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Woodworking shop hand vs shop technician

The differences between woodworking shop hands and shop technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a shop technician has an average salary of $36,798, which is higher than the $31,846 average annual salary of a woodworking shop hand.

The top three skills for a woodworking shop hand include shop hand, CDL and load trucks. The most important skills for a shop technician are preventative maintenance, routine maintenance, and diagnosis.

Woodworking shop hand vs shop technician overview

Woodworking Shop HandShop Technician
Yearly salary$31,846$36,798
Hourly rate$15.31$17.69
Growth rate6%4%
Number of jobs14,926150,349
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 56%High School Diploma, 30%
Average age3842
Years of experience-2

What does a woodworking shop hand do?

A woodworking shop hand is responsible for assisting woodwork tasks, creating high-quality products, and inspecting the items thoroughly before packaging and releasing for delivery. Woodworking shop hands maintain clean and safe construction tools and equipment, perform repairs as needed, and disposing of defective items that may affect operational efficiency. They also work closely with woodworkers, accept customized requests from clients, and strategize on minimizing material costs without compromising the quality of wood products. A woodworking shop hand must have excellent organizational skills, as well as strictly adhering to the production's safety processes and regulations at all times.

What does a shop technician do?

Shop Technicians are skilled workers assigned to a retail store. Their main activities depend on the nature of the business their company is in. Usually, Shop Technicians work with machines in the shop. They conduct repair and maintenance work for machines that have long been in the shop. They are also in charge of installing and building new machines as well. Shop Technicians are assigned to manage records of such machines or s other mechanical items in the store. This is part of the administrative activities they may do for the shop.

Woodworking shop hand vs shop technician salary

Woodworking shop hands and shop technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Woodworking Shop HandShop Technician
Average salary$31,846$36,798
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $38,000Between $25,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City-San Leandro, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between woodworking shop hand and shop technician education

There are a few differences between a woodworking shop hand and a shop technician in terms of educational background:

Woodworking Shop HandShop Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 56%High School Diploma, 30%
Most common majorGeneral StudiesAutomotive Technology
Most common college--

Woodworking shop hand vs shop technician demographics

Here are the differences between woodworking shop hands' and shop technicians' demographics:

Woodworking Shop HandShop Technician
Average age3842
Gender ratioMale, 93.5% Female, 6.5%Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.0% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage9%2%

Differences between woodworking shop hand and shop technician duties and responsibilities

Woodworking shop hand example responsibilities.

  • Utilize different tools in the process of MIG and TIG welding fasteners and connectors to damper units.
  • Require to operate EDM and CNC machines, grinders, sanders, drills, and various other small tool shop equipment.
  • Construct theatrical costumes for the stage and guide students in costume construction.
  • Use of MIG welders, cutting torch, and stick welders for repair on equipment.
  • Job responsibilities include mowing the property with a tractor, assist parts and shop personal.
  • Work also with windows, doors, shingles, tools, hardware, selling and delivering.
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Shop technician example responsibilities.

  • Work with a recording POS sheets to be transfer to companies expenses.
  • Maintain cleanliness of shop to promote organization which contribute to safety for other employees.
  • Contribute to the overall cleanliness of the fabrication lab by sweeping, cleaning machinery and arranging scrap materials.
  • Assist management with inventory, receiving, POS, window and screen repairs and to assemble power equipment.
  • Shop technician and foreman responsible for timely repair and diagnosis of medium to large heavy duty diesel trucks and equipment.
  • Diagnose, adjust, repair, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, and conveyors used in shop.
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Woodworking shop hand vs shop technician skills

Common woodworking shop hand skills
  • Shop Hand, 27%
  • CDL, 7%
  • Load Trucks, 5%
  • CNC, 5%
  • General Shop, 5%
  • MIG, 4%
Common shop technician skills
  • Preventative Maintenance, 12%
  • Routine Maintenance, 9%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Cranes, 7%
  • Electrical Systems, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%

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