What is a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender?
Woodworking Machine Operator Example 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Set up, program, or control computer-aided design (CAD) or computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
- Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations.
- Select knives, saws, blades, cutter heads, cams, bits, or belts, according to workpiece, machine functions, or product specifications.
Woodworking Machine Operator Required Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders say are important on the job.
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 Operator Jobs
- Plugging Machine Operator
- Squeezer
- End Touching Machine Operator
- Barker Operator
- Touch-Up Carver
Is There 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.
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
The salary for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ranges between about $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 |
What Tools & Technology do Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?
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 to Become a Woodworking Machine Operator
Education needed to be a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender:
What work experience do I need to become a Woodworking Machine Operator?
Where Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Work
The table below shows the approximate number of Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders employed by various industries.
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
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
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