How to become a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener

Official title: Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

Also called: Crankshaft Grinder, Cutter Grind Tool Technician (Cutter Grind Tool Tech), Cutter Grinder, Grinder, Grinder Operator, OD Grinder Operator (Outer Diameter Grinder Operator), Polisher, Saw Filer, Tool and Cutter Grinder, Tool Grinder

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

Main tasks

• Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
• Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
• Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
• Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
• Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
• Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective.
• Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
• Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Grinder Op Tool Precision.
• Apprenticeship: Tool Grinder I.
• Apprenticeship: Tool Grinder Operator.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $50,060 a year The middle half earn $40,800 to $62,150.
• About 5,800 people work in this job now, and about 5,400 are projected by 2035. (-6.8%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener?

Ways in include: Grinder Op Tool Precision.

How much does a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $50,060 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $40,800 to $62,150.

Is a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 7% by 2035, from about 5,800 to about 5,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener?

Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Grinder Op Tool Precision.

Will AI change the work of a Tool Grinder, Filer or Sharpener?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.