Tool room machinist vs lead machinist

The differences between tool room machinists and lead machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a tool room machinist and a lead machinist. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $45,143 average annual salary of a tool room machinist.

The top three skills for a tool room machinist include jigs, grinders and hand tools. The most important skills for a lead machinist are cnc lathes, grinders, and calipers.

Tool room machinist vs lead machinist overview

	Tool Room Machinist	Lead Machinist
Yearly salary	$45,143	$51,691
Hourly rate	$21.70	$24.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	41,699	10,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Tool room machinist vs lead machinist salary

Tool room machinists and lead machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tool Room Machinist	Lead Machinist
Average salary	$45,143	$51,691
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $61,000	Between $39,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between tool room machinist and lead machinist education

There are a few differences between a tool room machinist and a lead machinist in terms of educational background:

	Tool Room Machinist	Lead Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Tool room machinist vs lead machinist demographics

Here are the differences between tool room machinists' and lead machinists' demographics:

	Tool Room Machinist	Lead Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between tool room machinist and lead machinist duties and responsibilities

Tool room machinist example responsibilities.

Fabricate gauges, jigs, fixtures, extrusion dies, and various types of cut die components.
Design and construct drill jigs, bending fixtures, welding jigs and components for a wide variety of government contracts
Work closely with customers to determine job requirements, troubleshoot equipment problems and answer customer questions.
Operate / set up manual bridgeports.

Lead machinist example responsibilities.

Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
Experience with cutting different materials (aluminum, titanium, inconel, mild and stainless steels).
Program, edit, and setup of CNC lathe with Fanuc control.
Work machines such as; Haas CNC vertical and horizontal mills and lathes.
Perform gluing, soldering, brazing and gas, arc, welding operations.
Lead setup/ supervisor for a cell of two Haas lathes and two Haas mills.

Tool room machinist vs lead machinist skills

Common tool room machinist skills

Jigs, 12%
Grinders, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
Calipers, 9%
Micrometers, 8%
Machine Tools, 7%

Common lead machinist skills

CNC Lathes, 9%
Grinders, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Tools, 6%
Aluminum, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%