Staright grinders may be used for removing excess material from a piece.

There are many different kinds of discs that are used for various materials and tasks, such as cut-off discs (diamond blade), abrasive grinding discs, grinding stones, sanding discs, wire brush wheels and polishing pads.

Straight grinders are used to de-burr machine worked metal. These tools are often commonly found in fabrication and foundry workshops. Another name for a straight grinder is a fettling grinder.