What is a Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener?
Job Description: Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener Responsibilities
- Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves.
- Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
- Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
- Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment.
- Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective.
- Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes.
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Qualities of a Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener
When polled, Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles
- Die Trimmer
- Computer Numerical Control Grinding Technician (CNC Grinding Technician)
- Die Sharpener
- Finish Filer
- Precision Grinder
Is There Job Demand for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners?
In the United States, there were 9,500 jobs for Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener. There will be an estimated 1,100 positions for Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener per year.

The states with the most job growth for Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener are Georgia, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Missouri, or Michigan. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener Salary
The typical yearly salary for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners is somewhere between $25,090 and $60,740.

Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners who work in Washington, New Hampshire, or Iowa, make the highest salaries.
How much do Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $31,840 |
Arizona | $35,070 |
Arkansas | $40,720 |
California | $41,060 |
Connecticut | $43,370 |
Florida | $35,320 |
Georgia | $38,400 |
Idaho | $44,240 |
Illinois | $45,790 |
Indiana | $43,260 |
Iowa | $47,170 |
Kansas | $31,240 |
Kentucky | $40,090 |
Louisiana | $38,040 |
Maine | $41,510 |
Maryland | $57,390 |
Massachusetts | $43,060 |
Michigan | $43,160 |
Minnesota | $37,070 |
Mississippi | $33,800 |
Missouri | $33,230 |
Montana | $34,810 |
Nebraska | $44,740 |
New Hampshire | $48,080 |
New Jersey | $29,250 |
New York | $40,910 |
North Carolina | $43,660 |
Ohio | $41,170 |
Oklahoma | $39,060 |
Oregon | $44,470 |
Pennsylvania | $42,290 |
South Carolina | $42,380 |
South Dakota | $35,560 |
Tennessee | $38,530 |
Texas | $39,750 |
Vermont | $43,310 |
Virginia | $31,650 |
Washington | $62,380 |
Wisconsin | $33,850 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS
- IBM Lotus Notes
- Edgecam
How do I Become a Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener?
Learn what Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Tool Grinder, Filer, or Sharpener?

Where do Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners Work?

The table below shows the approximate number of Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners employed by various industries.

References:
Image Credit: US Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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