Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
Medium39.82%
Found in Industries:
Salary Range
Low (10th %)$32,020
Median$46,410
High (90th %)$68,150
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Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
The occupation "Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners" carries an automation risk of 39.8%, closely aligning with its base risk of 40.3%. This moderate risk level is largely due to a significant portion of the job comprising repeatable and predictable tasks, which are well suited to automation technologies. For example, the top three most automatable tasks—monitoring machine operations and making necessary adjustments, inspecting and measuring workpieces to ensure they meet specifications, and studying blueprints or layouts to plan procedures—all involve routine processes already being augmented or replaced by sensors, computerized controls, and precision robotics in modern manufacturing environments. However, the occupation maintains some resilience against full automation because of several tasks that remain difficult for machines to replicate effectively. The most resistant tasks include straightening workpieces and removing dents using presses and hammers, placing workpieces in specialized solutions or applying pigments to highlight features, and inspecting dies for defects using specialized manual tools such as micrometers and loupes. These tasks often require nuanced judgment, adaptability, and fine motor skills that are challenging for current automation systems to consistently emulate, thereby preserving the need for skilled human intervention. Another limiting factor to automation in this field is the importance of bottleneck skills, such as originality. Although valued at relatively low levels for this occupation (with percentages at 2.4% and 2.1%), originality refers to the ability to develop clever solutions and adapt procedures when problems arise. Even in a setting where routine aspects are automated, the unexpected can occur—calling for creative troubleshooting, custom adjustments, and hands-on problem-solving by experienced workers. As long as such bottleneck skills are required, complete automation will remain elusive, and skilled human tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners will remain essential in the workforce.
Filter by Automatable Status
Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
Automatable
Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
Partially Automatable
Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
Partially Automatable
Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
Partially Automatable
Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts.
Partially Automatable
Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding.
Automatable
Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
Partially Automatable
Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications.
Automatable
File or finish surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools.
Non-Automatable
Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.
Non-Automatable
Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools.
Non-Automatable
Fit parts together in pre-assembly to ensure that dimensions are accurate.
Partially Automatable
Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment.
Non-Automatable
Duplicate workpiece contours, using tracer attachments.
Partially Automatable
Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves.
Automatable
Straighten workpieces and remove dents, using straightening presses and hammers.
Non-Automatable
Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective.
Automatable
Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes.
Partially Automatable
Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningScienceCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingInstallationEquipment MaintenanceQuality Control AnalysisManagement of Financial ResourcesWritingSpeakingMathematicsActive LearningLearning StrategiesMonitoringSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationPersuasionNegotiationInstructingService OrientationOperations AnalysisTechnology DesignEquipment SelectionProgrammingOperations MonitoringOperation and ControlTroubleshootingRepairingJudgment and Decision MakingSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationTime ManagementManagement of Material ResourcesManagement of Personnel Resources
Arm-Hand SteadinessAuditory AttentionCategory FlexibilityControl PrecisionDeductive ReasoningDepth PerceptionDynamic FlexibilityDynamic StrengthExplosive StrengthExtent FlexibilityFar VisionFinger DexterityFlexibility of ClosureFluency of IdeasGlare SensitivityGross Body CoordinationGross Body EquilibriumHearing SensitivityInductive ReasoningInformation OrderingManual DexterityMathematical ReasoningMemorizationMultilimb CoordinationNear VisionNight VisionNumber FacilityOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionOriginalityPerceptual SpeedPeripheral VisionProblem SensitivityRate ControlReaction TimeResponse OrientationSelective AttentionSound LocalizationSpatial OrientationSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionSpeed of ClosureSpeed of Limb MovementStaminaStatic StrengthTime SharingTrunk StrengthVisual Color DiscriminationVisualizationWrist-Finger SpeedWritten ComprehensionWritten Expression
Administration and ManagementAdministrativeEconomics and AccountingSales and MarketingCustomer and Personal ServicePersonnel and Human ResourcesProduction and ProcessingFood ProductionComputers and ElectronicsEngineering and TechnologyDesignBuilding and ConstructionMechanicalMathematicsPhysicsChemistryBiologyPsychologySociology and AnthropologyGeographyMedicine and DentistryEducation and TrainingPhilosophy and TheologyPublic Safety and SecurityLaw and GovernmentTelecommunicationsCommunications and MediaTransportationForeign LanguageEnglish LanguageFine ArtsTherapy and CounselingHistory and Archeology
