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Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $46,550 Median per year · $22.38/hr Most earn $36,110–$62,600

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
  • Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
  • Study blueprints, work orders, or machining instructions to determine product specifications, tool requirements, and operational sequences.
  • Lift and position workpieces, manually or with hoists, and secure them in hoppers or on machine tables, faceplates, or chucks, using clamps.
  • Repair or replace machine parts, using hand tools, or notify engineering personnel when corrective action is required.
  • Select machine tooling to be used, using knowledge of machine and production requirements.

Job outlook

United States
11% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 4,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing20.1%
  • Foundries12.8%
  • Machine shops9.2%
  • Aerospace product and parts manufacturing6.8%
  • Coating, engraving, heat treating, and allied activities5.9%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. You can often start right after high school, with a few months of on-the-job training before you work on your own.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build math, shop, and blueprint-reading skills, since you will measure parts and read drawings to set up machines.

  2. Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

    3-6 months

    Start by hand-finishing parts with grinders, sanders, and polishing tools, and learn how the finish is checked against specs.

  3. Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    Ongoing

    Set up and run grinding and polishing machines, load and unload parts, and check finished pieces for size and smoothness.

Where it can lead

  1. Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    6 months to 1 year of experience first

    You take on more than one machine at a time and learn to set up a wider range of equipment and tooling.

  2. Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move into a more advanced machine-tool role that needs deeper knowledge of cutting tools, machine setup, and measuring to tight tolerances.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop or metal/woodworking classesHands-on practice with grinders, sanders, and hand tools shows you how this work feels before you commit to it.
  • Take math classes, especially geometry and measurementMeasuring parts to exact sizes uses fractions, decimals, and geometry every day.
  • Take a technical drawing or blueprint-reading class if offeredMachine setters use drawings to know what a finished part should look like.
  • Get a starter job at a store, warehouse, or small factoryAny job that teaches you to follow instructions, work safely, and keep a steady pace helps you fit into a plant setting.
  • Join a robotics, engineering, or STEM clubBuilding and fixing things in a team builds the mechanical thinking and care for detail this job needs.

In college

  • Take courses in manufacturing, machining, or industrial technologyThese classes teach machine setup, tooling, and measurement, which go straight into this job.
  • Look for an internship or co-op at a manufacturing plantWorking on a real production floor shows employers you can handle the pace and the safety rules.
  • Work in a campus makerspace, machine shop, or maintenance jobHands-on time with tools and equipment builds the skills you would use on the grinding and polishing line.
  • Earn a safety certification such as OSHA 10-hourMany manufacturers look for basic workplace safety training when hiring entry-level machine operators.
  • Join a student engineering or technology clubTeamwork and projects that involve building or testing parts give you practical experience and useful references.

Tips for getting started

  • Take any shop, machining, or CTE classes your school offers, and ask about job-site safety training, since employers value it.
  • Practice reading rulers, calipers, and decimals, because checking parts for correct size is a daily task in this job.
  • Look for part-time or summer work at a local manufacturer, machine shop, or fabrication business to get hands-on experience early.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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