Hand Tools Uses
Tool Name
Use of Tool
 Hammers
o Rip Claw Hammer To pound and extract nails from wood
o Curve Claw Hammer
To pound and extract nails from wood
o Bricklayer Hammer A hammer used in laying bricks a hand tool with a heavy rigid head
and a handle.
o Ball Peen Hammer Used in metalworking.
 Saws
o Miter or Back Saw has a reinforced spine, used to make straight or angled cuts.
o Crosscut Saw
has fine teeth, used to cut against the grain.
o Compass\Keyhole Saw used to cutting small, awkward building materials.
o Coping Saw
to cut intricate shapes and interior cutouts.
o Hack Saw
is a saw for cutting metal or bones.
o Rip Saw
used to cut with the grain (length of the board)
 Pliers
o Needle Nose Pliers are both cutting and gripping pliers used by electricians and other
tradesmen to
o
o
o
o
o
bend, re-position and cut wire. Also used to work with fine work.
Linesman Pliers
used by electricians and other tradesmen for gripping small
objects, to cut and bend
wire and cable.
Vise grip\Locking Pliers Used for turning, cutting, tightening, clamping & twisting.
Diagonal Cutting or Wire Cutting Pliers
tool that uses pressure to make clean cuts
in wires
Slip joint pliers
pliers with a joint adjustable to two positions in order to increase
the opening of
the jaws, used for gripping or loosening objects.
Channel Lock \Tongue & Groove pliers
adjusts to different sizes, used to
tighten/loosen objects.
 Wrenches
o Hex Key or Allen Wrench A tool consisting of an L-shaped bar with a hexagonal head,
used to turn
o Combination Wrench
screws with hexagonal sockets.
a wrench with a closed loop (a socket) and an open jaw,
at opposite ends
o Pipe or Monkey Wrench
serrated jaws
of each other.
adjustable wrench for gripping and turning a pipe; has two
that are adjusted to grip the pipe
o Adjustable or Crescent Wrench an adjustable wrench designed to fit hexagonal nuts with
the
adjusting screw built into the head of the wrench
o Socket Wrench or Ratchet
a wrench with a usually interchangeable socket to fit over
a nut or bolt.
o Sockets
receptacle where something (a pipe or probe or end of a bone)
is inserted
o Double Open End Wrench
a wrench having parallel jaws at fixed separation (often
on both ends of
the handle)
o Box End Wrench
a wrench with a closed loop (a socket) that fits over a nut
or bolt head
 Squares
o Speed Square
o Try Square
a three-sided, triangular shaped measuring tool
a square having a metal ruler set at right angles to another
straight piece
o Combination Square
used for regular measurement and measuring angles,
determining flatness,
and to see if an object is level
a steel square used by carpenters; larger than a try square
is an adjustable gauge for setting and transferring angles.




o Carpenter’s Square
o Sliding T-Bevel
Clamps
o Vise-Grip clamp
used to clamp wood
o Vise
a mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping or holding
o Hand Screw clamp
used to clamp wood, you hand screw it to clamp it down.
o Bar Clamp
used to clamp large projects
o C-Clamp
used to clamp, but has a wider opening capacity
Measurement and Marking
o Tape Measure
used to measure different lengths
o Compass
used to make arcs and circles
o Level
used to make things level
o Chalk line
used to mark a line on wood, to make straight cuts.
Screwdrivers
o Philips
star shape head, used to screw in objects
o Flathead
flat head, used to screw in objects
o Stubby
small in size, used to screw in objects in tight areas
Misc Tools
o Pry Bar
used to pry open something
o Chisel
use to whittle & shape a piece of wood
o Scratch Awl
woodworking layout tool. It is used to scribe a line to be followed by a
hand saw or
o
o
o
o
chisel when making woodworking joints and other operations.
Brace or Hand Drill used to drill by hand
Wood boring bits
cutting tools used to create cylindrical holes, drills holes in
metal, plastic, and
wood.
Twist Drill Bit
cutting tools used to create cylindrical holes , drills holes in metal,
plastic, and
wood.
Block or Hand Plane
used for shaving thin pieces of wood off wood on small surfaces
in awkward areas
Rasp File
used for shaping wood
Bolt Cutters
used to cut bolts or heavy gauge wire
Pipe Cutter
used to cut pipe
o
o
o
 Power Tools
o Electric/Cordless Drill
used to drill screws, holes into objects
o Router
used to rout out (hollow out) an area in the face of a piece of wood. It
was
a tool particularly used by pattern makers
used to sand wood to a more finish look, good for detail work
machine used to quickly sand down wood and other materials for
o Finish Sander
o Belt Sander
finishing
purposes.
tool used for cutting arbitrary curves, such as stenciled designs or
o Jig Saw
other custom
shapes, into a piece of wood
a small electric or pedal operated saw useful for cutting intricate curves
o Scroll Saw
where a
jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate
is a fixed style of drill that may be mounted on a stand; consists
o Drill Press
of a base, column
(or pillar), table, spindle (or quill), and drill head; used to drill holes in
wood.
o Miter Saw
chop saw or drop saw) usually refers to a power tool used to make a
quick,
o Band Saw
accurate crosscut in a work piece
an electric or pedal-driven saw with a blade consisting of a long,
narrow, flexible
o Table Saw
o Circular Saw
band of toothed metal. It is used for woodworking, metal working, or for
cutting a variety of other materials, and are particularly useful for
cutting irregular shapes
used to rip throw wood
a metal disc or blade with saw teeth on the edge as well as the
machine that
causes the disk to spin. It is a tool for cutting wood or other materials