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Wood Turner salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a wood turner is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- What you take home depends on whether you're employed in a workshop or selling your own work.
- Manufacturing employers pay under the timber and wood products award or an enterprise agreement, so pay moves with the classification level and any shift loadings.
- Self-employed turners earn from what they sell through galleries, markets and commissions, and many in the trade work part time, so annual earnings often reflect fewer hours rather than a low rate.
The median salary rose by $13,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than wood turner
The largest typical pay rise is $7,800 a year, moving into Cabinet Maker.
- Cabinet Maker+$7,800/yr
- Joiner+$7,800/yr
- Wood Machinist+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher wood turner salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time wood turner salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general wood turner experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Cabinet Maker pays a typical $7,800 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Wood Turner salary questions
How much do wood turners earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a wood turner is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is wood turner pay rising or falling?
The median wood turner salary is up $13,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than wood turner?
Cabinet Maker pays a typical $7,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to wood turner.
Related salaries
- Wood Machinist salary
- Cabinet Maker salary
- Furniture Finisher salary
- Joiner salary
- Cooper salary
- Engineering Patternmaker salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.