AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-7032.00
Will AI replace Patternmakers, Wood?
Patternmakers, Wood: AI can already handle 2 of 20 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Patternmakers, 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 of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Compute dimensions, areas, volumes, and weights. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Issue patterns to designated machine operators. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Repair broken or damaged patterns. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain pattern records for reference. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, and screws. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lay out patterns on wood stock and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products, based on blueprint specifications and sketches, and using marking and measuring devices. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Divide patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Correct patterns to compensate for defects in castings. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and lathes to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Finish completed products or models with shellac, lacquer, wax, or paint. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mark identifying information such as colors or codes on patterns, parts, and templates to indicate assembly methods. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Estimate costs for patternmaking jobs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Glue fillets along interior angles of patterns. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Construct wooden models, templates, full scale mock-ups, jigs, or molds for shaping parts of products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select lumber to be used for patterns. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Collect and store patterns and lumber. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Inventory equipment and supplies, ordering parts and tools as necessary. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 19 of 20. 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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 29% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 29% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 71% 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
- 220
- Median annual wage
- $49,630
- Middle half of earners
- $41,170 to $59,350
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -5.0%
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.
- Model Makers, Wood 80% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure34
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure26
- Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure40
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure24
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters 65% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure26
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Patternmakers, Wood and AI
Will AI replace Patternmakers, Wood?
AI already handles 2 of the 20 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 25 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 -5.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Patternmakers, Wood?
25 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. 1 of the 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 19 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Patternmakers, Wood tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Verify dimensions of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors; Compute dimensions, areas, volumes, and weights. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 29% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 71% 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 Patternmakers, Wood, and what do they earn?
220 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $49,630 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -5.0% 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: Patternmakers, 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/patternmakers-wood
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