What Is a Grinding Stone Used for?

A grindstone is a round sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools. Grindstones are usually made from sandstone. Grindstone machines usually have pedals for speeding up and slowing down the stone to control the sharpening process.

How does a grinding stone work?

Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the bedstone and a concave runner stone that rotates. The movement of the runner on top of the bedstone creates a "scissoring" action that grinds grain trapped between the stones.

What were lower grinding stones used for?

Lower grinding stones.

These include large millstones used for grinding seed to make damper throughout inland Australia, and nardoo stones, which are smaller chunky rocks with a depression in the top, used as mortars when crushing nardoo and other edible seeds and fruit.