Furniture maker vs fabrication operator

The differences between furniture makers and fabrication operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a furniture maker has an average salary of $37,070, which is higher than the $31,772 average annual salary of a fabrication operator.

The top three skills for a furniture maker include hand tools, shop drawings and jointers. The most important skills for a fabrication operator are tape measure, hand tools, and calipers.

Furniture maker vs fabrication operator overview

	Furniture Maker	Fabrication Operator
Yearly salary	$37,070	$31,772
Hourly rate	$17.82	$15.28
Growth rate	3%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,848	56,825
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Furniture maker vs fabrication operator salary

Furniture makers and fabrication operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Furniture Maker	Fabrication Operator
Average salary	$37,070	$31,772
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Mankato, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Sanmina
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between furniture maker and fabrication operator education

There are a few differences between a furniture maker and a fabrication operator in terms of educational background:

	Furniture Maker	Fabrication Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Furniture maker vs fabrication operator demographics

Here are the differences between furniture makers' and fabrication operators' demographics:

	Furniture Maker	Fabrication Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%	Male, 77.6% Female, 22.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between furniture maker and fabrication operator duties and responsibilities

Furniture maker example responsibilities.

Operate machinery, sanders, saws, planers.
Create necessary jigs and templates for each project.
Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, sanders, or grinders.
Remove rough spots and smooth surfaces to fit, trim, or clean parts, using hand tools or power tools.

Fabrication operator example responsibilities.

Coordinate with engineers and supervisor for setting up Amada press brake, forming sheet metal chassis and parts for productions.
Operate any coil fabrication machine producing aluminum coils.
Monitor, control and operate computerized wafer equipment for the inspection, etching or alignment of integrate circuits.
Perform duties in accordance with GMP principles.
Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools.

Furniture maker vs fabrication operator skills

Common furniture maker skills

Hand Tools, 42%
Shop Drawings, 17%
Jointers, 12%
CNC, 7%
Planers, 6%
Drill Press, 6%

Common fabrication operator skills

Tape Measure, 12%
Hand Tools, 9%
Calipers, 7%
Grinders, 6%
MIG, 5%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%