How to hire sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons. • Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts. • Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules. • 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. • 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. • Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong critical thinking and monitoring skills • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $20.56 an hour ($42,770 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect stock for imperfections or to estimate grades or qualities of stock or workpieces. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood do
- Adjust saw blades, using wrenches and rulers, or by turning handwheels or pressing pedals, levers, or panel buttons.
- Guide workpieces against saws, saw over workpieces by hand, or operate automatic feeding devices to guide cuts.
- Inspect and measure workpieces to mark for cuts and to verify the accuracy of cuts, using rulers, squares, or caliper rules.
- 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.
- 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.
- Sharpen blades, or replace defective or worn blades or bands, using hand tools.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 3 months (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -1% over ten years, little or no change · about 4,500 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Washington | $51,940 |
| Minnesota | $51,330 |
| Oregon | $49,740 |
| Idaho | $48,350 |
| California | $47,390 |
| Texas | $36,740 |
| Arkansas | $36,740 |
| Virginia | $35,790 |
See sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood pay in every state
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.