Also called: Tool Grinder, Cutter Grinder, Tool Sharpener
Sharpens and remakes drills, end mills, saw blades and cutting tools to razor-sharp precision on special grinding machines.
A box of worn carbide end mills arrives from a customer. You set each one in a CNC tool grinder, measure the worn edges, and grind new ones to within a ten-thousandth of an inch. A sharp tool can be reused many times, saving shops a lot of money.
BLS tool grinders, filers and sharpeners.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; trained on the job.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Machine Tool Technology.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). Small occupation.
Medium risk for 10 years. CNC tool grinders automate much regrinding; skilled people who set up and inspect tools remain needed.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at tool regrind and cutting-tool shops or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Machining CTE class, Geometry, Blueprint reading.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-4194.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.