skills and some mechanical knowledge
  • an understanding of the properties of wood
  • the ability to follow detailed instructions
  • good levels of concentration and attention to detail
  • a safety-conscious approach to work
  • the ability to work both on your own and in a team
  • good maths skills to make calculations and take measurements.

More information

Proskills UK (Opens new window)
www.proskills.co.uk

Construction Skills CITB (Opens new window)
Bircham Newton
King's Lynn
Norfolk
PE31 6RH
Tel: 0344 994 4400
www.cskills.org


Opportunities

Typical employers include timber yards, sawmills, construction firms and furniture manufacturing companies.

With experience, you could progress to supervisory roles, or move into related work like bench joinery, shopfitting or kitchen and bathroom installation.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

The furniture, furnishing and interiors industry is part of the process manufacturing sector, represented by Proskills Sector Skills Council. This sector also includes the following industries: building products; coatings; extractive and mineral process; glass and related industries; ceramics; paper; plus print and printed packaging. In addition, there are several industries that are aligned with Proskills industries, including: glazing and window manufacture; soft furnishings; design; paper merchants; and mining services. The sector as a whole currently employs an estimated 810,000 people in around 76,900 workplaces. Since 1998, there has been a steady decline in the numbers employed in the sector as a whole and the number of workplaces, but productivity in the sector has continued to increase over the same period. Overall, the sector will need to recruit almost 93,000 people up to 2017 to replace those retiring or leaving the sector.

The UK furniture, furnishing and interiors industry creates products for the domestic, office and contract markets. It includes the manufacture of: cabinets; chairs and seats; office furniture; contract furniture (for shops, hospitals, hotels, schools); kitchen furniture; mattresses; and other furniture. It also includes the manufacture of soft furnishings. Demand for new quality goods is expected to remain high and restoration and remedial work is also on the increase in the UK.

Key facts:

  • There are an estimated 149,000 people employed in the industry, across 12,200 workplaces.
  • Workers in the industry tend to be full‐time and directly employed, rather than on a contract basis.
  • Work is often shift‐based, especially in lower levels jobs.
  • 15% of the workforce has a Level 1 or entry level qualification, 23% a Level 2, 31% a Level 3, 5% a Level 4 and 9% a Level 5 qualification.
  • Annual turnover for the industry is currently around £10.8 billion.
  • There are 18,870 sole traders in the industry.

Jobs in the industry range from: assembler, frame maker, wood machinist, restorer, polisher, soft upholster, cabinet maker, kitchen fitter, furniture installer, blinds and shutter installer, upholsterer – cutter, upholsterer – sewer, joiner.


National and regional data

East Midlands – There are an estimated 15,600 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,140 workplaces.

East of England – There are an estimated 11,700 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,460 workplaces.

London – There are an estimated 6,500 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,140 workplaces.

North East – There are an estimated 6,500 employees in the regional workforce, in around 360 workplaces.

North West – There are an estimated 19,500 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,410 workplaces.

South East – There are an estimated 16,900 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,770 workplaces.

South West – There are an estimated 14,300 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,160 workplaces.

West Midlands – There are an estimated 15,600 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,230 workplaces.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are an estimated 23,400 employees in the regional workforce, in around 1,240 workplaces.

Northern Ireland – There are an estimated 6,000 employees in the regional workforce, in around 300 workplaces.

Scotland – There are an estimated 10,000 employees in the regional workforce, in around 500 workplaces.

Wales – There are an estimated 3,000 employees in the regional workforce, in around 500 workplaces.


Career paths


Further sources


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