Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
Cut, shape, and assemble wooden articles or set up and operate a variety of woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, and mortisers to surface, cut, or shape lumber or to fabricate parts for wood products.
77,170 people do this job in the US. $46,680 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 22%
- 0%
- 78%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 11%. Today's estimate: 14%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce or assemble components of articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, or high-grade furniture.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 20% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Establish the specifications of articles to be constructed or repaired, or plan the methods or operations for shaping or assembling parts, based on blueprints, drawings, diagrams, or oral or written instructions.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Repair or alter wooden furniture, cabinetry, fixtures, paneling, or other pieces.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 2.5 h38 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Attach parts or subassemblies together to form completed units, using glue, dowels, nails, screws, or clamps.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Cut timber to the right size, and shape and trim parts of joints to ensure a snug fit, using hand tools, such as planes, chisels, or wood files.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.1 h17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up or operate machines, including power saws, jointers, mortisers, tenoners, molders, or shapers, to cut, mold, or shape woodstock or wood substitutes.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Trim, sand, or scrape surfaces or joints to prepare articles for finishing.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Match materials for color, grain, or texture, giving attention to knots or other features of the wood.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Design furniture, using computer-aided drawing programs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Dip, brush, or spray assembled articles with protective or decorative finishes, such as stain, varnish, paint, or lacquer.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Program computers to operate machinery.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | 51%Half by now | |
| Measure and mark dimensions of parts on paper or lumber stock prior to cutting, following blueprints, to ensure a tight fit and quality product.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).