How much does an average machinist make?

[corndog67]

Hey, new guy here. Here's the poop. I work in an Aerospace/flight parts shop in central CA. These are the hardest parts I have ever worked on, and I've been doing machine work for 27 years. A lot of Ti, Invar, other high nickel alloys, and such in a prototype, short run shop. I'm making right around $20 an hour. The area I live in has an average house price of about $535,000. I live in a cheesy little apartment with the wife. We are tryiing to buy a house here, but at the rate I am paid, and the wife works too, all we can afford is a little piece of crap house. I really like the company I work for, yet right at the moment, I'm pretty discouraged about the amount of money I'm making. I can make the same money delivering bread to supermarkets, without smelling like Blasocut and without the headaches of very, very high tolerance parts. We're talking true postions of .0005 on some stuff. It can be challenging to say the least. We have all the work we can handle, too much actually, pretty much unlimited overtime. Yet, ten years ago, I worked in a flat rate tractor parts shop, really kicked butt as far as money went. I figured that as I got older, I would make more money with less work, but it isn't working out that way. I am really seriously thinking of going into something else. Anyone else thinking like this? Do you know how much plumbers make? Registered Nurses? Tile Setters? And I've never seen any of them have to buy a new Interapid indicator, or new Mitutoyo Mic. Thanks for letting me vent.

[joecnc1234]

Corndog,
Move to arizona, the wages are comparable but average home prices are 175,000- 225,000 You can rent a beautiful apartment with great views for $750.00 a month. Their are tons of jobs in Phoenix and Tucson and the weather is awesome.
Joe

[SKEETO]

I'd sure like to see a few of you apply with our team given the knowledge you have aquired through the years. If you happen to come through Lafayette LA. just drop me an e-mail and I will be sure to make time for you. We are a production shop, which is nice as there are no Friday rush jobs but have plenty of work to allow OT if needed. Please don't beat me up for this reply, but honestly we are at the $17.00 / $20.00 hr range for CNC ''operators'' with skills far less than yours.

[Janos]

I'd sure like to see a few of you apply with our team given the knowledge you have aquired through the years. If you happen to come through Lafayette LA. just drop me an e-mail and I will be sure to make time for you. We are a production shop, which is nice as there are no Friday rush jobs but have plenty of work to allow OT if needed. Please don't beat me up for this reply, but honestly we are at the $17.00 / $20.00 hr range for CNC ''operators'' with skills far less than yours.

Not too bad, Hmmmm...... A job opportunity in one of the poorest state in the union and a respectable payday to boot. Makes your dollar go further. Instead of living in FL where the good pay is hard to find and EVERYTHING is SO overpriced. The only thing is actually making the move. I spoke to a guy in TX who does oilfield equipment and he makes MAD money $$$$$. But that is in TX.

[ralph@nes]

In my area, as a machinist, if you get close to $30k a year you're doing great. Everybody's a 'machinist' up here, and most shops just want button pushers anyway.

[Janos]

Do you know how much plumbers make? Registered Nurses? Tile Setters? And I've never seen any of them have to buy a new Interapid indicator, or new Mitutoyo Mic. Thanks for letting me vent.

PREACH IT !!!!!!! BROTHER CORNDOG,


I have a friend whose EX-husband is a RN and he pulls down $74K. I said to myself. Man I am in the wrong biz. This guy has a hard time screwing in a light bulb but makes a payday like this!!!!! I do a lot of fabrication with a bit of "reverse" engineering. making custom CNC parts for race cars (Tons of one off stuff) as well as keeping all the mills and lathes running and am LUCKY to get 35K. I come to the grim reality that sometimes just doesn't pay to get out of bed.

[WA Toolman]

I have a friend whose EX-husband is a RN and he pulls down $74K. I said to myself. Man I am in the wrong biz. This guy has a hard time screwing in a light bulb but makes a payday like this!!!!! I do a lot of fabrication with a bit of "reverse" engineering. making custom CNC parts for race cars (Tons of one off stuff) as well as keeping all the mills and lathes running and am LUCKY to get 35K. I come to the grim reality that sometimes just doesn't pay to get out of bed...

