IF you possess good hand-eye coordination, sound calculation and problem solving skills and
enjoy working with your hands, you could follow the career path of cabinet making in which you
get to create practical furniture out of wood and other materials.
At 18 years old, I'm currently employed as an first year apprentice cabinet maker at
Morcabinets, a family-run business started up 35 years ago by my father's father.
We specialise in making kitchen, bathroom and laundry cupboards and my job involves
constructing these items.
I've been employed in this line of work for approximately one year and this is the first job I have
had since leaving school.
I used to work here over my school holidays and I suppose this was a good introduction for me
to the industry.
I attended John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School and completed my studies through
to Year 12.
All through high school I chose the elective 'woodwork' as I was interested in making things out
of wood and thought I would like to pursue a career in cabinet making.
As part of my apprenticeship, I am currently undertaking study at Balga TAFE. I go to TAFE one
day a week which involves doing half a day of theory and the other half doing practical work.
For this job you need good calculation skills, good hand-eye coordination, concentration and
good problem solving skills. You also need to be able to follow procedures well and work with
your hands.
The best points of my job is I get to learn different skills all the time and I derive great pleasure
from seeing the finished product.
Perhaps the only down side of this type of work, is that doing something wrong and loss of
concentration can cause injury.
Approximate weekly earnings before tax range from $195 to $450 for a first year apprentice
through to a newly-qualified tradesman.
I usually start work at 7.30am and begin constructing the kitchen, bathroom and laundry
cupboards.
Basically this involves joining the kitchen cupboards together, turning them upside down and
attaching a board base and then turning them back over and construct the tops. You then mark
out and cut the doors which you edge and file. You put hinges on and hang and adjust them. The
cupboards are then cleaned and pulled apart ready for delivery on site. I finish work around
4.30pm.
The tools I use in my work include nail guns, ply guns, drills, panel saws, gig saws, big
machinery and a range of electrical hand machinery and the materials include mainly medium
density ply-board, chip board and laminant.
It usually takes about a day and a half to fit out cupboards for a kitchen and we specialise in
producing cupboards for new homes.
My immediate goal is to finish my apprenticeship and become a tradesman. In the future I would
like to own a cabinet making business of my own, just like my father.
Anyone interested in making a career out of this type of work should undertake the woodwork
option at school. It is also important to look further into it and find out more about what is
involved in a job as a cabinet maker. Work experience is a very good line to take.
This trade skill is very versatile and can lead to different careers involving woodwork including
carpentry.
One of the good things about cabinet making skills is that you can use them outside of work and
create your own furniture. I'm in the process of making a bed and also plan to make a bedside
table and some drawers.
