What is a Rough Carpenter?
Job Description & Duties Build rough wooden structures, such as concrete forms, scaffolds, tunnel, bridge, or sewer supports, billboard signs, and temporary frame shelters, according to sketches, blueprints, or oral instructions.
List of Rough Carpenter Job Duties
- Study blueprints and diagrams to determine dimensions of structure or form to be constructed.
- Build chutes for pouring concrete.
- Cut or saw boards, timbers, or plywood to required size, using handsaw, power saw, or woodworking machine.
- Fabricate parts, using woodworking and metalworking machines.
- Erect forms, framework, scaffolds, hoists, roof supports, or chutes, using hand tools, plumb rule, and level.
- Build sleds from logs and timbers for use in hauling camp buildings and machinery through wooded areas.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Rough Carpenter?
Below is a list of the skills most Rough Carpenters say are important on the job.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Types of Rough Carpenter Jobs
- Platform Builder
- Framer
- Ventilation Worker
- Carpenter Foreman
- Form Layer
Are There Job Opportunities for Rough Carpenters?
There were about 1,025,600 jobs for Rough Carpenter in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.2% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 83,800 new jobs for Rough Carpenter by 2026. The BLS estimates 104,400 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Rough Carpenter are Utah, Colorado, and Oregon. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, New Mexico, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Rough Carpenter
The typical yearly salary for Rough Carpenters is somewhere between $28,860 and $82,750.

Rough Carpenters who work in Hawaii, Illinois, or Alaska, make the highest salaries.
How much do Rough Carpenters make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $40,310 |
Alaska | $66,240 |
Arizona | $43,460 |
Arkansas | $36,390 |
California | $59,860 |
Colorado | $47,640 |
Connecticut | $57,910 |
Delaware | $49,960 |
District of Columbia | $53,470 |
Florida | $40,660 |
Georgia | $45,850 |
Hawaii | $73,070 |
Idaho | $38,760 |
Illinois | $66,280 |
Indiana | $47,970 |
Iowa | $42,660 |
Kansas | $43,300 |
Kentucky | $47,320 |
Louisiana | $45,910 |
Maine | $42,230 |
Maryland | $48,870 |
Massachusetts | $60,970 |
Michigan | $47,740 |
Minnesota | $52,610 |
Mississippi | $37,740 |
Missouri | $55,220 |
Montana | $42,480 |
Nebraska | $39,080 |
Nevada | $53,140 |
New Hampshire | $47,150 |
New Jersey | $63,230 |
New Mexico | $39,430 |
New York | $62,880 |
North Carolina | $37,180 |
North Dakota | $42,850 |
Ohio | $47,940 |
Oklahoma | $42,990 |
Oregon | $48,680 |
Pennsylvania | $53,450 |
Rhode Island | $51,090 |
South Carolina | $44,490 |
South Dakota | $36,340 |
Tennessee | $39,620 |
Texas | $40,370 |
Utah | $42,160 |
Vermont | $44,590 |
Virginia | $43,750 |
Washington | $60,800 |
West Virginia | $43,570 |
Wisconsin | $50,760 |
Wyoming | $48,750 |
What Tools & Technology do Rough Carpenters Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Rough Carpenters:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows
- Drawing and drafting software
- Bosch Punch List
How to Become a Rough Carpenter
What kind of Rough Carpenter requirements are there?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Rough Carpenters Are Employed

Rough Carpenters work in the following industries:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those who work as a Rough Carpenter sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James Seward via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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