|
|
How much does a professional woodworker make? Last Updated:[9/29/2006 1:02:24 PM]Most of the people who read this blog do woodworking as a hobby. But I've always been curious to see how much the guys doing it for a living are making. The labor department put this report out detailing their findings. The report suggests that woodworkers are on the decline. Several reasons are mentioned for this trend. Furniture is mainly mass produced and the processes require less human intervention. Manufacturing is also slowly moving overseas because labor is cheaper.
Custom architectural work in high end housing and business requires onsite expertise. Remodeling and renovation projects will also continue to need experts. Specialty woodworkers filling these gaps should continue to see solid earnings and be readily able to find work.
Excerpt:
Median hourly earnings of cabinetmakers and bench carpenters were$12.16 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $9.69 and $15.51. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.00, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $19.28. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of cabinetmakers and bench carpenters in May 2004 are shown below:
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing $13.42
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing 11.83
Other wood product manufacturing 11.82
Median hourly earnings of sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood, were $10.91 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.95 and $13.34. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.46, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $16.20. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood, in May 2004, are shown below:
Sawmills and wood preservation $11.82
Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product manufacturing 11.49
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing 10.65
Other wood product manufacturing 10.49
Median hourly earnings of woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing, were $10.93 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.93 and $13.40. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.55, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $16.33. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing, in May 2004, are shown below:
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing $11.66
Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product manufacturing 11.19
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing 11.00
Sawmills and wood preservation 10.83
Other wood product manufacturing 10.47
In May 2004, median hourly earnings were $11.35 for furniture finishers and $10.16 for all other woodworkers.
|
Citation:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Woodworkers, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/oco/ocos237.htm
|
|
