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.

Also Known As:

Bandmill Operator Cut Off Saw Operator Edgerman Knot Saw Operator Panel Saw Operator Planer Resaw Operator Rip Saw Operator Saw Operator Sawyer

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood in United States

Job Outlook Below Average

New job opportunities are less likely in the future

United States 2034 Projected Employment

44,700

-1% Change From 2024

Explore Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Inspect stock for imperfections or to estimate grades or qualities of stock or workpieces.
Clear machine jams, using hand tools.
Count, sort, or stack finished workpieces.
Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
Trim lumber to straighten rough edges or remove defects, using circular saws.
Examine blueprints, drawings, work orders, or patterns to determine equipment set-up or selection details, procedures to be used, or dimensions of final products.
Examine logs or lumber to plan the best cuts.
Operate panelboards of saw or conveyor systems to move stock through processes or to cut stock to specified dimensions.
Cut grooves, bevels, or miters, saw curved or irregular designs, and sever or shape metals, according to specifications or work orders.
Mount and bolt sawing blades or attachments to machine shafts.
Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
Select saw blades, types or grades of stock, or cutting procedures to be used, according to work orders or supervisors' instructions.
Cut grooves, bevels, or miters, saw curved or irregular designs, and sever or shape metals, according to specifications or work orders.
Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.
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.
Count, sort, or stack finished workpieces.
Select saw blades, types or grades of stock, or cutting procedures to be used, according to work orders or supervisors' instructions.
Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
Lubricate or clean machines, using wrenches, grease guns, or solvents.
Position and clamp stock on tables, conveyors, or carriages, using hoists, guides, stops, dogs, wedges, or wrenches.
Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
Adjust bolts, clamps, stops, guides, or table angles or heights, using hand tools.
Measure and mark stock for cuts.
Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
Unclamp and remove finished workpieces from tables.
Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
Lubricate or clean machines, using wrenches, grease guns, or solvents.
Position and clamp stock on tables, conveyors, or carriages, using hoists, guides, stops, dogs, wedges, or wrenches.
Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
Examine blueprints, drawings, work orders, or patterns to determine equipment set-up or selection details, procedures to be used, or dimensions of final products.
Count, sort, or stack finished workpieces.
Examine blueprints, drawings, work orders, or patterns to determine equipment set-up or selection details, procedures to be used, or dimensions of final products.
Dispose of waste material after completing work assignments.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.