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What is a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender?
Career Description Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate CNC equipment.
Life As a Woodworking Machine Operator
- Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.
- Inspect and mark completed workpieces and stack them on pallets, in boxes, or on conveyors so that they can be moved to the next workstation.
- Clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas.
- Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.
- Secure woodstock against a guide or in a holding device, place woodstock on a conveyor, or dump woodstock in a hopper to feed woodstock into machines.
- Trim wood parts according to specifications, using planes, chisels, or wood files or sanders.
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What a Woodworking Machine Operator Should Know
When polled, Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
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.
Other Woodworking Machine Operator Job Titles
- Log Cooker
- Stemhole Borer
- Lap Machine Operator
- Artificial Log Machine Operator
- Planing Machine Operator
Job Opportunities for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
There were about 77,100 jobs for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender. There will be an estimated 8,400 positions for Woodworking Machine Operator per year.
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.
How Much Does a Woodworking Machine Operator Make?
The average yearly salary of a Woodworking Machine Operator ranges between $20,870 and $44,420.
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders who work in Wyoming, Connecticut, or Nevada, make the highest salaries.
How much do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders make 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 |
What Tools do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?
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
Are there Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders education requirements?
What work experience do I need to become a Woodworking Machine Operator?
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Sector
Below are examples of industries where Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders work:
Similar Careers
Those who work as a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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