Interlock Arts is an eight-person design and fabrication studio in Moodus. We build the things other shops turn down — 60-foot ceilings, 22-foot chandeliers, sculpture, immersive rooms — with wood, metal, and finishing all on one floor.
You would help build pieces that end up hanging in venues around the country and you will see the thing you built standing in a room.
This is a shop seat, not a job site. Same building every day, indoors, heated, year-round. No driving to a different address every Monday. No winter layoff. If you have been doing residential or commercial carpentry and are tired of both of those things, that is most of the pitch.
What you need to walk in with
- Table saw and miter saw — safely, accurately, without supervision
- Nailers — framing, finish, or brad
- Drills and drivers
- Reading a tape to 1/16 of an inch, and marking where you said you would
- Taking direction the first time, without arguing about it
No certification, degree, or trade school transcript required, and we will not ask for one.
What you would do
- Cut to a parts list from a shop drawing, to a called tolerance
- Build and work off jigs for parts that have to come out identical
- Assemble subassemblies to a numbered key
- Crate and pack finished work for freight, in installation order
- Drill and tap hardware and brackets
- Dry-fit whole assemblies in our shop before they ship
- Basic MIG tacking in steel if you want it — trained here, not required
What we pay, and where you start
$18.00 to $25.00 per hour. Where you start depends on what you can do on day one, and we settle it at a paid tryout rather than guessing from a resume.
- $21.00 to start — you run a table saw and miter saw accurately, use a nailer and a drill, and read a tape to 1/16. You show us at the tryout.
- $18.00 to start — you are green and we are teaching you. We still hire this way and we always will.
Either way you are on the same written ladder, and the review dates go on the calendar the day you are hired. From $21.00: $23.00 at 90 days, $25.00 at month 9. From $18.00: $19.50 at 90 days, $21.00 at month 6, $23.00 at month 9, $25.00 at month 12.
Schedule and location
Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, unpaid half-hour lunch — forty paid hours. Overtime occasional, at time and a half over 40.
We are in the mill on the Salmon River in Moodus. Thirteen minutes from East Hampton, fifteen from Colchester, twenty-seven from Middletown. There is no bus, so you need your own reliable way here. No security clearance. No rotating shifts. No badge line.
What is provided
All tools and PPE at no cost — you do not need to own a saw or bring a bag. Paid on-the-job training with no repayment obligation, ever. Overtime at time and a half over 40.
Connecticut FMLA and Connecticut Paid Leave coverage from day one.
Connecticut paid sick leave beginning January 1, 2027 as required by state law.
This position is hourly wages only — no employer health insurance, retirement contributions, or paid vacation at this time, and we would rather tell you that here than at the offer.
Physical requirements
Standing and moving most of an eight-hour shift. Lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds, team-lifting above that. Bending, kneeling, reaching, concrete floor. Work around power saws, nailers, and hot work, with sparks, heat, and dust, with mitigation in place. Eye, hearing, and hand protection required and provided.
Reasonable accommodations available — if you can do this work with an accommodation, apply and tell us what you need.
How hiring works here
You hear back within 48 hours. Not necessarily a decision — a reply. Then a ten-minute phone call, then a paid tryout Saturday, 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM, on the clock and on our insurance, cutting a list from a drawing and building to a jig.
That day is also where your start rate gets settled. You get paid for the day whether or not either of us wants to go further.
Prefer to skip the application? Text (860) 325-0856 and tell us one thing you have built, fixed, or made.
Interlock Arts is an equal opportunity employer.
Pay: $18.00 - $25.00 per hour
Benefits:
- On-the-job training
- Professional development assistance
Application Question(s):
- Which of these have you used on your own? (Multi-select: table saw, miter saw, nailer, drill/driver, tape measure to 1/16, drill press, MIG welder, none of these yet)
- Are you able to reliably commute to Moodus, CT for a 9:00 AM start? There is no bus service. (Yes/No)
- Are you 18 years of age or older? (Yes/No)
- Can you safely and accurately operate a table saw and a miter saw without supervision? (Yes/No)
Work Location: In person
