Woodworking Machine Operators

Job description

These individuals set up, program, and operate machines that make or repair wooden parts. They are employed by wood product manufacturers (furniture, accessories, etc.).

Environment

  • Controlled ambient temperature
  • Equipment, machinery, tools
  • Hazardous chemical
  • Odours
  • Nontoxic dust
  • Noise
  • Falling objects

Main tasks

  • Glue pieces of wood.
  • Press wood veneers on wooden surfaces.
  • Operate machines that make wooden articles.
  • Read and interpret specifications or follow verbal instructions.
  • Clean and lubricate equipment and replace parts, as required.

Advancement and mobility

  • There is much mobility within this group.
  • Experience leads to supervisory positions.

Hourly wage

The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.
Minimum
$16.10
Median
$21.50
Maximum
$28.00

Job prospects for 2024-2028

Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.

Job prospects

All of Québec

Very good

All of Québec

Non available

Total jobs for 2023

All of Québec

3,500

All of Québec

na

Gender distribution

All of Québec

Not available.
17% Female
83% Male

Not available.
  • 17% Female
  • 83% Male

Job types

All of Québec

Not available.
Full time
Part time

Not available.
  • Full time
  • Part time

Yearly wage on 2020

All of Québec

$39,600

All of Québec

Other characteristics

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

All of Québec

  • Non traditional for women
  • None

Sectors of activity

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. NAICS 321
    43% of jobs
  2. NAICS 337
    30% of jobs
  3. NAICS 113, 1153
    4% of jobs
  4. NAICS 23
    3% of jobs
  5. NAICS 339
    3% of jobs
  6. Others
    17% of jobs

All of Québec

Not available.
  1. NAICS 321
    43% of jobs
  2. NAICS 337
    30% of jobs
  3. NAICS 113, 1153
    4% of jobs
  4. NAICS 23
    3% of jobs
  5. NAICS 339
    3% of jobs
  6. Others
    17% of jobs

Training and requirements

Formation

Most training programs are offered in French only.

Secondary

DVS in opération d'équipements de production
Code : 5362

Placement rate: 80.4%

13.3% of graduates pursue further studies

More on graduates’ employment situation

Sometimes required

  • Experience as a Labourer within the same company may be required.

Main skills and characteristics

Skills

  • Monitoring operations
  • Data collection
  • Operations and control
  • Quality control analysis
  • Result evaluation
  • Information processing
  • Troubleshooting
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Oral expression
  • Critical thought

Abilities

  • Reaction time
  • Near vision
  • Manual dexterity
  • Control accuracy
  • Oral comprehension
  • Limb coordination
  • Core strength
  • Static muscle power
  • Awareness of issues
  • Auditory attention
  • Selective attention
  • Digital dexterity
  • Perception speed
  • Hand-arm stability
  • Distance vision
  • Visualization
  • Classification
  • Speed control
  • Dynamic strength
  • Verbal skills
  • Information organization
  • Deductive reasoning
  • Speech recognition
  • Physical flexibility in extension
  • Processing flexibility

Knowledge and attributes

  • Capacity to work under pressure
  • Focussed on results
  • Autonomy
  • Capacity to work in a team
  • Knowledge of production and treatment
  • Versatility
  • Attention to detail
  • Assiduity and punctuality
  • Commitment to quality
  • Tolerance to routine work

Interests

  • Make, build, install
  • Work manually

Personality profiles (RIASEC)

Realistic
People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
Conventional
People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Investigative
People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.