Add to that the clueless HR lady that told me:"...it's too bad you don't have a skilled trade..." she went on to tell me how hard it was to get qualified people to assemble and ship their (simple) product. A lot of HR people don't see why a machinist/Tool&Die maker should make almost as much as a highly skilled forklift operator.

[Geof]

.....A lot of HR people don't see why a machinist/Tool&Die maker should make almost as much as a highly skilled forklift operator.

Driving a forklift must be more highly skilled. According to workplace safety laws I have to send my guys for forklift training so we can post a bit of paper on the wall that says they are trained. There is no requirement like that for CNC Operators or Machinists so obviously these must be less skilled positions.

[handlewanker]

Hi all, think about this, you own a business, couple of NC's going flat out and 6 wage earners to pay each week.
One of your NC's makes funny parts suddenly on a friday afternoon, who do you call in to check it out?
When I worked last century, in '97, we had a bump on one of the Nakamura NC lathes.
They flew a guy out from Japan, and had the machine stripped down for a week at $1000 a day.
No matter what you do or where you would like to do it, if the money isn't on your doorstep, some folks just wouldn't be bothered to try further down the road.
In my life I have worked in South West Africa, South Africa, Europe, United Kingdom and last but not least OZ, where I finally called it a day and hung up my overalls and calculator.
Sometimes you have to view the world as just another pasture that is a good place to be at the time, till the grass runs out.
One thing's for sure if everyone else is doing what you're doing, better move on to where you're really wanted and then you can call the tune.
In 1981 the world was in a state of recession, not a good time to be looking for another job or changing one, but there was a big demand for skilled workers down under, so that's where I went with my family and stayed.
To be perfectly honest, I couldn't stand the weather anymore so that's what really clinched it, apart from the fact that the cost of living was far better.
Ian.

[gripper]

Hi All, I'm now 50 and have been in engineering for 37 years, I now work for a small contract company which is trying to grow, I work thier latest CNC lathe which cost $200,000 (£100,000) and has $50,000(£25,000) worth of powered tooling fitted on some jobs, I get $60,000(£30,000) a year, no sick pay, no pension and lots of pressure, all jobs are hand programmed as we have no cad and its useless on a lathe anyway. I do all the repairs on the lathes(we have 3)and cost up jobs for the lathes as the bosses are millers. Why didn't start my own company? I never had the capital and my young family always came first and could never take the risk. In the next life I'm going to stay away from engineering.

[handlewanker]

Hi Grip, I worked in UK last in 1981, all I can say about the pension or superannuation bit is if you haven't put something by or tied into a super plan for your retirement then at 50 you've got a steep uphill run before you miss the boat.
I know what you mean by the "wanting to set up in business for yourself" bit, as I bought an old 1-1/4" Taylor capstan lathe for $150 and worked at it part time for 6 or 7 years at home.
Most folks have the dream to retire at 55 and tour the world. What's yours?
Think hard, this moment is the beginning of the rest of your life.
A guy told me that, in Bristol, 1981, when I decided to seek pastures new and move to OZ. I never looked back.
Best of British mate.
Ian.

[Geof]

Hi All, I'm now 50 and have been in engineering for 37 years, I now work for a small contract company which is trying to grow,..... Why didn't start my own company? I never had the capital and my young family always came first and could never take the risk....

You have another 15 to 20 years ahead of you, that is almost half the time you have spent in engineering. Why not start your own business now? Capital is not necessary; just ingenuity and a willingness to work like crazy for a few years. When I started my business in the early 1980s I held a fulltime afternoon shift job to pay the bills. One summer I worked graveyard shift, taught in a local college during the evenings and ran my business during the morning. It is surprising how little sleep you can get by on when you have to.