Furniture assembler

Furniture assemblers place together all parts of furniture and auxiliary items such as furniture legs and cushions. They may also fit springs or special mechanisms. Furniture assemblers follow instructions or blueprints to assemble the furniture, and use hand tools and power tools.

The following job titles also refer to furniture assembler:

furniture assembly technician
furniture assembly operative
wooden furniture assembler
furniture assembly worker
furniture hand assembler

A high school diploma is generally required to work as a furniture assembler.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Furniture assembler is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to furniture assembler.

cabinet maker
wicker furniture maker
antique furniture reproducer
frame maker
furniture upholsterer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of furniture assembler. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of furniture assembler with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

prosthetic-orthotics technician
instrumentation engineering technician
furniture shop manager
electromechanical engineering technician
aircraft maintenance engineer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of furniture assembler.

• Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.

These skills are necessary for the role of furniture assembler.

• Join wood elements: Bind wooden materials together using a variety of techniques and materials. Determine the optimal technique to join the elements, like stapling, nail, gluing or screwing. Determine the correct work order and make the joint.
• Align components: Align and lay out components in order to put them together correctly according to blueprints and technical plans.
• Follow written instructions: Follow written directions in order to perform a task or carry out a step-by-step procedure.
• Use power tools: Operate power driven pumps. Use hand tools or power tools. Use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment.
• Create smooth wood surface: Shave, plane and sand wood manually or automatically to produce a smooth surface.
• Apply a protective layer: Apply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.
• Tend boring machine: Tend a boring machine, monitor and operate it, according to regulations.
• Clean wood surface: Use a variety of techniques on a wood surface to ensure it is free of dust, sawdust, grease, stains, and other contaminants.
• Create furniture frames: Construct a strong frame out of materials such as wood, metal, plastic, laminated boards, or a combination of the materials for furniture.
• Memorise assembly instructions: Store instruction information such as the different procedures to assemble the different parts of furniture for later retrieval.
• Operate drilling equipment: Operate a range of drilling equipment, pneumatic as well as electrical and mechanical. Tend drilling equipment, monitor and operate it, according to regulations. Safely and efficiently drill holes using the correct equipment, settings, and drill bits.
• Ensure conformity to specifications: Ensure that the assembled products are conform to the specifications given.
• Assemble prefabricated furniture: Assemble parts of prefabricated furniture, in order to bring it to its initial form.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of furniture assembler. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Furniture trends: The latest trends and manufacturers in the furniture industry.
• Furniture wood types: Types of wood used in the manufacturing of wooden furniture and their characteristics.
• Sanding techniques: The various sanding techniques (such as gang sanding), as well as the different sanding papers necessary for which surface.
• Furniture industry: Companies and activities involved in the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of functional and decorative objects of household equipment.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of furniture assembler. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Manipulate plastic: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of plastic.
• Clean furniture: Remove dirt, marks and other unwanted material from furniture.
• Manipulate metal: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of metal.
• Manipulate wood: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.
• Fix minor scratches: Fix minor dents and scratches on the surface with touch-up paint or scratch remover.
• Repair furniture frames: Repair dents, cracks or holes and replace broken parts of furniture frames.
• Manipulate glass: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of glass.
• Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
• Sand wood: Use sanding machines or hand tools to remove paint or other substances from the surface of the wood, or to smoothen and finish the wood.
• Sell household goods: Sell household devices and goods such as microwaves, blenders and kitchen supplies in accordance to the client’s personal preferences and needs.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Sell furniture: Sell pieces of furniture in accordance to the client’s personal preferences and needs.
• Repair furniture parts: Repair locks, pegs, braces, frames or other parts of furniture.
• Prepare furniture for application of paint: Set up furniture for standard or custom paint job, protect any parts that should not be painted and prepare painting equipment.

8219 – Assemblers not elsewhere classified

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References

1. Furniture assembler – ESCO
2. Featured image: By USAID U.S. Agency for International Development – Assembling office furniture, Public Domain