How To Become A Lathe Machine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lathe machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lathe machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.95 an hour? That's $37,328 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -83,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLathe Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,328

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 6.00%

Black or African American 4.83%

Hispanic or Latino 14.63%

Unknown 5.43%

White 68.23%

Gender

female 16.02%

male 83.98%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lathe machine operator

Explore lathe machine operator education requirements

Most common lathe machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

48.3 %

Associate

15.2 %

Bachelor's

13.8 %

Start to develop specific lathe machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Calipers	17.31%
Hand Tools	13.29%
Lathe Machines	11.30%
Spindles	7.59%
Okuma	6.55%

Complete relevant lathe machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lathe machine operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lathe machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lathe machine operator resumes.

Research lathe machine operator duties and responsibilities

Perform trial runs on new CNC programs, working with programming and tooling to achieve satisfactory parts.
Operate machines including lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, drills, jigs, heating machines.
Utilize micrometers and calipers to meet all specify tolerances.
Perform quality control inspection using calipers/gauges/micrometers and digital comparators.

Prepare your lathe machine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lathe machine operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lathe machine operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lathe machine operator resume templates

Build a professional lathe machine operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lathe machine operator resume.

Apply for lathe machine operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lathe machine operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lathe machine operators rate their job?

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Lathe machine operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019

Cons

Short time at work that to day U not working we will call you when we have busy I need a full time job not part time

Pros

It challenging I love challenge to work as a operator it a very challenging job

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019