What are the responsibilities and job description for the Foundry Pattern Maker position at Steeltech LLC.?
Steeltech is looking for a detail-oriented craftsperson to join our pattern shop and help build the tooling that makes every casting possible. A foundry pattern is the master shape — usually built in wood — that molders use to form a mold cavity in sand. If you've spent years at a table saw, a bandsaw, or a shaper building furniture, cabinets, or fine joinery, you already have the hand skills, the patience, and the eye for precision this job depends on. We'll teach you the foundry-specific parts: draft angles, shrink rules, core prints, and match-plate work.
This is a great fit for a cabinetmaker or furniture builder who wants steady shop hours, a chance to apply their craft to industrial and engineering work, and room to grow into a skilled trade with long-term demand.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Read blueprints, CAD drawings, or 3D printed models and translate dimensions into a wood or composite pattern, applying the correct shrink allowance for the metal being cast.
• Build patterns, core boxes, and match plates using table saws, bandsaws, planers, shapers, drill presses, and sanders — the same core toolkit used in a cabinet or furniture shop.
• Cut and fit joints with tight tolerances, glue up laminated blanks, and true up surfaces so parting lines and core prints seat correctly.
• Add draft angles to every vertical surface so the pattern pulls cleanly from the sand mold without tearing it.
• Sand, seal, and finish patterns so they hold up to repeated use in the molding process.
• Repair and modify existing patterns and tooling as designs change or wear occurs.
• Check finished work against drawings using calipers, squares, and other precision measuring tools.
• Work with molders, engineers, and quality staff to troubleshoot casting defects traced back to pattern design or fit.
• Keep an organized, safe shop — maintaining tools, storing patterns properly, and following all shop safety practices.
What We’re Looking For
• Hands-on woodworking experience — furniture building, cabinet making, millwork, boatbuilding, or a similar fine-woodworking trade.
• Comfortable and safe operating standard woodshop machinery: table saw, bandsaw, jointer, and planers
• Strong blueprint-reading skills, or a demonstrated ability to work from detailed drawings and shop plans.
• An eye for tight tolerances and clean, precise joinery — patterns are only as good as their fit and finish.
• Basic math skills, including fractions and decimals
• Patience and problem-solving instincts for one-off, custom work — every pattern is a little different.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and stand for extended periods in a shop environment.
• A reliable, self-directed work style with pride in craftsmanship.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Prior exposure to foundry, tooling, or pattern-shop work.
• Familiarity with epoxy, urethane, or composite pattern materials in addition to wood.
• A formal woodworking apprenticeship, trade school training, or equivalent hands-on experience.