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51-7042.00 · Task explorer

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

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.

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This source lists 25 tasks, including 20 marked Core and 5 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 07/2015.

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25 tasks shown

Core · Task 12279 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines.

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Core · Task 12281 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

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.

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Core · Task 12274 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly.

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Core · Task 12278 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.

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Core · Task 12291 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.

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Core · Task 12277 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Adjust machine tables or cutting devices and set controls on machines to produce specified cuts or operations.

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Core · Task 12282 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Install and adjust blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, using hand tools and rules.

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Core · Task 12285 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Change alignment and adjustment of sanding, cutting, or boring machine guides to prevent defects in finished products, using hand tools.

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Core · Task 12275 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Determine product specifications and materials, work methods, and machine setup requirements, according to blueprints, oral or written instructions, drawings, or work orders.

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Core · Task 12276 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Feed stock through feed mechanisms or conveyors into planing, shaping, boring, mortising, or sanding machines to produce desired components.

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Core · Task 12284 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Push or hold workpieces against, under, or through cutting, boring, or shaping mechanisms.

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Core · Task 12280 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Select knives, saws, blades, cutter heads, cams, bits, or belts, according to workpiece, machine functions, or product specifications.

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Core · Task 12287 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Remove and replace worn parts, bits, belts, sandpaper, or shaping tools.

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Core · Task 12288 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Secure woodstock against a guide or in a holding device, place woodstock on a conveyor, or dump woodstock in a hopper to feed woodstock into machines.

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Core · Task 12283 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Inspect and mark completed workpieces and stack them on pallets, in boxes, or on conveyors so that they can be moved to the next workstation.

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Core · Task 12286 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Inspect pulleys, drive belts, guards, or fences on machines to ensure that machines will operate safely.

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Core · Task 12289 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas.

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Core · Task 12290 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Attach and adjust guides, stops, clamps, chucks, or feed mechanisms, using hand tools.

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Core · Task 12295 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Trim wood parts according to specifications, using planes, chisels, or wood files or sanders.

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Core · Task 20823 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Grease or oil woodworking machines.

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Supplemental · Task 12296 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Unclamp workpieces and remove them from machines.

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Supplemental · Task 12297 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Start machines and move levers to engage hydraulic lifts that press woodstocks into desired forms and disengage lifts after appropriate drying times.

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Supplemental · Task 12293 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Operate gluing machines to glue pieces of wood together, or to press and affix wood veneer to wood surfaces.

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Supplemental · Task 12292 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Set up, program, or control computer-aided design (CAD) or computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

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Supplemental · Task 12298 · 07/2015 · Incumbent

Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

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