Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.
What it pays
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $23.60/hr — about $49,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.45/hr; the top 10% earn $32.89/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $23.60/hr — about $49,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $17.45/hr; the top 10% earn $32.89/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Verify conformance of machined work to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, micrometers, or fixed or telescoping gauges.
- Study machining instructions, job orders, or blueprints to determine dimensional or finish specifications, sequences of operations, setups, or tooling requirements.
- Move machine controls to lower tools to workpieces and to engage automatic feeds.
- Verify that workpiece reference lines are parallel to the axis of table rotation, using dial indicators mounted in spindles.
- Establish zero reference points on workpieces, such as at the intersections of two edges or over hole locations.
- Change worn cutting tools, using wrenches.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
- The median pay is $23.60 per hour — roughly $49,000 a year, with the real range running from about $17.45/hr (10th percentile) to $32.89/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic actually do all day?
- Verify conformance of machined work to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, micrometers, or fixed or telescoping gauges. Study machining instructions, job orders, or blueprints to determine dimensional or finish specifications, sequences of operations, setups, or tooling requirements. Move machine controls to lower tools to workpieces and to engage automatic feeds.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.