DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-7042 Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Occupational Description:
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).| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | N/A | N/A | $17.94/hr | $0.29/hr | $12.82/hr | $14.79/hr | $17.50/hr | $21.07/hr | $24.31/hr |
| U S | 78,850 | 2,287 | $15.70/hr | $0.08/hr | $10.45/hr | $12.41/hr | $15.12/hr | $18.43/hr | $22.39/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2023 - 2025 | |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 5,400 | $20.74/hr | -0.5% |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3,060 | $19.46/hr | 1.4% |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, &Tenders, Metal & Plastic | 2,720 | $18.44/hr | -0.4% |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 670 | $18.34/hr | 1.2% |
| Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 500 | $16.32/hr | -4.4% |
| Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 320 | $16.67/hr | -3.9% |
| Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 220 | $15.15/hr | N/A |
| Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners | 100 | $19.09/hr | -3.4% |
| Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic | 80 | $26.99/hr | 0.0% |
Tasks for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
- Installs knives, sanding apparatus, cams, cutting heads, bits, chisels, and blades, using hand tools.
- Attaches and adjusts guides, stops, clamps, chucks, and feed mechanisms, using hand tools.
- Starts machine and feeds stock into machine through feed mechanisms or conveyors.
- Monitors operation of automatic machines and makes adjustments as needed to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.
- Examines blueprints, drawings, and work orders, to determine characteristics of finished item, materials to be used, and machine setup requirements.
- Adjusts machine table or cutting devices to produce specified cut or operation.
- Pushes or holds workpiece against, under, or through cutting, boring or shaping mechanism.
- Selects knives, sanding apparatus, cams, cutting heads, bits, chisels and blades.
- Mounts or clamps stock onto machine.
- Removes and replaces worn machine parts, knives, bits, belts, and sandpaper.
- Examines workpiece visually, by touch, or using tape rule, calipers, or gauges to ensure product meets desired standards.
- Unclamps and removes workpiece from machine, and stacks workpiece on pallet or in box.
- Sharpens knives, bits, and other cutting and shaping tools.
- Cleans product, machine, or work area, using rags and air hose.
- Starts machine, adjusts controls, and moves lever or depresses pedal to bore, shape, smooth, shave, chip, slice or cut woodstock.
- Starts machine and moves lever to engage hydraulic lift to press woodstock into desired form, allows for drying-time, and removes.
- Re-adjusts and re-aligns guides of sanding, cutting, or boring machines to correct defects in finished product, using hand tools.
- Installs and adjusts blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts in machines, according to workpiece, machine function, and specifications, using hand tools.
- Selects knives, blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, according to workpiece, machine function, and specifications.
- Places or secures woodstock against guide or into holding-device prior to feeding into machine.
- Examines blueprints, drawings, or samples to determine size, type, and setting of machine tools, stops, jigs, and guides to use.
- Places water-soaked woodstock into form under hydraulic lift to shape for use in making such items as musical instruments.
- Examines finished workpiece for smoothness, shape, angle, depth-of-cut and conformity to specifications, visually and using hands, rule, or other gauges.
- Examines raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.
- Examines rollers, sanding-belts, knives, cutting or boring devices, and conveyor mechanisms and sharpens or replaces worn parts, using hand tools.
- Cleans machines, work-station, or conveyor, using airhose, wax, solvents, brushes and rags.
- Marks or otherwise identifies completed and inspected workpiece.
- Hand-stacks on pallet or conveyor or controls hoist to remove part or product from work-station.
