Production · Holland code RC

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

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.

Also called: Cabinet Maker, Machine Operator, Sander, Sander Operator, Boring Machine Operator, Knot Saw Operator, Lathe Operator, Molder Operator.

O*NET 51-7042.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $43,380; Middle half earn $37,100 to $48,720. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 73% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.1 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Active Listening2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Active Learning2.5 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical3.3 / 5
Production and Processing3.0 / 5
Mathematics2.9 / 5
Public Safety and Security2.5 / 5
Building and Construction2.4 / 5
Education and Training2.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative23
Artistic2
Social3
Enterprising0
Conventional52

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

wood treater · DE Fachkraft für Holzbearbeitung · FR opérateur de traitement des bois/opératrice de traitement des bois
nailing machine operator · DE Nagelmaschinenbediener/Nagelmaschinenbedienerin · FR opérateur de machine à clouer/opératrice de machine à clouer
wood boring machine operator · DE Holzbohrmaschinenbediener/Hozbohrmaschinenbedienerin · FR opérateur de machine à percer le bois/opératrice de machine à percer le bois
wooden furniture machine operator · DE Holzmechaniker/Holzmechanikerin – Herstellen von Möbeln und Innenausbauteilen · FR opérateur de machine de fabrication de mobilier en bois/opératrice de machine de fabrication de mobilier en bois
wood pallet maker · DE Holzpalettenmacher/Holzpalettenmacherin · FR fabricant de palettes en bois/fabricante de palettes en bois
woodturner · DE Drechsler/Drechslerin · FR tourneur sur bois/tourneuse sur bois

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Assemblers and routine operatives n.e.c. (8149)26,300 employed
Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) (8142)23,600 employed
Paper and wood machine operatives (8131)21,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.13. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-7042).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test