How to become a metal polisher or Wheel grinder or Tool sharpener
Official title: Metal polisher/Wheel grinder/Tool sharpener
Also called: Buffing and polishing machine operator, Burnisher (metalworking), Cutlery and tool grinder, Cutting instrument sharpener, Edge tool sharpener, Emery polisher (metalworking), Finisher (metal polishing), Knife sharpener (itinerant), Machine-tool grinder, Metal buffing and polishing machine operator, Metal polisher, Mirror-finish polisher (metalworking)
Metal polisher/Wheel grinder/Tool sharpener polishes and grinds metal surfaces and sharpens tools.
Main tasks
- Operating fixed or portable buffing and polishing machines
- Sharpening cutting tools and instruments using grinding wheels or mechanically operated grinding machines
- Repairing, adjusting and sharpening saw blades and metal teeth of cylinders in textile carding machines
- Dressing grinding wheels, according to specifications
- Monitoring machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary; stop machines when problems occur
- Inspecting, feeling, and measuring work pieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications
- Selecting and mounting grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a metal polisher or Wheel grinder or Tool sharpener?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026