Overview
Other wood processing machine operators operate and tend wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark from logs, produce wood chips, preserve and treat wood, and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards, insulation boards, plywood, veneers and similar wood products. They are employed in sawmills, woodrooms of pulp mills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing plants.
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Operate and tend various wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark, knots and dirt from logs; reduce logs or sawmill waste into wood chips or flakes; stack and band lumber; screen wood chips; and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards and insulation boards
Operate and tend conveyors, lathes, sanding machines and other equipment to peel and slice veneer from logs and log sections, and to glue, press, trim, sand and splice veneer sheets
Operate and tend kilns, treating tanks and other equipment to dry lumber and other wood products, and to treat chemically and impregnate wood products with preservatives
Observe equipment, panel indicators, video monitors, and other instruments to detect malfunctions and ensure that processes are operating according to specifications
Assemble plywood panels and repair plywood and veneer mechanically or manually
Start up, shut down, set up, adjust and assist in maintaining processing equipment and machines as required
Complete and maintain production reports.
Employment prospects
Annual salary
$52,140
$62,568
$70,910
Job openings
Use this interactive map to explore job openings in different regions across B.C.
British Columbia
77expected job openings (5-year forecast)
Education and training
Employment requirements
Completion of secondary school is usually required.
Several weeks of on-the-job training are provided.
For lumber kiln operators, particleboard operators and waferboard operators, some combination of college or company courses and up to one year of on-the-job training may be required.
Additional information
There is some mobility among jobs in this unit group.
Progression to other positions in the wood, pulp and paper industries is possible with experience.
Certification requirements
Post-secondary programs in B.C.
No post-secondary education required
No post-secondary education required. You can work in this career without post-secondary education. Some on the job training may be provided. With additional training or experience, you may be able to progress into higher level, supervisory or management positions.