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Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender

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Life As a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender

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.

What Do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Do On a Daily Basis?

  • Trim wood parts according to specifications, using planes, chisels, or wood files or sanders.
  • Push or hold workpieces against, under, or through cutting, boring, or shaping mechanisms.
  • 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.
  • Attach and adjust guides, stops, clamps, chucks, or feed mechanisms, using hand tools.
  • Start machines and move levers to engage hydraulic lifts that press woodstocks into desired forms and disengage lifts after appropriate drying times.
  • Grease or oil woodworking machines.

Woodworking Machine Operator Required Skills

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

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 Jointer
  • Flooring Machine Operator
  • Barrel Lathe Operator
  • Router Operator
  • Veneer Splicer

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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 8,400 job openings in this field each year.

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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.

Woodworking Machine Operator Salary

The typical yearly salary for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is somewhere between $20,870 and $44,420.

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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 each U.S. state?

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

How to Become a Woodworking Machine Operator

What education is needed to be a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender?

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What work experience do I need to become a Woodworking Machine Operator?

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Who Employs Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

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The table below shows the approximate number of Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders employed by various industries.

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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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