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Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

ManufacturingO*NET 51-4194.00United States

Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$48,871

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
−7.5%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

58.3% of the workforce

Employment
6.41K jobs

Growing to 5.93K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
  • Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
  • Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
  • Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
  • Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
  • Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
  • Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding.
  • Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.
  • Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective.
  • File or finish surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools.
  • Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
  • Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$33,485
25th percentile
$39,208
50th percentile
$48,871
75th percentile
$61,307
90th percentile
$78,002

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $48,871 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−7.5%projected to decline
20256,414 jobs
2035 projected5,933 jobs

481 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
58.3%
Certificate
35.7%
Associate degree
6.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Grinding Machine
  • Deburring
  • Grinding
  • Machining
  • Hand Tools
  • Micrometer
  • Machinery
  • Tooling
  • Blueprinting
  • Calipers
  • Sawing
  • Mills
  • Lifting Ability
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Sharpening
  • General Mathematics
  • Mechanical Aptitude
  • Cutting Tool (Machining)
  • Technical Drawing
  • Polishing

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Deburrers267 postings
  2. 02Tool Grinders91 postings
  3. 03Saw Filers76 postings
  4. 04Grinder Operators43 postings
  5. 05CNC Grinders33 postings
  6. 06Polishers19 postings
  7. 07Grinders/Polishers13 postings
  8. 08OD Grinders12 postings
  9. 09Control Room Operators9 postings
  10. 10Carpenters7 postings
  11. 11Grinders5 postings
  12. 12Manufacturing Assemblers4 postings
  13. 13Manufacturing Operators4 postings
  14. 14Owner-Operator Truck Drivers4 postings
  15. 15Tool Room Machinists4 postings
  16. 16Deburring Machine Operators3 postings
  17. 17Externs3 postings
  18. 18Grinding Machine Operators3 postings
  19. 19Precision Grinders3 postings
  20. 20Stockroom Utility Operators3 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Aerotek55 postings
  2. 02ManpowerGroup19 postings
  3. 03Weyerhaeuser12 postings
  4. 04Personnel People10 postings
  5. 05GPAC9 postings
  6. 06Barton Staffing Solutions8 postings
  7. 07Idaho Forest Group8 postings
  8. 08Guhring7 postings
  9. 09Howmet Aerospace7 postings
  10. 10Pursuit Aerospace7 postings
  11. 11Adecco6 postings
  12. 12Hampton Lumber Company6 postings
  13. 13Interfor6 postings
  14. 14Magellan Aerospace6 postings
  15. 15Servotronics6 postings
  16. 16Twin City Staffing6 postings
  17. 17Aluminum Precision Products5 postings
  18. 18Henny Penny5 postings
  19. 19Magellan Agency5 postings
  20. 20PrideStaff5 postings

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