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All About Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Occupation 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.
Woodworking Machine Operator Responsibilities
- Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations.
- Start machines and move levers to engage hydraulic lifts that press woodstocks into desired forms and disengage lifts after appropriate drying times.
- Clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas.
- Adjust machine tables or cutting devices and set controls on machines to produce specified cuts or operations.
- 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.
- Remove and replace worn parts, bits, belts, sandpaper, or shaping tools.
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Woodworking Machine Operator Needed Skills
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.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Types of Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender
- Veneer Clipper
- Dowel Inserting Machine Operator
- Burn Table Operator
- Planer Setup Operator
- Pipe and Tank Fabricator
Woodworking Machine Operator Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 77,100 jobs for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 8,400 job openings in this field each 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.
Do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Make A Lot Of Money?
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.
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
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders may use on a daily basis:
- 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
How do I Become a Woodworking Machine Operator?
Education needed to be a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender:
How many years of work experience do I need?
Related Careers
Are you already one of the many Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.