Description
Foundry castings are dependent on the wooden pattern made in the shape of the finished part. Patternmaker apprentices learn the fundamentals of wood and tool selection and shaping, forming and joining techniques. They lay out and construct simple patterns before training progresses to more complex jobs, including collapsible, unusually shaped and large patterns. The quality of the casting weighs heavily on the quality of the pattern. Apprentices learn a variety of machines including: wood lathes, jointers, routers, planers and saws. They will also be exposed to CAD/CAM software systems that control modern processes and tool paths.
