Every plantation was equipped with the whet wheel or grinding stone for the purpose of sharpening agricultural tools. Some of the larger plantations were equipped with more than one. It was a common sight to see the workers of the estate sharpening their cutlasses before going to work in the fields.

The whet wheel was constructed with re-enforced concrete mounted on a steady metal frame. The trough was fitted with a drain cork where water was filled in it during the process of sharpening.