Wood Machinist

A wood machinist operates industrial woodworking machinery to shape, cut, and finish timber and engineered wood products to specification in manufacturing or cabinet-making settings. They set up and maintain machinery such as saws, planers, sanders, and routers, interpret technical drawings, and ensure finished components meet dimensional and quality standards.

Set up and calibrate industrial woodworking machinery including band saws, circular saws, planers, spindle moulders, and sanders according to job specifications and technical drawings. Measure and mark timber and panel stock using rules, callipers, and marking gauges to ensure accurate cutting and shaping. Operate and monitor woodworking machines to cut, plane, rout, sand, or mould timber and engineered boards to specified dimensions and tolerances. Adjust machine guards, fencing systems, and cutting tools to ensure safe operation and compliance with Safe Work Australia machinery safety standards. Inspect finished components using measuring instruments such as micrometers and sliding callipers to verify dimensional accuracy and surface quality. Identify and sort timber or panel defects such as knots, warping, and staining to determine suitability for processing or require rejection. Maintain and sharpen cutting blades, router bits, and machine accessories using grinders and sharpening equipment to maintain cutting efficiency. Feed, turn, and position workpieces through machines with appropriate pressure and feed rates to achieve consistent results and prevent material waste.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is physically repetitive and noisy, with real injury risk from machinery despite safety guards. You'll spend years perfecting hand-eye coordination and tolerance-reading skills that machines may eventually automate. Pay plateaus after a few years with limited management pathways, so earnings don't grow much beyond mid-level tradies.

Work is site-based in factories and workshops, not remote. Regional areas with timber mills or custom cabinet shops offer opportunities but fewer employers overall.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3942, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Workload Self-Management
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026