AI exposure score

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing score 7 out of 100, which is low exposure to AI. That ranks #803 of 923 US occupations, where #1 is the most exposed. Of the 26 tasks in this job, AI could speed up 1 on its own and 2 more with extra software built on top of it. None of its tasks showed up in real AI use in April–May 2026.

7/ 100

Low

Rank: #803of 923 jobs
US workers: 61,420BLS, May 2025
Median pay: $43,380a year
In real AI use: 0 of 26tasks, April–May 2026

Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

AI can speed this up on its own: 1 (4%)
AI can speed this up with extra software: 2 (8%)
Little or no AI speed-up: 23 (88%)

Set up, program, or control computer-aided design (CAD) or computer numerical control (CNC) machines.AI can speed this up on its own · supplemental task
Examine raw woodstock for defects and to ensure conformity to size and other specification standards.AI can speed this up with extra software · core task
Determine product specifications and materials, work methods, and machine setup requirements, according to blueprints, oral or written instructions, drawings, or work orders.AI can speed this up with extra software · core task
Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Monitor operation of machines and make adjustments to correct problems and ensure conformance to specifications.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Adjust machine tables or cutting devices and set controls on machines to produce specified cuts or operations.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Install and adjust blades, cutterheads, boring-bits, or sanding-belts, using hand tools and rules.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Change alignment and adjustment of sanding, cutting, or boring machine guides to prevent defects in finished products, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Feed stock through feed mechanisms or conveyors into planing, shaping, boring, mortising, or sanding machines to produce desired components.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Push or hold workpieces against, under, or through cutting, boring, or shaping mechanisms.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Select knives, saws, blades, cutter heads, cams, bits, or belts, according to workpiece, machine functions, or product specifications.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Remove and replace worn parts, bits, belts, sandpaper, or shaping tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Inspect pulleys, drive belts, guards, or fences on machines to ensure that machines will operate safely.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Clean or maintain products, machines, or work areas.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Attach and adjust guides, stops, clamps, chucks, or feed mechanisms, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Trim wood parts according to specifications, using planes, chisels, or wood files or sanders.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Grease or oil woodworking machines.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Unclamp workpieces and remove them from machines.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Start machines and move levers to engage hydraulic lifts that press woodstocks into desired forms and disengage lifts after appropriate drying times.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Operate gluing machines to glue pieces of wood together, or to press and affix wood veneer to wood surfaces.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Control hoists to remove parts or products from work stations.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Sharpen knives, bits, or other cutting or shaping tools.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task

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Questions about woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing and AI

Will AI replace woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing?

Unlikely. Most of the work is hard for today's AI to speed up. Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing score 7 out of 100 (low exposure), #803 of 923 US jobs. AI could speed up 3 of the job's 26 tasks, 1 of them on its own, while 23 see little or no speed-up. Exposure means the work is likely to change, not that the job will disappear.

Which woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing tasks can AI do?

The most exposed tasks include "Set up, program, or control computer-aided design (CAD) or computer numerical control (CNC) machines".

Which woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing tasks are hardest for AI?

Tasks with little or no AI speed-up include "Set up, program, operate, or tend computerized or manual woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, or wood-nailing machines"; "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"; "Start machines, adjust controls, and make trial cuts to ensure that machinery is operating properly".

Are people already using AI for this work?

Not much yet. None of the job's tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude in April–May 2026, according to the Anthropic Economic Index.

How many people work as woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing, and what do they earn?

About 61,420 people in the US, with median pay of $43,380 a year (BLS, May 2025).

How to read this score. Exposure measures how much of the work AI could speed up, not whether the job will disappear. A highly exposed job can change shape, with people spending less time on routine tasks and more on the rest. The score counts tasks AI can speed up on its own in full, and tasks that need extra software at half weight.

The ratings come from published research based on GPT-4 (2023). To show what's happening now, each task is also checked against the latest Anthropic Economic Index, which records which tasks people actually use AI for. That data is refreshed automatically when Anthropic publishes a new release. Read the full method.

Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing

Task by task

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Questions about woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing and AI

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