Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
SOC 51-7042BLS OEWS May 2025
Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Workers who primarily program or operate CNC equipment are classified in “Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators and Programmers” (51-9160).
National median · BLS
$43,380
▲ +7.27%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$43,570
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
61,420
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$32,110
25th
$37,100
Median (50th)
$43,380
75th
$48,720
90th — top pay
$56,830
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 Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
BLS projects employment of woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing to decline 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 5,300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
60,900 → 59,400
-1,500 jobs
Projected change
-2.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
5,300
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
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 woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing do
Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines.
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.
Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly.
Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.
Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.
Adjust machine tables or cutting devices and set controls on machines to produce specified cuts or operations.
Install and adjust blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, using hand tools and rules.
Change alignment and adjustment of sanding, cutting, or boring machine guides to prevent defects in finished products, using hand tools.
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 Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $43,380.
