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Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

ManufacturingO*NET 51-7041.00United States

Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$42,066

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+2.3%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

81% of the workforce

Employment
42.73K jobs

Growing to 43.7K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • Clear machine jams, using hand tools.
  • Lubricate or clean machines, using wrenches, grease guns, or solvents.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$29,928
25th percentile
$35,720
50th percentile
$42,066
75th percentile
$48,787
90th percentile
$62,149

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $42,066 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+2.3%average or slower
202542,728 jobs
2035 projected43,701 jobs

973 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
81%
Certificate
9.5%
Some college
9.5%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Sawing
  • Forklift Truck
  • Lifting Ability
  • Tape Measure
  • General Mathematics
  • Machinery
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Bandsaws
  • Warehousing
  • Hand Tools
  • Overhead Crane Operation
  • Calipers
  • Safety Procedures
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Machine Operation
  • Material Handling
  • Housekeeping
  • Mechanical Aptitude
  • Machining
  • Micrometer

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Saw Operators2,133 postings
  2. 02Sawyers188 postings
  3. 03Band Saw Operators184 postings
  4. 04Operators171 postings
  5. 05Lumber Yard Workers144 postings
  6. 06Equipment Operators83 postings
  7. 07Sawmill Supervisors80 postings
  8. 08Soil Sling Operators69 postings
  9. 09Load Builders48 postings
  10. 10Lumber Yard Associates46 postings
  11. 11Rooftop Loaders43 postings
  12. 12Cutters40 postings
  13. 13Helpers40 postings
  14. 14Utility Operators38 postings
  15. 15Wire Cutters34 postings
  16. 16Sorters32 postings
  17. 17Press Operators29 postings
  18. 18Shop Helpers28 postings
  19. 19Utility Workers27 postings
  20. 20Saw Filers24 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Aerotek203 postings
  2. 0248forty Solutions120 postings
  3. 03Sierra Pacific Industries116 postings
  4. 04UFP Industries82 postings
  5. 0584 Lumber68 postings
  6. 06Commercial Metals59 postings
  7. 07Express Employment Professionals58 postings
  8. 08Forest River57 postings
  9. 09Vestis53 postings
  10. 10Aramark50 postings
  11. 11Builders FirstSource42 postings
  12. 12ManpowerGroup42 postings
  13. 13Decks & Docks37 postings
  14. 14LSI Staffing31 postings
  15. 15Sabre Industries28 postings
  16. 16BMC - Building Materials And Construction Solutions26 postings
  17. 17SRS Distribution23 postings
  18. 18Contract Lumber21 postings
  19. 19Plascore21 postings
  20. 20Staffmark21 postings

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