How much does a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood make?

The median pay is $20.56 per hour — roughly $43,000 a year, with the real range running from about $14.85/hr (10th percentile) to $27.97/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood actually do all day?

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.

Manufacturing & Production

Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

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

What it pays
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood earn a median of $20.56/hr — about $43,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.85/hr; the top 10% earn $27.97/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

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.

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; 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 3.8% of sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood 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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Related careers

Quick questions

How much does a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood make?: The median pay is $20.56 per hour — roughly $43,000 a year, with the real range running from about $14.85/hr (10th percentile) to $27.97/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood?: The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
What does a sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood actually do all day?: 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.

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.