Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
Most important skills
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Critical Thinking
- Equipment Selection
Key knowledge
- Mathematics
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
- Education and Training
- Design
- Physics
What the work involves
- Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.
- 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.
- Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
- 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.
- Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
- Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (64.1% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (34.7%)
- On-the-job training
- Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (34.4%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 99% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 96% of occupations compared | — |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 94% of occupations compared | — |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 55% of occupations compared | — |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 73% of occupations compared | 28% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 67% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 98% of occupations compared | 63% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 78% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Occasional contact with others: 23.29%
- Contact with others about half the time: 26.9%
- Contact with others most of the time: 1.61%
- Constant contact with others: 13.09%
n = 11, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very little freedom: 4.79%
- Limited freedom: 28.06%
- Some freedom: 11.13%
- A lot of freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 1.51%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 26.48%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 17.69%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 26.48%
- Every day: 27.84%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 11.26%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 29.5%
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: 1.51%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 62.61%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 27.99%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 1.51%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 1.58%
- Every day: 6.3%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 9.77%
- Fairly serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 11, Incumbent 08/2026
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
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O*NET-SOC 51-4194.00 · SOC 51-4194 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8