Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.

“Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.” is a core task performed by Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. Among the occupation's 16 rated tasks, workers place it 11th by importance (#6 most important). About 85% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Position workpieces or materials on equipment. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances. · importance 4.3
• Move controls to set cutting speeds and depths and feed rates, and to position tools in relation to workpieces. · importance 4.3
• Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences. · importance 4.3
• Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators. · importance 4.2
• Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines. · importance 4.2
• Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics. · importance 4.1
• Crank machines through cycles, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls to ensure specified timing, clearances, and tolerances. · importance 4.1
• Position, secure, and align cutting tools in toolholders on machines, using hand tools, and verify their positions with measuring instruments. · importance 4.1
• Start lathe or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met. · importance 4.0
• Refill, change, and monitor the level of fluids, such as oil and coolant, in machines. · importance 3.9
• Lift metal stock or workpieces manually or using hoists, and position and secure them in machines, using fasteners and hand tools. · importance 3.7
• Install holding fixtures, cams, gears, and stops to control stock and tool movement, using hand tools, power tools, and measuring instruments. · importance 3.6
• Select cutting tools and tooling instructions, according to written specifications or knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics. · importance 3.5
• Mount attachments, such as relieving or tracing attachments, to perform operations, such as duplicating contours of templates or trimming workpieces. · importance 3.5

See all tasks on the Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic page.

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
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-12003,
  title  = {Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-12003}
}