Your work. Your records.
Woodworking Machine Operator Workplace Records
Woodworking-machine tasks may include setup, trial pieces, monitoring and measurement. An employment concern can depend on a changed setting or material rather than the final piece alone. Describe the machine category and your assigned responsibility, then connect the instruction and report to the employment decision in question.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Setup record
List the instruction version and person approving changes to tooling or settings.
Inspection sequence
Describe your measurement, report and response without altering quality records.
Own shift
Connect personal time records with preparation, checks and cleanup for the affected work period.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing (51-7042.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines.Source task 12279 · updated 07/2015
- 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.Source task 12281 · updated 07/2015
- Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly.Source task 12274 · updated 07/2015
- Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.Source task 12278 · updated 07/2015
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing (SOC 51-7042). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $15.29 | $17.67 | $21.82 | $36,750 |
| Arizona | $18.02 | $18.96 | $22.36 | $39,440 |
| Arkansas | $13.72 | $17.71 | $23.31 | $36,850 |
| Connecticut | $18.96 | $22.66 | $24.34 | $47,140 |
| Florida | $17.74 | $18.63 | $22.86 | $38,740 |
| Georgia | $16.00 | $17.97 | $21.76 | $37,380 |
| Idaho | $18.79 | $21.99 | $23.50 | $45,730 |
| Indiana | $17.87 | $20.00 | $22.89 | $41,600 |
| Iowa | $23.78 | $24.62 | $27.63 | $51,200 |
| Kansas | $16.95 | $20.95 | $23.35 | $43,580 |
| Kentucky | $17.84 | $18.31 | $20.89 | $38,080 |
| Louisiana | $20.68 | $22.68 | $25.44 | $47,170 |
| Maine | $18.40 | $21.33 | $23.27 | $44,370 |
| Michigan | $20.83 | $22.92 | $23.58 | $47,680 |
| Minnesota | $23.42 | $24.78 | $27.88 | $51,540 |
| Mississippi | $16.00 | $20.24 | $22.67 | $42,090 |
| Missouri | $17.49 | $18.58 | $21.99 | $38,640 |
| Montana | $17.36 | $21.93 | $23.93 | $45,610 |
| Nebraska | $21.46 | $23.65 | $23.65 | $49,190 |
| New Hampshire | $19.70 | $22.33 | $23.91 | $46,450 |
| New Mexico | $17.48 | $18.58 | $22.07 | $38,650 |
| New York | $18.63 | $21.02 | $26.27 | $43,720 |
| North Carolina | $15.49 | $18.05 | $21.57 | $37,550 |
| North Dakota | $19.64 | $22.03 | $22.42 | $45,820 |
| Ohio | $17.65 | $21.12 | $24.23 | $43,930 |
| Oklahoma | $16.17 | $17.30 | $18.68 | $35,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $18.40 | $21.63 | $23.93 | $44,980 |
| Rhode Island | $17.89 | $22.06 | $23.35 | $45,880 |
| South Dakota | $17.55 | $20.07 | $22.70 | $41,740 |
| Tennessee | $15.14 | $16.97 | $19.38 | $35,290 |
| Texas | $13.84 | $16.27 | $19.02 | $33,840 |
| Utah | $17.79 | $18.88 | $22.12 | $39,260 |
| Vermont | $20.63 | $22.35 | $23.58 | $46,480 |
| Virginia | $17.65 | $18.93 | $21.71 | $39,370 |
| West Virginia | $14.78 | $19.24 | $22.90 | $40,020 |
| Wisconsin | $18.06 | $21.37 | $22.93 | $44,450 |
| Wyoming | $17.50 | $19.20 | $21.63 | $39,930 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Distinguish trial work from production
Record who established the setup and what specification you were directed to use. Note trial-piece checks and later adjustments, separating a setting you changed from one supplied to you. Do not assume a finished defect identifies the cause or the responsible operator.
Explain output and work time
List material preparation, measurement, adjustments and cleanup relevant to your own time entry. Record downtime or a missing instruction you reported. Keep the target used in your review alongside your response; machine-running time may not describe all assigned duties.
Protect shop assets and safe operation
Do not export programs, customer drawings or proprietary tooling details. Identify relevant process records by type and version. Never operate a machine outside authorization to recreate an event; keep your own training, assignment messages and employment notices instead.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
Explore state resources