What Does it Take to Be a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender?
Job Description & Duties Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate CNC equipment.
A Day in the Life of a Woodworking Machine Operator
- Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations.
- Install and adjust blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, using hand tools and rules.
- Examine finished workpieces for smoothness, shape, angle, depth-of-cut, or conformity to specifications and verify dimensions, visually and using hands, rules, calipers, templates, or gauges.
- Select knives, saws, blades, cutter heads, cams, bits, or belts, according to workpiece, machine functions, or product specifications.
- Sharpen knives, bits, or other cutting or shaping tools.
- Unclamp workpieces and remove them from machines.
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Qualities of a Woodworking Machine Operator
These are the skills Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders say are the most useful in their careers:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Types of Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender
- Plasma Table Operator
- Automatic Profile Shaper Operator
- Stapler
- Wood Heel Back Liner
- Dollyman
Job Demand for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 77,100 jobs in the United States for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender. The BLS estimates 8,400 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Woodworking Machine Operator are Utah, Florida, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Kansas, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Woodworking Machine Operator
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make between $20,870 and $44,420 a year.
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders who work in Wyoming, Connecticut, or Nevada, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $28,600 |
| Alaska | $36,660 |
| Arizona | $27,500 |
| Arkansas | $28,110 |
| California | $32,360 |
| Colorado | $37,050 |
| Connecticut | $40,440 |
| Florida | $29,150 |
| Georgia | $27,650 |
| Hawaii | $36,070 |
| Idaho | $33,350 |
| Illinois | $33,310 |
| Indiana | $31,140 |
| Iowa | $33,680 |
| Kansas | $32,160 |
| Kentucky | $27,700 |
| Louisiana | $31,570 |
| Maine | $30,240 |
| Maryland | $32,160 |
| Massachusetts | $37,660 |
| Michigan | $30,870 |
| Minnesota | $36,320 |
| Mississippi | $29,660 |
| Missouri | $28,940 |
| Montana | $34,530 |
| Nebraska | $30,160 |
| Nevada | $38,300 |
| New Hampshire | $35,240 |
| New Jersey | $33,090 |
| New Mexico | $36,440 |
| New York | $35,300 |
| North Carolina | $29,630 |
| North Dakota | $33,570 |
| Ohio | $31,500 |
| Oklahoma | $31,190 |
| Oregon | $35,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,220 |
| Rhode Island | $32,730 |
| South Carolina | $29,360 |
| South Dakota | $29,800 |
| Tennessee | $28,800 |
| Texas | $26,790 |
| Utah | $31,160 |
| Vermont | $31,650 |
| Virginia | $28,730 |
| Washington | $35,530 |
| West Virginia | $29,430 |
| Wisconsin | $31,510 |
| Wyoming | $41,170 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Windows
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- YouTube
- Apple macOS
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
Becoming a Woodworking Machine Operator
What education is needed to be a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Work
Below are examples of industries where Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders work:
Similar Careers
Career changers with experience as a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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