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Date: 07/18/2025

Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners

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

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools.
    • Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment.
    • Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.
    • 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.
    • File or finish surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools.
    • 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.
    • Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
    • Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
    • Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding.
    • Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
    • Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment.
    • Duplicate workpiece contours, using tracer attachments.
    • Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective.
    • Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
    • 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.
    • Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
    • Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
    • Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
    • Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
    • Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves.
    • Straighten workpieces and remove dents, using straightening presses and hammers.
    • Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes.
    • Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools.
    • Fit parts together in pre-assembly to ensure that dimensions are accurate.
    • Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
    • Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves.

    Skills

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 56470/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 27.15/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 80
    • Yearly Projected Openings 10

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Independence
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Cooperation
    • Analytical Thinking

    Tools

    • Angle gauge
    • Automatic lathe or chucking machine
    • Bench grinder
    • Calipers
    • Chucks
    • Comparators
    • Countersink tool or counterbore tool
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Forklifts
    • Gauge block
    • Grinding wheels
    • Hand reamer
    • Hole gauge
    • Metal broaching machines
    • Micrometers
    • Milling machines
    • Overhead crane
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Pressure indicators
    • Protractors
    • Radius gauge
    • Solid milling cutter
    • Surface grinding machine

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD and computer aided manufacturing CAM system
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Spreadsheet software

    Tags

    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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