Grindstone

A grindstone is a rotating abrasive stone used to sharpen, shape, or polish tools and other objects. Its abrasive surface removes material through friction.

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Grinding: Abrasive machining that removes material from a workpiece using a hard cutting surface. A grindstone is a traditional tool for this broader material-removal process.
Abrasive grain: A hard particle that cuts or wears a surface during abrasive machining. Individual grains on the stone act as tiny cutting points.
Knife sharpening: The process of restoring a knife's cutting ability by refining its edge. Grindstones have long been used to sharpen knives quickly.
Belt sander: A power tool that abrades surfaces with a continuous moving loop of abrasive material. It removes material with a flexible belt rather than a rotating stone.
Abrasive: A hard material used to wear, grind, or polish another surface through friction. The stone's cutting action depends on abrasive grains at its surface.
Bonded abrasive: An abrasive tool in which particles are held together by a bonding material. Many artificial grinding stones rely on a bond to retain their abrasive grains.
Scythe: A hand tool with a long curved blade used for mowing grass or harvesting crops. Scythe blades were traditionally maintained on rotating grindstones.
Bench grinder: A stationary powered machine fitted with abrasive wheels for grinding and sharpening. It is a common modern machine that spins grinding wheels instead of a hand-turned stone.
Grinding wheel: A bonded abrasive tool shaped as a wheel and used in powered grinding machines. Modern grinding wheels adapt the rotating abrasive action of traditional grindstones.
Whetstone: A sharpening stone, often used by hand, that may be natural or manufactured. Whetstones sharpen through similar abrasion but are commonly stationary and hand-operated.