Barrel lathe operator vs heading machine operator

The differences between barrel lathe operators and heading machine operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a barrel lathe operator has an average salary of $43,315, which is higher than the $38,675 average annual salary of a heading machine operator.

The top three skills for a barrel lathe operator include barrel, and . The most important skills for a heading machine operator are hand tools, production run, and CNC.

Barrel lathe operator vs heading machine operator overview

	Barrel Lathe Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$43,315	$38,675
Hourly rate	$20.82	$18.59
Growth rate	3%	7%
Number of jobs	26,223	59,193
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	6	-

Barrel lathe operator vs heading machine operator salary

Barrel lathe operators and heading machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Barrel Lathe Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Average salary	$43,315	$38,675
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $55,000	Between $12,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between barrel lathe operator and heading machine operator education

There are a few differences between a barrel lathe operator and a heading machine operator in terms of educational background:

	Barrel Lathe Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Barrel lathe operator vs heading machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between barrel lathe operators' and heading machine operators' demographics:

	Barrel Lathe Operator	Heading Machine Operator
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 80.0% Female, 20.0%	Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.5% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	4%	5%

Differences between barrel lathe operator and heading machine operator duties and responsibilities

Barrel lathe operator example responsibilities.

Operate machines including lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, drills, jigs, heating machines.
Operate heavy duty lathes, boring machines and mills, planers, shapers and grinders.

Heading machine operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Set up, run and programe CNC machining centers using set up sheets.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.
Control & troubleshoot automate extrusion line adjusting speed & feed, monitoring temperature, & finish material specification per customers order.

Barrel lathe operator vs heading machine operator skills

Common barrel lathe operator skills

Barrel, 100%

Common heading machine operator skills

Hand Tools, 31%
Production RUN, 23%
CNC, 20%
Calipers, 14%
RAN, 3%
Embroidery, 2%

Barrel Lathe Operator vs. similar jobs

Barrel Lathe Operator related careers

Barrel Lathe Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Barrel Lathe Operator
Barrel Lathe Operator vs Heading Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs