Career
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners
Sharpen and grind cutting tools.
$50,060
Median pay
-6.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
500
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Troubleshooting.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $50,060 a year and 500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Machine Shop Technology/AssistantCIP 48.0503
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,550 · -10.8%
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand$42,660 · -19.2%
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$52,800 · -13.2%
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$43,380 · -2.5%
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$50,620 · -11.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.