How to become a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing
Official title: Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Also called: Boring Machine Operator, Cabinet Maker, Knot Saw Operator, Lathe Operator, Machine Operator, Molder Operator, Router Operator, Sander, Sander Operator
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.
Main tasks
- 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.
How to become one
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required to become a woodworker. Although some entry-level jobs may be learned in 1 month or less, becoming proficient typically requires several months to more than a year of on-the-job training. The ability to use computer-controlled machinery also is important.
Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Machine Setter (Woodwork).
- Apprenticeship: Wood Turning Lathe Operator.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $43,380 a year The middle half earn $37,100 to $48,720.
- About 60,900 people work in this job now, and about 59,400 are projected by 2035. (-2.5%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Related jobs
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
- Furniture Finishers
- Model Makers, Wood
- Patternmakers, Wood
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing?
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required to become a woodworker. Although some entry-level jobs may be learned in 1 month or less, becoming proficient typically requires several months to more than a year of on-the-job training. The ability to use computer-controlled machinery also is important.
How much does a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $43,380 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $37,100 to $48,720.
Is a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to fall 2% by 2035, from about 60,900 to about 59,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing?
Usually not. Only 7% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Machine Setter (Woodwork).
Will AI change the work of a Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator or Tender, Except Sawing?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the 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.