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Cutters and Trimmers, Hand

Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.

What you’d do

  • Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
  • Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
  • Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
  • Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
  • Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
  • Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
  • Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
  • Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Time Management
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Cloth Cutter
  • Leather Cutter
  • Offline Cutter
  • Trimmer
  • Denim Cutter
  • Fabric Cutter

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