Will AI replace Model Makers, Wood?
AI reaches little of this job’s work.
14/100
Low exposure
More exposed to AI than 27% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 29% of the work
What the job involves
Construct full-size and scale wooden precision models of products. Includes wood jig builders and loft workers.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(4)
- Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
- Mark identifying information on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods and details.
- Select wooden stock, determine layouts, and mark layouts of parts on stock, using precision equipment such as scribers, squares, and protractors.
- Maintain pattern records for reference.
Out of reach(10)
- Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices.
- Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, screws, and other fasteners.
- Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
- Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and planers to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications.
- Construct wooden models, patterns, templates, full scale mock-ups, and molds for parts of products and production tools.
and 5 more
Also called
Jig Builder · Craftsman · Last Model Maker · Wood Last Maker · Wood Model Builder · Builder · Jig Maker · Model Builder
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics