Woodworkers

Individuals who are employed at some stage of the process through which logs of wood are transformed into finished products. Some of these workers produce the structural elements of buildings; others mill hardwood and softwood lumber; still others assemble finished wood products. They operate machines that cut, shape, assemble, and finish raw wood to make the doors, windows, cabinets, trusses, plywood, flooring, paneling, molding, and trim that are components of most homes. Others may fashion home accessories, such as beds, sofas, tables, dressers and chairs. In addition to these household goods, woodworkers also make sporting goods, including baseball bats and oars, as well as musical instruments, toys, caskets, tool handles, and thousands of other wooden items. Woodworkers are found in industries that produce wood such as sawmills and plywood mills; in industries that use wood to produce furniture, kitchen cabinets, musical instruments and other fabricated wood products; and in small shops that make architectural woodwork, furniture and other specialty items.