Also known as
- Apprentice Cabinetmaker
- Custom Wood Furniture Maker
- Furniture Cabinetmaker
Your duties | Work conditions | Essential Skills | Apprenticeship | Certification | Where to study | Salary ranges | Building your career
Do you like working with wood? Are you good with your hands? Do you have an eye for detail? Could you visualize a finished product by looking at drawings or blueprints? Are you creative? Do you like working indoors? Are you strong and physically fit? Then you could become a Cabinetmaker!
What the work is like
Cabinetmakers build, repair and install wooden cabinets, furniture and fixtures.
They are employed by custom furniture manufacturers, construction companies and cabinetmaking contractors, or they may be self-employed.
Cabinetmakers work in the New Home Building and Renovation, and Institutional and Commercial construction sectors. To learn more about the construction sectors, check out Inside the industry.
Your duties
As a Cabinetmaker, your duties may include the following:
- operating woodworking machines and using hand tools to cut, shape and form wood
- fitting parts together using glue and clamps
- reinforcing joints using nails or screws
- trimming joints
- sanding wooden surfaces and applying veneer, stain or polish to finished products
- repairing or restyling wooden furniture or fixtures
- marking outlines or dimensions on wood
- preparing or interpreting drawings or blueprints
- preparing work estimates
Work conditions
The standard work week for cabinetmakers is 40 hours (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next.
As a Cabinetmaker you will work indoors, either alone, in teams or with helpers. The job can be physically demanding and often involves working with high-speed woodworking machinery.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Cabinetmakers are trained to work safely and wear special equipment to protect themselves from injury.
Essential Skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine Essential Skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and apply to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for cabinetmakers are the following:
- Document Use – reading and interpreting documents to extract information
- Numeracy – working with numbers to perform calculations
- Problem Solving – coming up with solutions to challenges
- Decision Making – making a choice among options
Click here to see how these skills are applied on the job. You can also click here to learn more about Essential Skills.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified Cabinetmaker, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 55% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for cabinetmaker apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must be at least 16 years old and have a Grade 12 education or equivalent to enter a cabinetmaking apprenticeship program.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a Cabinetmaker.
For more information, check out the Apprenticeship section.
Program length
Cabinetmaker apprenticeship programs vary across Canada, but generally involve four 12-month periods, including at least 5,440 hours of on-the-job training, four eight-week blocks of technical training and a final certificate exam.
Related work experience or completion of a cabinetmaker program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Certification is not required. It is available but voluntary in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories,Nova Scotia, Ontario,Prince Edward Island, and the Yukon. Where certification is not available, it may be possible to study as an apprentice through your local labour organization. Check out Related links to find out who to contact. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a Cabinetmaker, you usually need to complete a four-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the required on-the-job training, technical training and exams, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
You may be eligible for certification in some provinces and territories if you have more than four years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses in cabinetmaking.
Once certified as a Cabinetmaker, you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal. With a Red Seal, you can work as a Cabinetmaker anywhere in Canada.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other cabinetmakers.
Where to study in Canada
In addition to the Canadian schools listed below, many employer and labour organizations offer training. For more information, check out Related links.
Specialty programs
In addition to the schools listed above, new Canadians and women can enrol in one of the following specialty programs:
For new Canadians with experience as cabinetmakers, NorQuest College offers a program called Transitions to Technical and Trades Careers.
For women, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology offers an integrated program called Women in Skilled Trades.
Salary ranges
Cabinetmaker hourly wages vary depending on the contract, the company, collective agreements, and local and national economic conditions. Typical hourly wage ranges for cabinetmakers (based on national or regional averages) are as follows:
Junior apprentices
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$11-$13 |
Based on national averages, junior apprentices can earn annual salaries ranging from $23,000 to $27,000 per year, not including overtime.
Journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$14-$17 |
Based on national averages, journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $29,000 to $30,000 per year, not including overtime.
Highly experienced journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$20-$24 |
Based on national averages, highly experienced journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $42,000 to $50,000 per year, not including overtime.
Construction work can involve overtime, so your total annual salary will vary depending on the number of overtime hours you work.
In addition to the hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental, and vision care, as well as retirement packages and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate. If you are self-employed, it is up to you to arrange your own benefits.
Building your career
With experience and additional training, you can progress to supervisory positions. You can also become self-employed and start your own business.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
The Construction Sector Council accepts no responsibility or liability connected with the use or reproduction of the information contained on this website. It is provided “as is” and is intended for informational use only without warranty, express or implied.
