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Wood Tradesperson

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Wood tradespersons set up, operate and maintain woodworking machines, such as planers, moulders, drilling machines, routers, wood-turning lathes, chisels and saws, which they use to cut, plane, shape and sand wood to a required shape and size.

Crafted wood parts are then assembled to make a variety of furniture items and building components, such as tables, desks, chairs, beds, cabinets, boxes, window frames, veranda posts, balusters and flag poles.

Wood tradespersons may perform the following tasks:

  • look at drawings, work orders or sample parts in order to work out the requirements of the job
  • select and fit knives, saws, drill bits or cutter heads on machines and also balance the cutter heads
  • attach guides and other fittings to machines with clamps or bolts
  • adjust stops, guides, rollers and the angle and height of the table
  • lay out cutting lines according to drawings and place chisels against rotating work pieces to cut shapes
  • feed wood and timber-based boards into machines or operate automatic feed mechanisms
  • program and control Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines
  • adjust parts to make sure that the work meets with requirements
  • check work to ensure accuracy by using measuring instruments such as calipers or dividers
  • smooth surfaces by holding sandpaper against rotating work pieces
  • apply wax or other finishes to work pieces
  • clean machines and work areas
  • supervise and coordinate the activities of workers engaged in wood machining and turning.

Wood tradespersons usually work in large and well-lit workshops. The machinery used is noisy and wood dust and chips are drawn off machines by ventilation systems. Most of the work is done standing, and bending and lifting is required when setting up and operating the machines.

Personal Requirements:

  • enjoy practical and manual work
  • good eyesight (may be corrected)
  • good hand-eye coordination
  • physically fit
  • able to carry out mathematical calculations
  • not allergic to dust
  • alert and safety conscious.

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