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationGetting InformationJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleProcessing InformationEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsAnalyzing Data or InformationMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsThinking CreativelyUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesScheduling Work and ActivitiesOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkPerforming General Physical ActivitiesHandling and Moving ObjectsControlling Machines and ProcessesRepairing and Maintaining Electronic EquipmentDrafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and EquipmentDocumenting/Recording InformationInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsAssisting and Caring for OthersSelling or Influencing OthersResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersDeveloping and Building TeamsTraining and Teaching OthersRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical EquipmentGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesCoaching and Developing OthersProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersPerforming Administrative ActivitiesStaffing Organizational UnitsMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentWorking with Computers
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Medium49.31%
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Low32.98%
Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium34.24%
Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium48.15%
Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium33.25%
Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium34.93%
Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium38.52%
Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium35.75%
Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium47.82%
Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium44.70%
Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.
Tool and Die Makers
Medium42.07%
Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium47.79%
Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium50.87%
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut textiles.
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
Medium37.16%
Set up, operate, or tend wood sawing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment. Includes lead sawyers.
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
Medium44.55%
Set up, operate, or tend woodworking machines, such as drill presses, lathes, shapers, routers, sanders, planers, and wood nailing machines. May operate computer numerically controlled (CNC) equipment.
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium57.80%
Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Medium40.69%
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium44.55%
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium44.16%
Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
High66.68%
Feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.
Tree Trimmers and Pruners
Low12.36%
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
Manicurists and Pedicurists
Low17.84%
Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
Log Graders and Scalers
Medium49.42%
Grade logs or estimate the marketable content or value of logs or pulpwood in sorting yards, millpond, log deck, or similar locations. Inspect logs for defects or measure logs to determine volume.
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Low27.15%
Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
Medium37.50%
Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.
Rock Splitters, Quarry
Low16.50%
Separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.
Helpers--Extraction Workers
Low24.71%
Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area.
Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
Low24.70%
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul small engines used to power lawn mowers, chain saws, recreational sporting equipment, and related equipment.
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Low15.30%
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
Watch and Clock Repairers
Medium37.83%
Repair, clean, and adjust mechanisms of timing instruments, such as watches and clocks. Includes watchmakers, watch technicians, and mechanical timepiece repairers.
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
Medium42.90%
Wind wire coils used in electrical components, such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments, such as field cores, bobbins, armature cores, electrical motors, generators, and control equipment.
Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters
Low18.90%
Perform precision assembling or adjusting, within narrow tolerances, of timing devices such as digital clocks or timing devices with electrical or electronic components.
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium58.74%
Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.
Machinists
Medium41.66%
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Pourers and Casters, Metal
Medium35.59%
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
Medium46.07%
Lay out, machine, fit, and assemble castings and parts to metal or plastic foundry patterns, core boxes, or match plates.
Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Medium45.76%
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium43.49%
Set up, operate, or tend metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Medium34.63%
Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Medium60.67%
Set up, operate, or tend plating machines to coat metal or plastic products with chromium, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, or other metal to protect or decorate surfaces. Typically, the product being coated is immersed in molten metal or an electrolytic solution.
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
Medium41.68%
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
Medium56.41%
Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Medium34.83%
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
Gem and Diamond Workers
Medium45.82%
Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Medium42.63%
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters.
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Medium35.73%
Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Medium58.43%
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.
Etchers and Engravers
Medium44.61%
Engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Includes such workers as etcher-circuit processors, pantograph engravers, and silk screen etchers.
Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
Low13.87%
Cut or carve stone according to diagrams and patterns.
Potters, Manufacturing
Medium37.41%
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
Helpers--Production Workers
Medium60.30%
Help production workers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
Medium33.55%
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.