Career profile · 51-7041
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 the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 50.3%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 88.5%07/2013 · sample 18 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 86.8%07/2013 · sample 18 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 56.9%07/2013 · sample 18 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Never | 53.1%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 64.5%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 61.0%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 56.0%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 100.0%07/2013 · sample 19 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 57.2%07/2013 · sample 19 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat
- Industrial control software: Computerized numerical control CNC software
- Inventory management software: Automated inventory software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 46 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $37,520 | $18.04 | 1,880 |
| Alaska | $52,680 | $25.33 | 100 |
| Arizona | $42,870 | $20.61 | 310 |
| Arkansas | $36,740 | $17.66 | 1,240 |
| California | $47,390 | $22.78 | 3,230 |
| Colorado | $47,030 | $22.61 | 350 |
| Connecticut | $51,150 | $24.59 | 110 |
| Florida | $38,280 | $18.40 | 740 |
| Georgia | $39,860 | $19.16 | 1,930 |
| Idaho | $48,350 | $23.25 | 700 |
| Illinois | $46,530 | $22.37 | 470 |
| Indiana | $42,620 | $20.49 | 1,270 |
| Iowa | $48,090 | $23.12 | 240 |
| Kansas | $36,930 | $17.76 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $36,810 | $17.70 | 1,050 |
| Louisiana | $46,610 | $22.41 | 500 |
| Maine | $46,210 | $22.22 | 730 |
| Maryland | $47,060 | $22.63 | 130 |
| Massachusetts | $47,210 | $22.70 | 60 |
| Michigan | $40,260 | $19.36 | 1,510 |
| Minnesota | $51,330 | $24.68 | 500 |
| Mississippi | $36,960 | $17.77 | 1,910 |
| Missouri | $38,030 | $18.29 | 1,380 |
| Montana | $49,090 | $23.60 | 280 |
| Nebraska | $46,970 | $22.58 | 140 |
| Nevada | $39,350 | $18.92 | 170 |
| New Hampshire | $46,090 | $22.16 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $44,630 | $21.46 | 80 |
| New Mexico | $34,720 | $16.69 | 70 |
| New York | $42,250 | $20.31 | 1,010 |
| North Carolina | $38,100 | $18.32 | 2,020 |
| Ohio | $45,010 | $21.64 | 2,180 |
| Oklahoma | $36,140 | $17.38 | 250 |
| Oregon | $49,740 | $23.91 | 2,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $40,590 | $19.52 | 1,720 |
| South Carolina | $39,300 | $18.89 | 810 |
| South Dakota | $37,480 | $18.02 | 260 |
| Tennessee | $39,070 | $18.79 | 1,510 |
| Texas | $36,740 | $17.67 | 1,680 |
| Utah | $43,490 | $20.91 | 180 |
| Vermont | $46,040 | $22.14 | 230 |
| Virginia | $35,790 | $17.21 | 1,580 |
| Washington | $51,940 | $24.97 | 1,720 |
| West Virginia | $35,590 | $17.11 | 360 |
| Wisconsin | $44,440 | $21.37 | 1,880 |
| Wyoming | $39,470 | $18.98 | 70 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 232 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters→
- Model Makers, Wood→
- Patternmakers, Wood→
- Woodworkers, All Other→
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 51-7041.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.