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Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $42,770 Median per year · $20.56/hr Most earn $30,890–$58,170

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
  • Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
  • Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
  • Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
  • Mount and bolt sawing blades or attachments to machine shafts.
  • Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.

Job outlook

United States
1% fewer jobs by 2035, little or no change · about 4,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Sawmills and wood preservation37.8%
  • Other wood product manufacturing23.4%
  • Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product manufacturing11.9%
  • Merchant wholesalers, durable goods7.5%
  • Furniture and related product manufacturing7.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Most people need a high school diploma and then learn the work on the job, usually over about 1 to 3 months. Reaching lead sawyer takes more experience on the saws.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school with classes in shop, math, and computer basics gives you the core skills employers look for. Shop classes also teach measuring and machine safety.

  2. Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood

    1-3 months of on-the-job training before full duties

    Most people start here after a short hands-on training period, learning to set up saws, load lumber, and check cuts for accuracy and safety.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Sawyer

    Varies by employer; built up through experience on the saws of experience first

    A lead sawyer guides other operators, checks setups and quality, and helps keep the line running safely. It takes strong saw skills and reliability to be trusted with this role.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop or woodworking classesHands-on practice with saws and measuring tools builds the exact habits this job relies on.
  • Take a computer or drafting classBasic computer skills help when you run computer-controlled equipment that reads cutting instructions.
  • Take a math class you can use on the jobFractions, decimals, and measurement come up every day when setting up cuts to exact sizes.
  • Find a part-time or summer job at a lumberyard, sawmill, or furniture shopReal workplace experience shows employers you can show up, follow safety rules, and handle physical work.
  • Learn workplace safety basicsKnowing machine guarding and safe habits matters a lot in a job where saws are running all day.

In college

  • Take a manufacturing or CNC machining course at a community collegeLearning how computer-controlled machines are programmed and run gives you a clear edge for jobs that use CNC saws.
  • Take a woodworking or wood technology courseKnowing how different woods behave when cut helps you spot problems and set machines correctly.
  • Work a campus job or part-time job in a production settingShift work and team tasks show employers you can keep pace on a production line.
  • Earn a workplace safety certificate if your school or town offers oneSafety training is valued in mills and factories and can make you a stronger hire.
  • Join a trade or maker club on campusA woodworking or maker club gives you more hands-on practice and a chance to meet people in the trades.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for part-time or summer work at a lumberyard, sawmill, or woodworking shop. Even sweeping and stacking boards teaches you how the work flows and how to stay safe around machines.
  • Get comfortable with basic computers and measuring tools. Many wood sawing machines are CNC-controlled, so typing, reading simple screens, and careful measuring will help you learn faster.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Woodworking Certificate: typical pay 1 year after finishing $24,988 a year

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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