What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Buffer, Casting Finisher, Chipper, Finisher, Grinder, Grinder Chipper, Hand Finisher, Jewelry Grinder, Jewelry Polisher, Knife Grinder, Metal Finisher, Polisher, Ring Polisher, Sander, Stand Grinder

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand is projected to Decline 2 percent from 2022 to 2032

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • -2.3%

    Change

    Ranks #25 in job growth rate
    70

    Job Openings

    Ranks #4 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (46%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (21%)
  • Some college, no degree  (20%)
  • Associate's degree  (8%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (4%)
  • Master's degree  (1%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Clean workpieces or finished products.
  • Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
  • Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
  • Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.
  • Trim excess material from workpieces.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
  • Operate grinding equipment.
  • Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
  • Load materials into production equipment.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Repair production equipment or tools.
  • Select production equipment according to product specifications.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Reshape metal workpieces to established specifications.
  • Apply solutions to production equipment.
  • Sharpen cutting or grinding tools.
  • Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
  • Clean materials to prepare them for production.
  • Clean production equipment.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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