Machine Operator — Woodworking / CNC

About Demeter Millwork

Demeter Millwork is a Chicago-area architectural millwork and casework manufacturer. In 2026 we moved into Demeter 4.Zero, a new, state-of-the-art 55,000 SF production facility in Woodridge, Illinois to further expand our capabilities. This facility incorporates an automated sheet-good sortation system, dual Biesse Rover CNC machines, and a robotic offload cell. More information on our company is available at .

We are hiring machine operators who want to run modern equipment in a clean, automated, data-driven shop — not the dust-choked cabinet shop of twenty years ago.

Shift: Full-time, first shift (Monday–Friday, 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM), with overtime and weekend coverage as production requires.

Compensation: $24.00 – $34.00 per hour, depending on experience, plus a monthly operator bonus tied to shipped work-order value, equipment utilization, and shop profitability. Full benefits including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and 401(k).

Why Demeter

• New, purpose-built facility. Demeter 4.Zero was designed from the ground up around automation, dust control, acoustics, and operator comfort. It is not a converted warehouse.
• Modern equipment. You will run current-generation Biesse, Barbaric, Automatech Robotik, and edgebanding equipment — not decades-old iron.
• Bonus tied to output. Monthly bonuses are structured around profitability, shipped work-order value, and equipment utilization, so operators share directly in the shop's performance.
• Growth path. Demeter is actively investing to grow capacity, with real progression from operator to cell lead to production supervisor.
• Demeter Millwork is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Position Summary

The Machine Operator runs one or more primary work centers on the shop floor — most commonly the Biesse Rover CNC nesting cell (with its Barbaric CSF panel-storage feed and Automatech Robotik Armony robotic offload), the Biesse Rover Up automated edgebanding line. The operator is responsible for producing accurate, cleanly finished parts from programs, keeping the cell running at target rates, and maintaining the equipment to Demeter's cleanliness, safety, and preventive-maintenance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Machine operation

• Load CNC programs in BiesseWorks and verify tooling, spoilboard condition, vacuum zones, and material call-outs before starting a nest
• Stage sheet goods through the Barbaric CSF panel-storage system; confirm the correct material, thickness, grain, and quantity match the work order and BOM, and protect finish-face material from damage in storage and transit
• Run the Biesse Rover CNC machines and monitor the Automatech Robotik Armony outfeed for pick-quality, mis-picks, label placement, and sort-rack routing; clear faults and restart cycles safely
• Operate the edgebander to run parts at spec — glue temperature and quantity, feed speed, trim, scrape, and buff — and verify edge quality on the first-off (first-piece inspection) and periodic checks

Quality

• Perform first-article inspection on every new work order and periodic in-process checks (dimensions, edge quality, hole locations, finish surface)
• Reject and quarantine nonconforming parts

Housekeeping and PM

• Perform daily start-up and end-of-shift cleaning of the operator's cell (dust-collection ports, sensors, spoilboard, edgebander glue-pot area, robot vision windows)
• Complete assigned weekly, monthly, and quarterly preventive-maintenance tasks
• Keep aisles, sort racks, and staging areas clear per the shop 5S standard