An official State of Ohio site. Here’s how you know
Live Chat
Contact

Welcome,
New User

User: New User

Date: 07/19/2025

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

View All

    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools.
    • Select cutting speeds, feed rates, and depths of cuts, applying knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
    • Move cutters or material manually or by turning handwheels, or engage automatic feeding mechanisms to mill workpieces to specifications.
    • Remove workpieces from machines, and check to ensure that they conform to specifications, using measuring instruments such as microscopes, gauges, calipers, and micrometers.
    • Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations.
    • Study blueprints, layouts, sketches, or work orders to assess workpiece specifications and to determine tooling instructions, tools and materials needed, and sequences of operations.
    • Position and secure workpieces on machines, using holding devices, measuring instruments, hand tools, and hoists.
    • Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders.
    • Move controls to set cutting specifications, to position cutting tools and workpieces in relation to each other, and to start machines.
    • Mount attachments and tools, such as pantographs, engravers, or routers, to perform other operations, such as drilling or boring.
    • Observe milling or planing machine operation, and adjust controls to ensure conformance with specified tolerances.
    • Turn valves or pull levers to start and regulate the flow of coolant or lubricant to work areas.
    • Make templates or cutting tools.
    • Select cutting speeds, feed rates, and depths of cuts, applying knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
    • Record production output.
    • Verify alignment of workpieces on machines, using measuring instruments such as rules, gauges, or calipers.
    • Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders.
    • Replace worn tools, using hand tools, and sharpen dull tools, using bench grinders.
    • Compute dimensions, tolerances, and angles of workpieces or machines according to specifications and knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
    • Select and install cutting tools and other accessories according to specifications, using hand tools or power tools.

    Skills

    • Active Listening

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

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Complex Problem Solving

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

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Troubleshooting

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

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Systems Analysis

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

    • Coordination

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

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Systems Evaluation

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

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Learning Strategies

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

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Equipment Selection

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

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Operations Analysis

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

    • Judgment and Decision Making

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

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Monitoring

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

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Operations Monitoring

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

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Critical Thinking

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

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Inductive Reasoning

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

    • Extent Flexibility

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

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Auditory Attention

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

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Control Precision

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

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Glare Sensitivity

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

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Perceptual Speed

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

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Rate Control

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

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Multilimb Coordination

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

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Visualization

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

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Reaction Time

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

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

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

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

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

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Gross Body Coordination

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

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Depth Perception

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

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Response Orientation

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

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    Knowledge

    • 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.

    • Law and Government

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

    • 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.

    • Economics and Accounting

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

    • 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.

    • Computers and Electronics

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

    • Food Production

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

    • Fine Arts

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Design

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Production and Processing

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

    • 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.

    • Transportation

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Telecommunications

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

    • History and Archeology

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

    • Mathematics

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

    • Sociology and Anthropology

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

    • 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.

    • English Language

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

    • 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.

    • Biology

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

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Mechanical

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

    Career Video

    Video not available
    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 47770/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 22.97/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,160
    • Yearly Projected Openings 140

    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
    • Self Control
    • Persistence
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Independence

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Allen wrench
    • Bench grinder
    • Bench scales
    • Calipers
    • Chucks
    • Collets
    • Comparators
    • Compasses
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Deburring tool
    • Desktop computers
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • End mills
    • Forklifts
    • Grease guns
    • Grinders
    • Hand lapper
    • Height gauges
    • Hoists
    • Hole gauge
    • Horizontal boring machine
    • Metal polishing machine
    • Micrometers
    • Milling vise
    • Pin gauge
    • Planer style milling machine
    • Radius gauge
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Sawing and cut-off machine
    • Screwdrivers
    • Setting jig
    • Spanner wrenches
    • Tinners snips
    • Tool holders
    • Tool template sets
    • Track cranes
    • Turret lathe
    • Turret milling machine
    • Unit cooler
    • Universal milling machine
    • Vertical machining center
    • Wire brushes

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD and computer aided manufacturing CAM system
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Industrial control software
    • Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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

    Budget Calculator

    Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

    Lifestyle Calculator

    Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

    Workforce Supply Tool

    Workforce Supply Tool

    The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

    You can view statewide statistics as well as more region specific information.

    Visit Site
    Powered By: