Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
SOC 51-7041BLS OEWS May 2025
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers. Workers who primarily program or operate CNC equipment are classified in “Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators and Programmers” (51-9160).
National median · BLS
$42,770
▲ +7.06%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$43,580
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
40,850
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$30,890
25th
$36,510
Median (50th)
$42,770
75th
$48,620
90th — top pay
$58,170
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
BLS projects employment of sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood to decline 1% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 4,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
41,200 → 40,800
-400 jobs
Projected change
-1%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
4,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood do
Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.
Mount and bolt sawing blades or attachments to machine shafts.
Set up, operate, or tend saws or machines that cut or trim wood to specified dimensions, such as circular saws, band saws, multiple-blade sawing machines, scroll saws, ripsaws, or crozer machines.
Inspect stock for imperfections or to estimate grades or qualities of stock or workpieces.
Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $42,770.
