Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood salary by state
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood is a professional role in the Production job family, focused on Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Woods do
Typical education: High School Diploma
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.
Top skills:Operations MonitoringOperation and ControlTroubleshootingQuality Control AnalysisMonitoringCritical Thinking
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood pay by experience level
Entry level$32,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$38,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$44,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$50,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$60,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-0.6%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
4,800
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood salary by industry
Wood Product Manufacturing
30,140 workers
$45,000
Sawmills and Wood Preservation
15,430 workers
$46,000
Other Wood Product Manufacturing
9,820 workers
$42,500
Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)
3,030 workers
$43,500
Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers
1,330 workers
$51,000
Building Material and Supplies Dealers
1,330 workers
$51,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood pays 20% below the average across 112 roles in the Production job family (family average $56,000).
