Abrasive wheels have replaced steel saws in many places. Thin, abrasive cutoff wheels are capable of sawing through nearly every material known, at rates faster than those of metal saws, while generating less heat and producing a better cut surface. Some space-age metals, because of their hardnesses, can be cut only with abrasive wheels. Granite, marble, slate, and various building blocks are cut to size with diamond abrasive wheels. Grooves for expansion joints and for the reduction of wet-weather skidding accidents are cut in concrete runways and highways by blades with a metal centre, onto which are brazed metal segments with the diamond abrasive mixed throughout.

Tool sharpening

The sharpening of all types of tools continues to be a major grinding operation. Drills, saws, reamers, milling cutters, broaches, and the great spectrum of knives are kept sharp by abrasives. Coarser-grit products are used for their initial shaping. Finer-grit abrasives produce keener cutting edges. Ultrasharp tools must be hand-honed on natural sharpening or honing stones. Even grinding wheels themselves may require some sharpening. Specially designed steel disks or diamond tools are used to remove dull abrasive cutting edges and create a sharp cutting surface.

Metal cleaning

In foundries and steel mills, grinding wheels and coated abrasive belts remove the unwanted portions of castings, forgings, and billets. Abrasive grit is pressure-blasted against the metal to clean it in preparation for painting. Metal shot is used on softer metallic castings.

Miscellaneous applications

The roster of unusual applications for abrasives includes cutting frozen fish into fish sticks; grinding animal-gut sutures and guitar strings to constant diameters; removing human skin blemishes and birthmarks or shaping bones by plastic surgery; removing spots and discolorations from suede clothing; grinding toothpicks round; and making stairs skidproof by abrasive grain.