AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-7031.00
Will AI replace Model Makers, Wood?
Model Makers, Wood: AI can already handle 2 of 14 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Model Makers, Wood, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Plan, lay out, and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| 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. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Issue patterns to designated machine operators. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Maintain pattern records for reference. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, screws, and other fasteners. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Construct wooden models, patterns, templates, full scale mock-ups, and molds for parts of products and production tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select wooden stock, determine layouts, and mark layouts of parts on stock, using precision equipment such as scribers, squares, and protractors. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark identifying information on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods and details. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Build jigs that can be used as guides for assembling oversized or special types of box shooks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fabricate work aids such as scrapers or templates. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Finish patterns or models with protective or decorative coatings such as shellac, lacquer, or wax. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 14 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 14. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 45% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 51% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 49% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 280
- Median annual wage
- $56,550
- Middle half of earners
- $37,660 to $87,150
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -4.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Patternmakers, Wood 80% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure25
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure24
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure26
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure26
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure24
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Model Makers, Wood and AI
Will AI replace Model Makers, Wood?
AI already handles 2 of the 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 34 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -4.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Model Makers, Wood?
34 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 14 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Model Makers, Wood tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Verify dimensions and contours of models during hand-forming processes, using templates and measuring devices; Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications, and consult with designers to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 45% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 49% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Model Makers, Wood, and what do they earn?
280 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $56,550 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -4.5% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Model Makers, Wood. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/model-makers-wood
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