When buying cabinets and other furnishings for their homes or offices, customers often select fine wood furniture that is made by cabinet makers and bench carpenters.

Cabinet makers are precision woodworkers who design, cut, shape, and assemble wood components into a finished product. They work from blueprints and drawings, select lumber for proper grain, texture, and color, and use power and hand tools to fabricate and finish the pieces. Often, pieces are custom made to exact customer specifications.

Bench carpenters are woodworkers who may work on assembly lines and use hand and power tools to assemble precut and prefabricated wooden parts into finished products. Woodworkers must be able to work with their hands, read blueprints and drawings, have an eye for detail and possess a good working knowledge of mathematics. Many woodworkers being as helpers.

It takes at least two to three years to develop the necessary skills. A high school or trade school diploma or equivalent is desirable for entry to this field. If you have a creative flair and enjoy working with wood, creating beautiful furniture as a cabinet maker or bench carpenter can be very satisfying work.