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Date: 10/27/2025

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Program computer numerical control machines.
    • Lift metal stock or workpieces manually or using hoists, and position and secure them in machines, using fasteners and hand tools.
    • Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
    • Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
    • Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences.
    • Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences.
    • Install holding fixtures, cams, gears, and stops to control stock and tool movement, using hand tools, power tools, and measuring instruments.
    • Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
    • Refill, change, and monitor the level of fluids, such as oil and coolant, in machines.
    • Lift metal stock or workpieces manually or using hoists, and position and secure them in machines, using fasteners and hand tools.
    • Install holding fixtures, cams, gears, and stops to control stock and tool movement, using hand tools, power tools, and measuring instruments.
    • Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances.
    • Crank machines through cycles, stopping to adjust tool positions and machine controls to ensure specified timing, clearances, and tolerances.
    • Select cutting tools and tooling instructions, according to written specifications or knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
    • Mount attachments, such as relieving or tracing attachments, to perform operations, such as duplicating contours of templates or trimming workpieces.
    • Turn valve handles to direct the flow of coolant onto work areas or to coat disks with spinning compounds.
    • Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators.
    • Position, secure, and align cutting tools in toolholders on machines, using hand tools, and verify their positions with measuring instruments.
    • Start lathe or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met.
    • Start lathe or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met.
    • Program computer numerical control machines.
    • Clean work area.
    • Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines.
    • Move controls to set cutting speeds and depths and feed rates, and to position tools in relation to workpieces.
    • Move toolholders manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to feed tools to and along workpieces.

    Skills

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    Knowledge

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 47890/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 23.02/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,310
    • Yearly Projected Openings 160

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Initiative
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Allen wrench
    • Automatic lathe or chucking machine
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Bench grinder
    • Boring tool
    • Calipers
    • Chucks
    • Combination square
    • Comparators
    • Compasses
    • Conveyor feeders
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Drill gauge
    • Ear plugs
    • End mills
    • Facial shields
    • Forklifts
    • Gage block set
    • Go or no go gauge
    • Grease guns
    • Hacksaw
    • Height gauges
    • Hoists
    • Hole gauge
    • Horizontal turning center
    • Insert carbide
    • Lathe bit
    • Micrometers
    • Milling vise
    • Oil can
    • Open end wrenches
    • Overhead crane
    • Power saws
    • Protective gloves
    • Protractors
    • Radius gauge
    • Rubber mallet
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Screwdrivers
    • Sine bar
    • Spanner wrenches
    • Squares
    • Straight edges
    • T handle tap wrenches
    • Tape measures
    • Taper gauge
    • Tapping machine attachment
    • Thread pitch gauge
    • Threading insert
    • Threading machine attachment
    • Tool holders
    • Tool template sets
    • Turret lathe
    • Two way radios
    • Vertical machining center
    • Vertical turning center

    Technology

    • Industrial control software
    • Inventory management software
    • Object or component oriented development software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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