Official name of the NOC 94124

Woodworking machine operators

Job titles

  • Shaper - wood products manufacturing
  • Bench machine operator - woodworking
  • Profile shaper operator - woodworking
  • Dimension planer operator - woodworking
  • Saw operator - woodworking
  • Gunstock fitter - woodworking
  • Wooden barrel-header fitter - woodworking
  • Wooden barrel header - woodworking
  • Cooper header - woodworking
  • Cooperage set-up man/woman - woodworking
  • Ripsaw matcher - woodworking
  • Sash and door end matcher - woodworking
  • Edge bander - woodworking
  • Defect trimmer - woodworking
  • Moulding cutter - wood products manufacturing
  • Disk cutter - wood products
  • Splitter - woodworking
  • Stock cutter - woodworking
  • Barrel end sawyer
  • Cooperage heading sawyer
  • Last trimmer - woodworking
  • Custom cue maker and repairer
  • Lacrosse stick maker - woodworking
  • Pin maker - wood products manufacturing
  • Hat block maker - woodworking
  • Shuttle maker - woodworking
  • Paddle maker - woodworking
  • Billiard cue maker
  • Oar maker - woodworking
  • Rolling pin maker - woodworking
  • Shaper - woodworking
  • Lacrosse stick shaper - woodworking
  • Gunstock shaper - woodworking
  • Detail shaper - woodworking
  • Oar shaper - woodworking
  • Lathe turner - woodworking
  • Wood lathe turner - woodworking
  • Table top edger - woodworking
  • Shuttle finisher - woodworking
  • Packing trunk panel finisher - woodworking
  • Frazer - woodworking
  • Dowel pointer - woodworking
  • Stummel trimmer - woodworking
  • Embosser - woodworking
  • Smoking pipe burler - woodworking
  • Jointer - woodworking
  • Stave jointer - woodworking
  • Machine panel jointer - woodworking
  • Table top laminator - woodworking
  • Plastic laminator - wood furniture manufacturing
  • Bucket chucker - woodworking
  • Moulder - wood products manufacturing
  • Moulder - woodworking
  • Shuttle shaper and tip inserter - woodworking
  • Chair leveler - woodworking
  • Stitcher operator - woodworking
  • Edge bander operator - woodworking
  • Groover operator - woodworking
  • Hoop-driver operator - woodworking
  • Nailing machine operator - woodworking
  • Automatic nailing machine operator - woodworking
  • Glue machine operator - woodworking
  • Shredder operator - woodworking
  • Router operator - woodworking
  • Facer operator - woodworking
  • Finish planer operator - woodworking
  • Glue jointer operator - woodworking
  • Trimming and boring machine operator - woodworking
  • End trimming and boring machine operator - woodworking
  • Shaper operator - woodworking
  • Automatic shaper operator - woodworking
  • Panel raiser operator - woodworking
  • Splitting machine operator cork
  • Frazing machine operator - woodworking
  • Cooper's head-saw operator - woodworking
  • Croze machine operator - woodworking
  • Cooper header operator - wood
  • Woodworking machine operator
  • Frame table operator - woodworking
  • Grooving machine operator - woodworking
  • Fluting machine operator - woodworking
  • Dowelling machine operator - woodworking
  • Sawing machine operator - woodworking
  • Fastener-driver operator - woodworking
  • Adzing and boring machine operator
  • Basket machine operator - woodworking
  • Stave machine operator - woodworking
  • Dowel machine operator - woodworking
  • Embossing machine operator - woodworking
  • Jointing machine operator - woodworking
  • Door-hang machine operator - woodworking
  • Moulder operator - woodworking
  • Boring machine operator - woodworking
  • Dovetail machine operator - woodworking
  • Planer operator - woodworking
  • Carver operator - woodworking
  • Wood-carving machine operator
  • Computer numerically controlled (cnc) woodworking machine tool operator
  • Chucking machine operator - woodworking
  • Chucking and boring machine operator - woodworking
  • Mortiser operator - woodworking
  • Drill operator - woodworking
  • Drill press operator - woodworking
  • End bore operator - woodworking
  • Horizontal boring machine operator - woodworking
  • Bowl blank boring and finishing machine operator
  • Leveller operator - woodworking
  • Belt sander - woodworking
  • Contour sander operator - woodworking
  • Drum sander operator - woodworking
  • Cut-off saw operator - woodworking
  • Wood saw operator - woodworking
  • Radial-arm saw operator - woodworking
  • Scroll saw operator - woodworking
  • Jigsaw operator - woodworking
