Furniture Manufacturer – Wood Machinist Apprentice

• Safely operating woodworking machinery
• Producing high quality finished products
• Maintaining a safe and clean workplace

Wood Machinist-

Measure and Mark Out

• Measure and mark out materials to specification within the acceptable tolerances following standard operating procedures.

Tooling

• Select, prepare and maintain woodmachining tooling.
  Cutting
  Prepare, set up and operate cutting wood machinery.

Planing

• Prepare, set up and operate planes. This includes surface planer and thicknesser (can be a combined machine) and four sided planer and moulder (for planed all round)

Calibrating

• Calibrate measuring equipment, keep tools and equipment clear of debris and dirt and ensure tools are kept sharp.

Jigs and Templates

• Use and maintain jigs and templates for furniture production.  Jigs are used to ensure repeatability and accuracy in the production of furniture. These can be hand held or mounted on workbenches.

Profiling

• Prepare, set up and operate profiling wood machinery. This includes vertical spindle moulder (straight work), four sided planer and moulder, high-speed router, double-end tenoner, wood turning lathe, copying lathe, linear shaper, rotary shaper machines

Boring

• Prepare, set up and operate boring wood machinery. This includes single-head machine and multi-head machine.

Sanding

• Sand materials for preparation prior to assembly, post-assembly and de-nibbing.
• Understand grit sizes and the process of sanding. This includes the use of wide belt sander, overhead narrow belt sander, disc sander, bobbin sander, linisher and profile sander.

Edge Banding

• Carry out the edge-banding process following standard operating procedures. This includes, edge-banding by hand, colour matching, timber and PVC lippings, calibration and finishing techniques.

Operate Machinery and Equipment

• Operate woodworking machinery and equipment to meet company requirements. Prepare tools and equipment including tooling technology and calibration of measuring equipment.

Joints

• Prepare, set up and operate wood machinery to produce jointed wood and wood-based products. This includes chisel morticer, chain morticer, slot morticer, dovetailer, vertical spindle moulder, stair router, single-end tenoner, double-end tenoner, round-end tenoner, dowler and router.

Assembly

• Assemble components of furniture following standard operating procedures. Understand the sequence of assembly and why this is important.

There may be a possibility of securing employment on successful completion of the apprenticeship.

The wage is dependent on performance, as you become more competent and qualified the rate of pay would be amended and increased.