Best degree programs for Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 37 schools train Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $42,770 median wage, 40,850 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 37 schools train sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood, graduating 483 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Cabinetmaking and Millwork. The job pays a median of $42,770 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 48.0703 | 483 | 100.0% | 37 | $26,594 | $18,142 |
Top 37 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $47,390 | 3,230 | 0.67× | 9 | 106 |
| Texaslimited | $36,740 | 1,680 | 0.45× | 1 | 93 |
| North Carolinalimited | $38,100 | 2,020 | 1.56× | 2 | 57 |
| Alabamalimited | $37,520 | 1,880 | 3.38× | 2 | 53 |
| Minnesotalimited | $51,330 | 500 | 0.64× | 2 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $44,440 | 1,880 | 2.44× | 5 | 36 |
| Georgiamoderate | $39,860 | 1,930 | 1.50× | 3 | 21 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $40,590 | 1,720 | 1.08× | 3 | 17 |
| Utahlimited | $43,490 | 180 | 0.39× | 2 | 11 |
| Floridalimited | $38,280 | 740 | 0.28× | 1 | 10 |
| Nebraskalimited | $46,970 | 140 | 0.53× | 1 | 10 |
| Idaholimited | $48,350 | 700 | 3.10× | 1 | 6 |
| Mainelimited | $46,210 | 730 | 4.34× | 1 | 5 |
| New Jerseylimited | $44,630 | 80 | 0.07× | 1 | 4 |
| Washingtonlimited | $51,940 | 1,720 | 1.85× | 1 | 2 |
| Arizonalimited | $42,870 | 310 | 0.36× | 1 | 1 |
| Kansaslimited | $36,930 | 110 | 0.28× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Monitor sawing machines, adjusting speed and tension and clearing jams to ensure proper operation.
- Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
- Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
Skills
- Monitoring3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Active Listening2.8
- Speaking2.6
- Reading Comprehension2.4
- Active Learning2.1
- Mathematics2.0
- Learning Strategies2.0
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing3.2
- Mechanical3.2
- Public Safety and Security2.6
- Mathematics2.6
- Education and Training2.3
- English Language2.2
Abilities
- Control Precision3.6
- Near Vision3.4
- Manual Dexterity3.4
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.4
- Finger Dexterity3.3
- Problem Sensitivity3.3
Core activities
- Handling and Moving Objects4.1
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.1
- Performing General Physical Activities3.7
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials3.6
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.4
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Sawing Machine Setter
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
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.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0703Cabinetmaking and Millwork
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Sawing Machine Setter?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Cabinetmaking and Millwork, which awarded 483 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Sawing Machine Setter?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Woodworking. Together they graduate about 483 people a year.
How much do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood earn?+
The median is $42,770 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $30,890 at the 10th percentile to $58,170 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood growing?+
BLS projects a -0.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 4,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
37 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Sawyer, Saw Operator, Resaw Operator, Rip Saw Operator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-7041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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