Precision grinder vs lead machinist

The differences between precision grinders and lead machinists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a precision grinder and a lead machinist. Additionally, a lead machinist has an average salary of $51,691, which is higher than the $42,730 average annual salary of a precision grinder.

The top three skills for a precision grinder include CNC, grinders and grinding machines. The most important skills for a lead machinist are cnc lathes, grinders, and calipers.

Precision grinder vs lead machinist overview

	Precision Grinder	Lead Machinist
Yearly salary	$42,730	$51,691
Hourly rate	$20.54	$24.85
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	792	10,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Precision grinder vs lead machinist salary

Precision grinders and lead machinists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Precision Grinder	Lead Machinist
Average salary	$42,730	$51,691
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $56,000	Between $39,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between precision grinder and lead machinist education

There are a few differences between a precision grinder and a lead machinist in terms of educational background:

	Precision Grinder	Lead Machinist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Precision grinder vs lead machinist demographics

Here are the differences between precision grinders' and lead machinists' demographics:

	Precision Grinder	Lead Machinist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.5% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between precision grinder and lead machinist duties and responsibilities

Precision grinder example responsibilities.

Operate NC OD grinders, CNC OD grinders and profile form grinding machines for manufacturing of carbide drills, taps and reamers
Produce serrate blades for bread slicing machinery grind on specially design CNC grinders producing blades for baking industry
Operate surface grinders to grind to exact precision tolerances using various measuring tools to ensure accuracy of part.
Limit experience in EDM and electrode machining.
Operate hand hold grinders to grind metal work pieces.
Use dyers, calipers to messure distance and thickness.

Lead machinist example responsibilities.

Manage and perform programming of CNC mills, lathes and EDM equipment, instrumentation, data acquisition and control systems.
Experience with cutting different materials (aluminum, titanium, inconel, mild and stainless steels).
Program, edit, and setup of CNC lathe with Fanuc control.
Work machines such as; Haas CNC vertical and horizontal mills and lathes.
Perform gluing, soldering, brazing and gas, arc, welding operations.
Lead setup/ supervisor for a cell of two Haas lathes and two Haas mills.

Precision grinder vs lead machinist skills

Common precision grinder skills

CNC, 20%
Grinders, 19%
Grinding Machines, 16%
Hand Tools, 8%
Calipers, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%

Common lead machinist skills

CNC Lathes, 9%
Grinders, 8%
Calipers, 8%
Machine Tools, 6%
Aluminum, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%