Introduction

Tool use began the day a human threw a rock at an animal and noticed that the point rock works better, then sought out to make pointy rocks.

Today, when we think of a tool, the hammer often comes to mind. However, the most common tool isn’t the hammer but the inclined plane. This simple wedge, reducing the effort required to lift, is ubiquitous in human creations. Whether fashioned into a staircase, providing a ramp, or wrapped around a shaft to form a screw, this device significantly eases lifting or pulling tasks.

At their core, tools are objects we use to perform work. They do this by more efficiently using energy than we could alone. Energy is found in heat, as movement or in the form of an electrical source.
All tools could be summed up as the term a force multiplier. Taking the energy available to them and concentrating it into a particular task.

When you find yourself needing a tool, don’t focus on a specific object; instead, consider why you need the tool. For example, a hammer isn’t just for hitting; it often has other features like a pry bar. Similarly, a large rock, a metal piece, or a plank of wood can serve the same purpose of striking a surface.

Thinking of tools this way encourages you to explore all available options to accomplish a task. The ideal tool is one that completes the job quickly without compromising safety.

Tools generally fall into five categories: striking tools, piercing tools, drilling tools, binding tools, and cutting tools. Each category includes tools that perform similar functions.
When reaching for a tool, remember it can often serve multiple purposes. While professionals might frown upon using a wrench as a hammer, it can safely drive a pin nail into sheetrock without damage.

Consider whether a rule, like using a hammer only for hammering, is about your safety or the tool’s safety. If using the tool in an unconventional way doesn’t compromise its function or durability, it might be acceptable.

There are typical and more specialized use manual and powered hand operated tools.

Types of Tools

While there are many tools possible, they fall within the following types of uses.

• Striking tools: Hammers, punches,axes, strike surfaces.
• Piercing tools: Needles and punches, pierce materials.
• Drilling tools: Drill bits and augers drill holes.
• Binding tools: Glue, clamps, screws, and nails bind objects together.
• Cutting tools: Knives, planes, hardpoint edges, and files cut materials.
• Striking tools: These are used to deliver sudden impacts to alter or move surfaces. The primary safety concern is avoiding unintended crushing. Always be aware of where you’re swinging and where the tool might go if it slips.
• Piercing tools: These push through materials to make way for other objects or to guide drilling tools. Understanding material properties is crucial to using these tools effectively and safely.
• Drilling tools: These remove material in a controlled manner to create specific shapes. Safety concerns include the potential for breaking, which can produce dangerous fragments. Ensure that loose fabrics or leather are kept away from drilling tools to avoid being pulled in.
• Binding tools: These keep objects together. Safety concerns include the properties of adhesives and the potential energy stored in clamped objects. For example, a piece of wood held straight by a screw can release significant energy if the screw breaks.
• Cutting tools: These remove material along a sharpened edge. Drills, which remove material in a radius, are also considered cutting tools. The main safety concern is slippage. Always consider what will happen if the material suddenly gives way. Grinders, which remove material through abrasion, are also cutting tools, though they use a surface rather than a sharp edge.

What do wrenches fall under? 

Hand Tools

Understanding your project’s scope helps you choose the right tool. There’s no point in using a 16 oz hammer to hang a painting, and conversely you wouldn’t use a 8 oz hammer to frame a house.

Always assess whether the tool you’re using is the best fit for the task. Using the wrong tool can lead to sloppy results. For instance, if a hammer is too heavy, you’ll likely miss more as you tire, since your balancing muscles fatigue faster than your primary muscles, with a smaller hammer the job won’t take longer because you miss less often.

Power Tools

You may have heard of or used power tools before. One of the most common being the electric drill. So, when should you use power tools instead of their manual counterparts? You should be using power tools whenever a project is likely to take longer than a few hours. Although simple hand tools are nice, their repetitive use will cost you in the long run, as their use can cause joint problems and posture issues.

: Power tools are motorized versions of hand tools, designed to make tasks easier and faster. They typically use heat, hydraulics (oil), pneumatics (air) or electricity as their energy source. The biggest safety concern with power tools is the risk of them continuing to run when you want them to stop. To prevent accidents, nearly all hand operated power tools are equipped with a safety feature that allows you to cut power instantly. Typically this is a switch built into the device itself so when you let go it will turn off.

Power tools have light duty and heavy work variants when knowing what to use consider if the tool is over powered just like the hammer example. A ¾inch drill is likely to have either too much power or not enough speed and control to put in a regular screw precisely.

Whenever you have a motor providing rotation in a tool you should always take into consideration that specific tools ability to grab onto materials. Well hand tools are very unlikely to harm you under normal operating conditions, other power tools such as a drill press can cause grievous harm very quickly by swinging a material into you as it binds. Reciprocating saws and circular saws are particularly bad for this.

Some forms of power tools use pressure as a means to transfer force through them. These tools are also a potential hazard if that pressure is released suddenly for some reason. Hydraulic pressure lines should never be handled under load.