Toolmaker
What the work is
Makes and repairs tools, dies, jigs, fixtures and other precision parts and equipment to fine tolerances for machine tools and other production machinery.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Interprets engineering drawings and specifications to determine tool requirements
- Sets up and operates machine tools such as lathes, milling machines and grinders to fabricate intricate tooling components
- Measures and marks out metal or plastic stock and castings using precision measuring instruments
- Fits and assembles parts to make machine tools and maintain industrial machines
- Inspects and maintains dies and moulds to ensure they meet quality standards
- Troubleshoots and maintains damaged or malfunctioning tooling equipment
- Collaborates with engineers and other professionals to develop new tool designs and improve existing tools
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small locksmith and key-cutting shop with a work van, in a fictional suburban shopping strip. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A stuck lock opens, a relieved person walks in and you are the one who made it happen
- A new lock fits perfectly and turns smoothly on the first try
- A tricky key cut by hand that works the first time
Hard days
- A call-out late at night to a stranger in a stressful situation
- Being asked to open something and having to check carefully that the person has a right to it
- A lock that has been forced or damaged and a customer who is upset about it
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 332337, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.