Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Occupation · SOC 51-7042.00
Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment.
Also called: Cabinet Maker · Machine Operator · Sander · Sander Operator · Boring Machine Operator · Knot Saw Operator · Lathe Operator · Molder Operator · Router Operator · Adzing and Boring Machine Operator · Artificial Log Machine Operator · Automatic Clipper
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-7042-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-1.8% by 2034)
- 6,400 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $40,440/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (94th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (21st)
21st-percentile task overlap — yet about 6,400 openings a year (-1.8% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 13th | -1.1 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 15th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 42nd | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 1.0 · 94th percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -1.8% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 6,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 63,100 → 61,900 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing sits at the 38th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
22% mean task exposure (2025)
38th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+7 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Woodworking Machine Tool Setters and Operators · 7523 | 22% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Examine finished workpieces for smoothness, shape, angle, depth-of-cut, or conformity to specifications and verify dimensions, visually and using hands, rules, calipers, templates, or gauges. Core · importance 4.4
- Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines. Core · importance 4.4
- Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly. Core · importance 4.4
- Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications. Core · importance 4.3
- Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards. Core · importance 4.3
- Adjust machine tables or cutting devices and set controls on machines to produce specified cuts or operations. Core · importance 4.3
- Install and adjust blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, using hand tools and rules. Core · importance 4.3
- Change alignment and adjustment of sanding, cutting, or boring machine guides to prevent defects in finished products, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.2
- Determine product specifications and materials, work methods, and machine setup requirements, according to blueprints, oral or written instructions, drawings, or work orders. Core · importance 4.2
- Feed stock through feed mechanisms or conveyors into planing, shaping, boring, mortising, or sanding machines to produce desired components. Core · importance 4.2
- Push or hold workpieces against, under, or through cutting, boring, or shaping mechanisms. Core · importance 4.2
- Select knives, saws, blades, cutter heads, cams, bits, or belts, according to workpiece, machine functions, or product specifications. Core · importance 4.2
- Remove and replace worn parts, bits, belts, sandpaper, or shaping tools. Core · importance 4.2
- Secure woodstock against a guide or in a holding device, place woodstock on a conveyor, or dump woodstock in a hopper to feed woodstock into machines. Core · importance 4.2
- Inspect and mark completed workpieces and stack them on pallets, in boxes, or on conveyors so that they can be moved to the next workstation. Core · importance 4.1
- Inspect pulleys, drive belts, guards, or fences on machines to ensure that machines will operate safely. Core · importance 4.1
- Clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas. Core · importance 4.0
- Attach and adjust guides, stops, clamps, chucks, or feed mechanisms, using hand tools. Core · importance 4.0
- Trim wood parts according to specifications, using planes, chisels, or wood files or sanders. Core · importance 4.0
- Unclamp workpieces and remove them from machines. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Start machines and move levers to engage hydraulic lifts that press woodstocks into desired forms and disengage lifts after appropriate drying times. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Operate gluing machines to glue pieces of wood together, or to press and affix wood veneer to wood surfaces. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Set up, program, or control computer-aided design (CAD) or computer numerical control (CNC) machines. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Grease or oil woodworking machines. Core · importance 3.6
- Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Sharpen knives, bits, or other cutting or shaping tools. Supplemental
Work activities
- Conduct test runs of production equipment.
- Operate woodworking equipment.
- Determine production equipment settings.
- Select production input materials.
- Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
- Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
- Select production equipment according to product specifications.
- Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
- Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
- Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
- Stack finished items for further processing or shipment.
- Maneuver workpieces in equipment during production.
- Inspect production equipment.
- Remove accessories, tools, or other parts from equipment.
- Replace worn equipment components.
- Load materials into production equipment.
- Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
- Clean work areas.
- Clean production equipment.
- Maintain production or processing equipment.
- Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.
- Inspect lumber or raw woodstock.
- Program equipment to perform production tasks.
- Trim excess material from workpieces.
- Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Lubricate production equipment.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.5 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | |
| Equipment Selection | 2.9 | |
| Repairing | 2.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Reaction Time | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.6 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.5 | |
| Control Precision | 3.5 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.4 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.3 | |
| Static Strength | 3.3 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.3 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Far Vision | 3.1 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.1 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Rate Control | 3.0 | |
| Dynamic Strength | 3.0 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Mechanical | 3.3 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.0 | |
| Mathematics | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 42.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Precision Production . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 73.1% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 20.7% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.5% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 1.7% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.1 | |
| Investigative | 2.4 | |
| Social | 1.2 |
Interest areas
Work styles
| Attention to Detail | 2.5 | |
| Dependability | 2.2 | |
| Cautiousness | 1.9 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $30,920 |
| 25th percentile | $36,260 |
| Median (50th) | $40,440 |
| 75th percentile | $47,650 |
| 90th percentile | $54,340 |
| People employed | 63,350 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 57,540 | $40,830 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 3,020 | $40,190 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 430 | $47,140 |
| Construction · Sector | 310 | $60,060 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 70 | $33,810 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 60 | $50,190 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | — | $35,480 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | — | $34,830 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 10.97× | 57,540 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 1.22× | 3,020 |
| Construction · Sector | 0.09× | 310 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 0.07× | 430 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood · 51-7041.00 Compare →
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9032.00 Compare →
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4033.00 Compare →
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4035.00 Compare →
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4034.00 Compare →
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4031.00 Compare →
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4081.00 Compare →
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-6062.00 Compare →
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4023.00 Compare →
- Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4022.00 Compare →
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners · 51-4194.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood Compare →
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Compare →
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Compare →
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Compare →
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Precision Production · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 38th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,400 annual U.S. openings
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing rank in the 21st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 6,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-1.8%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $40,440, across about 63,350 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 6,400 annual U.S. openings • Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing rank in the 21st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 6,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-1.8%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $40,440, across about 63,350 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-7042-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-7042-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-7042-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-7042-00,
title = {Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-7042-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.