Gear cutter vs lathe operator

The differences between gear cutters and lathe operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a gear cutter has an average salary of $41,190, which is higher than the $36,280 average annual salary of a lathe operator.

The top three skills for a gear cutter include cnc machines, barber-coleman and calipers. The most important skills for a lathe operator are cnc lathes, micrometers, and manual lathes.

Gear cutter vs lathe operator overview

	Gear Cutter	Lathe Operator
Yearly salary	$41,190	$36,280
Hourly rate	$19.80	$17.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	4,528	45,596
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Gear cutter vs lathe operator salary

Gear cutters and lathe operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Gear Cutter	Lathe Operator
Average salary	$41,190	$36,280
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $61,000	Between $27,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	Youngstown, OH
Highest paying state	-	Ohio
Best paying company	-	Valmont Industries
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between gear cutter and lathe operator education

There are a few differences between a gear cutter and a lathe operator in terms of educational background:

	Gear Cutter	Lathe Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 60%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Manufacturing Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Gear cutter vs lathe operator demographics

Here are the differences between gear cutters' and lathe operators' demographics:

	Gear Cutter	Lathe Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9%	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 1.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between gear cutter and lathe operator duties and responsibilities

Gear cutter example responsibilities.

Work operating equipment including gear generators such as gear grinders, shapers and hobbing machines and manual OD grinders.
Set machine up to run different parts.
Operate the machines in the CVT department.
Advise management on CMM probes and sizes that would be applicable to their needs.
Utilize Gleason gear testers to check gear patterns and a Zeiss CMM to obtain corrections to input into the FANUC controls.
Calculate dimensions and tolerances using knowledge of mathematics and instruments such as micrometers and veneer calipers.

Lathe operator example responsibilities.

Operate and programme Mazak lathes.
Operate dual side Okuma lathe.
Perform SPC inpections reports for cus to meet monitoring.
Fabricate metal parts using punch press, CNC brake press.
Check parts using CMM, micrometers and other appropriate gauges.
Grind and send dog food into the extrusion for cooking.

Gear cutter vs lathe operator skills

Common gear cutter skills

CNC Machines, 49%
Barber-Coleman, 24%
Calipers, 20%
RUN, 7%

Common lathe operator skills

CNC Lathes, 11%
Micrometers, 11%
Manual Lathes, 10%
Hand Tools, 9%
Calipers, 8%
Math, 6%