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Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
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.
- Median pay
- $41,690
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- -21.2%
- Declining
- Typical entry
- No formal educational credential
Key skills
- Quality Control Analysis
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
What they do
- Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.
- Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.
- Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.
- Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.
- Mark defects, such as knotholes, cracks, and splits, for repair.
- Study blueprints or layouts to determine how to lay out workpieces or saw out templates.
- Move controls to adjust, start, or stop equipment during grinding and polishing processes.
- Load and adjust workpieces onto equipment or work tables, using hand tools.
- Repair and maintain equipment, objects, or parts, using hand tools.
- Select files or other abrasives, according to materials, sizes and shapes of workpieces, amount of stock to be removed, finishes specified, and steps in finishing processes.
Majors that lead here
No mapped majors yet.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.