Definition
A power-driven shop tool that uses an abrasive wheel to remove material from a workpiece by friction. In aviation maintenance, grinders are used for shaping, sharpening, deburring, and dressing metal parts, and for tasks such as sharpening drill bits or smoothing the edges of cut metal.
Plain English
A workshop machine with a spinning rough wheel that wears metal away when you press a part against it. Mechanics use it to shape, sharpen, or clean up metal pieces.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance, repair shops, tool lists, and instructions for shaping, smoothing, or sharpening metal parts or tools.
Derivation
From the verb 'grind,' meaning to wear down or sharpen by friction. The tool is named for what it does: it grinds material off the workpiece.
Why Pilots Care
A grinder can remove too much metal or overheat a part if used carelessly. On aircraft parts, that can weaken the part or make it unserviceable.
Intuition Check
A grinder is not just any cutting tool. In maintenance, it specifically removes material by abrasion: a rough wheel or disc rubbing material away.
Example Sentence 1
The mechanic used the bench grinder to sharpen the dull drill bit before drilling out the rivet.
Example Sentence 2
After removing the old paint, a light pass with the grinder prepared the surface for the new primer coat.