How to become a wood worker

Are you looking for a job in craft? Find out what skills and experience you'll need

Work by furniture designer and maker Mac Collins

What does a wood worker do?

Wood workers are involved in designing and making objects, using a range of woods for different purposes. They might specialise in working on small or large scale— designing and making furniture, creating decorative objects, restoring wood interiors, or even building boats.

There are a number of specific skills which a wood worker has to use, these can include:

Key Skills:

creativity and design skills
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
knowledge of maths
knowledge of building and construction
the ability to work well with others
the ability to work well with your hands
knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
mechanical skills to adjust and calibrate machinery
technical skills necessary to understand and interpret drawings and manuals

Other specific skills that a wood worker might use include:

Designing items, e.g. chairs
Preparing materials for construction, e.g. wood
Using traditional wood working tools
Using power tools
Making joints to join pieces of wood
Finishing the item with appropriate finishes, varnishes, stains or waxes
Attaching closures or decorative items.

Detail of chair by Mac Collins

How do I become a woodworker?

University

You could study for a degree in Furniture and Product Design at University. Ensure you check the course specification covers the areas that you are interested in before you apply. Providers include:

Bath Spa University
University of Wolverhampton
London Metropolitan University

College

You could do a college course to get some of the skills needed for this job. Courses include:

Level 2 Diploma in Furniture Making
Level 2 Diploma in Carpentry and Joinery
Level 3 Diploma in Wood Machining

Stool by Mac Collins
Stool by Mac Collins

You’ll usually need:

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D) for a level 2 course
4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) for a level 3 course

Apprenticeships

You could do an intermediate apprenticeship in furniture manufacturing, or carpentry and joinery.

You'll usually need some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, for an intermediate apprenticeship.

Blue wooden chair by Mac Collins

For more information:

British Woodworking Federation

The Building Crafts College

Institute of Carpenters

The Carpenters’ Company

Guild of Master Craftsmen

Ryecotewood Furniture Centre

Featured wood worker

Mac Collins is an emerging British designer and maker. Graduating from Northumbria University in the summer of 2018, Mac is now committed to creating experimental, hand crafted furniture and objects. Mac focuses on manipulating, yet still celebrating, the inherent beauty of the materials he works with.

Alongside this material driven approach, Mac brings personal and cultural narratives into his work. As a designer of dual heritage, celebrating both his European and Caribbean lineage, Mac uses his design practice to explore his own identity. Tracing his lineage, Mac creates pieces in response to issues such as African Diaspora and the slave trade.

He aims to build on European and Scandinavian standards of furniture making by bringing in aesthetic and contextual inspiration from his Caribbean and African heritage.

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Craft careers
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What does a wood worker do?

How do I become a woodworker?

For more information:

Featured wood worker

Craft careers