Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.
What it pays
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $25.39/hr — about $53,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.19/hr; the top 10% earn $38.96/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic earn a median of $25.39/hr — about $53,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.19/hr; the top 10% earn $38.96/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers.
- Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers.
- Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines.
- Observe milling or planing machine operation, and adjust controls to ensure conformance with specified tolerances.
- Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools.
- Position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools, and hoists.
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
Much of the day is spent working solo; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of milling and planing machine 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 milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make?
- The median pay is $25.39 per hour — roughly $53,000 a year, with the real range running from about $18.19/hr (10th percentile) to $38.96/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a milling and planing machine 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 milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic actually do all day?
- Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers. Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers. Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines.
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.