  • Resaw operator - woodworking
  • Vertical resaw operator - woodworking
  • Equalizer operator - woodworking
  • Panel saw operator - woodworking
  • Dado operator - woodworking
  • Overhead dado operator - woodworking
  • Horizontal resaw operator - woodworking
  • Band saw operator - woodworking
  • Band scroll saw operator - woodworking
  • Computer numerically controlled (cnc) band saw operator
  • Band resaw operator - woodworking
  • Crosscut saw operator - woodworking
  • Circular saw operator - woodworking
  • Variety saw operator - woodworking
  • Notcher operator - woodworking
  • Wobble saw operator - woodworking
  • Power saw operator - woodworking
  • Gang ripsaw operator - woodworking
  • Trim saw operator - woodworking
  • Tenoner operator - woodworking
  • Spindle carver operator - woodworking
  • Lathe operator - woodworking
  • Wood turning lathe operator - woodworking
  • Toothpick lathe operator
  • Wood-turning lathe operator - woodworking
  • Bucket lathe operator
  • Swing-type lathe operator - woodworking
  • Rough mill operator - woodworking
  • Treadle saw operator - woodworking
  • Clamping machine tender - woodworking
  • Cleat notcher - woodworking
  • Wood products flarer
  • Banding machine tender - woodworking
  • Glue machine tender - woodworking
  • Laminating press tender - woodworking
  • Pencil-rounding machine tender
  • Laminated bowl machine tender - woodworking
  • Looping machine tender - wood products manufacturing
  • Dowelling machine tender - woodworking
  • Toothpick-chopping machine tender
  • Corrugated fastener driver - woodworking
  • Wood products machine tender
  • Dowel machine tender
  • Saddle machine tender - woodworking
  • Embossing machine tender - woodworking
  • Panel jointer machine tender - woodworking
  • Lag bolt machine tender - woodworking
  • Squeezer tender - woodworking
  • Barrel end machine tender - woodworking
  • Rip and groove machine tender - woodworking
  • Sawing machine tender - woodworking
  • Band-sawing machine tender - woodworking
  • Electronic gluing machine tender - woodworking
  • Portable machine sander tender - woodworking
  • Turning sander tender - woodworking
  • Pole framer - wood products
  • Line and frame pole worker - wood products
  • Hot press tender - woodworking
  • Cold press tender - woodworking
  • Hydraulic press tender - woodworking
  • Planer tender - woodworking
  • Chair seat planer tender
  • Pencil-grooving machine tender
  • Slat picker - woodworking
  • Mitre saw tender - woodworking
  • Band saw tender - woodworking
  • Hole saw tender - woodworking
  • Computerized panel saw tender
  • Cylinder saw tender - woodworking
  • Portable sawer - woodworking
  • Lacrosse stick bender - woodworking
  • Lacrosse stick gouger - woodworking
  • Small arms checkerer
  • Gunstock checkerer
  • Groover - woodworking
  • Last remodeler - woodworking
  • Copy lathe tender
  • Last-lathe tender - woodworking
  • Borer - woodworking
  • Wood driller - woodworking
  • Smoking pipe air hole driller
  • Smoking pipe maker - woodworking
  • Clean-up sander - woodworking
  • Machine sander - woodworking
  • Drum sander - woodworking
  • Lathe sander - woodworking
  • Wood sander - woodworking
  • Desk sander - woodworking
  • Smoking pipe sander
  • Veneer sander - woodworking
  • Planer - woodworking
  • Lacrosse stick planer - woodworking
  • Shuttle planer - woodworking
  • Woodworking machine set-up operator
  • Dowelling machine set-up operator - woodworking
  • Dowel machine set-up operator - woodworking
  • Woodworking machine setter
  • Box blank repairer - woodworking
  • Last repairman/woman - woodworking
  • Ripsaw grader-operator - woodworking
  • Sawyer - woodworking
  • Gang sawyer - woodworking
  • Wood blank sawyer
  • Woodsawyer - woodworking
  • Salvage sawyer - woodworking
  • Stave sawyer - woodworking
  • Machine carver - woodworking
  • Sanding machine feeder - woodworking
  • Cylinder-sander feeder - woodworking
  • Planer feeder - woodworking
  • Barrel cooper - woodworking
  • Barrel assembler
  • Turner - woodworking
  • Wood turner - woodworking
  • Wooden stave turner - woodworking
  • Last turner
  • Briar-bowl turner - woodworking
  • Stummel turner - woodworking
  • Lay-out marker - woodworking
  • Slat slicer - wood products

Skill type

Manufacturing and utilities

Related occupations

Last update: January 29, 2026

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