Also called: Head Rig Sawyer, Sawing Machine Operator
Runs the big saws that turn logs into lumber, deciding how to cut each log.
From a control booth with joysticks, you rotate a giant log, check a laser scan on screen and choose cuts that get the most boards out of it. One bad decision wastes hundreds of dollars of wood. It feels a bit like a video game with real trees.
Head sawyers at large mills earn toward the top.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High-school diploma; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years). BLS projects decline.
High risk for 10 years. Scanners and AI optimizers now decide cuts, and many mills run from automated booths; fewer operators needed.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at sawmills or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Woodshop class, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-7041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.