Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
What Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mechanicalimportance 3.3/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.5/5
- Building and Constructionimportance 2.4/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.4/5
- Designimportance 2.3/5
- English Languageimportance 2.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Exposed to Contaminants5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.8/5
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.8/5
- Spend Time Standing4.7/5
- Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic90% skill match
- Wellhead Pumpers89% skill match
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery89% skill match
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic88% skill match
- Agricultural Equipment Operators87% skill match
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders87% skill match
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders87% skill match
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic87% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.5/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.3/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
- Equipment Selectionimportance 2.9/5
- Repairingimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Achievement Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
- Integrity
- Perseverance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Elkhart-Goshen, IN21.24× national avg
- 2Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI11.77× national avg
- 3Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC11.76× national avg
- 4Wausau, WI8.97× national avg
- 5Morristown, TN7.94× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodLateral Move
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
See the full career path from Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.