Gage maker vs tool designer

The differences between gage makers and tool designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a gage maker and a tool designer. Additionally, a tool designer has an average salary of $64,763, which is higher than the $41,687 average annual salary of a gage maker.

The top three skills for a gage maker include CNC, grinders and . The most important skills for a tool designer are jigs, assembly fixtures, and aerospace.

Gage maker vs tool designer overview

	Gage Maker	Tool Designer
Yearly salary	$41,687	$64,763
Hourly rate	$20.04	$31.14
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	6,974	51,666
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Associate Degree, 48%
Average age	54	54
Years of experience	6	6

Gage maker vs tool designer salary

Gage makers and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Gage Maker	Tool Designer
Average salary	$41,687	$64,763
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $57,000	Between $47,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Entegris
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between gage maker and tool designer education

There are a few differences between a gage maker and a tool designer in terms of educational background:

	Gage Maker	Tool Designer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Associate Degree, 48%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Drafting And Design
Most common college	-	-

Gage maker vs tool designer demographics

Here are the differences between gage makers' and tool designers' demographics:

	Gage Maker	Tool Designer
Average age	54	54
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 87.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between gage maker and tool designer duties and responsibilities

Gage maker example responsibilities.

Perform all machining operations necessary to build production machinery and tooling to manufacture a wide selection of aerospace fasteners.
Perform all machining operations necessary to build production machinery and tooling to manufacture a wide selection of aerospace fasteners.

Tool designer example responsibilities.

Manage customer contacts, lead, design, sketch and model Saab environmental test fixtures using Unigraphics V18.
Tune and correct extrusion tools to achieve dimensional tolerances, finish and function of products to internal and external customer specifications.
Used drill press, surface grinders, vertical mills, lathes, & NC control mills.
Train on Unigraphics version NX 7.5 Mold layout and design for plastic injection molds to make automotive lighting components.
Design automated production assembly jigs and fixtures for medical devices.
Design transfer, progressive, and blank dies for niche market OEM's.

Gage maker vs tool designer skills

Common gage maker skills

CNC, 56%
Grinders, 44%

Common tool designer skills

Jigs, 10%
Assembly Fixtures, 8%
Aerospace, 6%
CNC, 5%
NX, 5%
GD, 4%