What Do Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender Do?
Position 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: What Do They Do?
- Determine product specifications and materials, work methods, and machine setup requirements, according to blueprints, oral or written instructions, drawings, or work orders.
- 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.
- Operate gluing machines to glue pieces of wood together, or to press and affix wood veneer to wood surfaces.
- Push or hold workpieces against, under, or through cutting, boring, or shaping mechanisms.
- Change alignment and adjustment of sanding, cutting, or boring machine guides to prevent defects in finished products, using hand tools.
- Unclamp workpieces and remove them from machines.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Woodworking Machine Operator?
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.
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
- Wood Miller
- Roof Truss Machine Tender
- Wood Borer
- Slat Basket Maker
- Stroke Belt Sander Operator
Job Outlook for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
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. 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.
Average Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Salary
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 |
What Tools & Technology 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
How do I Become a Woodworking Machine Operator?
Are there Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders education requirements?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Woodworking Machine Operator?

Where do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Work?

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders work in the following industries:

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
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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