CNC Lathe Turner & Boring Operator

CNC / Manual Lathe Turner & Borer — Heavy Engineering

Location: West Midlands
Salary: Competitive (DOE) + shift premium
Hours: Days — alternating weekly: 6am–2pm / 2pm–10pm
Type: Permanent

A long-established heavy engineering and forging business in the West Midlands is looking for an experienced Lathe Turner & Borer to join their machine shop, working on large-scale, high-value components to exacting tolerances.

This is a skilled, hands-on role suited to a time-served machinist who is confident working independently on big components in a genuine heavy engineering environment — not a high-volume button-pressing operator position.

What you'll be doing:

Working from 2D drawings, specifications and route cards, you'll plan and carry out the machining of large-scale components — selecting the correct setup, tooling, speeds and feeds, and machining sequence. You'll set up, locate and clamp workpieces using centres, banding and steadies, carry out dimensional inspection and mark-off, and run the machines manually, with basic Siemens programming where required. Quality inspection at each stage, troubleshooting, deburring, and use of overhead cranes (LOLER training provided) all form part of the role.

To give a sense of the precision involved — components can be up to 22 metres long, with tolerances of +/- 0.05mm on linear features and diameters, and surface finishes to 1.6µm.

What we're looking for:

• Apprenticeship-trained or equivalent relevant experience
• Minimum 2 years in manual lathe turning and/or deep hole boring — large-scale machines preferred
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings
• Basic CNC programming capability — Siemens (Sinumerik) experience preferred
• Lifting and slinging capability, comfortable in a heavy engineering setting
• Strong attention to detail, sound maths, and the confidence to work autonomously and make your own decisions

What's on offer:

A permanent role with a respected heavy engineering business, working on genuinely interesting large-scale precision work, on an alternating early/late shift pattern (6am–2pm / 2pm–10pm by week), with a shift premium on top of a competitive basic salary.

Time-served lathe turners and borers with large-component experience are genuinely scarce — if this is your background, apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation.