Mr. D’s Quick Guide to
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Hand tools is any tool where the force comes
from the human user. These have been used
for thousands of years.
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Power Tools use electricity or air to power the
action of the tool. This gives the advantage
of speed and reduced effort.
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Both can be dangerous and need training
 Measuring Tools are used to
measure dimensions and angles
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Tape Measure- Used to measure dimensions
in feet and inches.
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Carpenter’s Level- Usually 2’-4’ long it is
used to discover true horizontal and vertical
angles
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Bevel Gauge- It is used for transferring
angles from one work to another
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Tri- Square- small rigid square used for
marking 90* angles across narrow surfaces
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Combination Square- 12” Steel Rule with a
movable handle that can mark 45*/90*
angles
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Framing Square- large steel L usually used to
check 90* corner joints in frame construction
 Used in conjunction with
measuring tools to mark
dimensions and angles
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Pencils- carpenters pencils or #2 pencils give
a thin accurate line where sharpies and pens
tend to bleed and be seen after paint is
applied
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Scribe- or Scratch Awl is a sharp metal point
used for marking wood, metal, or plastic
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Chalk Line- tool used to mark straight lines
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Hammers are used for nailing or starting
screws as well as shaping and forming metal
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Safety Tip
Claw and Rip hammers should only be used
for nailing. The face may chip if used on metal
harder than nails. Wear goggles to prevent
chips of metal or wood from entering your
eye.
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FRAMING Hammers
Claw Hammer designed for inserting and
removing nails
 Rip Hammer or Straight Claw Hammer has
claws used for ripping apart previously nailed
work
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METAL WORK HAMMERS
Ball- Peen Hammer and Mechanics Hammer
are two hammers made of stronger metal. They
are used to shape and pound metal

Mallet- usually has a wooden, rubber, or hard
plastic head. They are used when you do not
want to damage the surface of the object you
are pounding

Sledge Hammer- a heavy weight hammer
that is usually used in demolition

Cutting tools have sharp edges that are used
to remove material.

Safety Tip
Cutting tools should always be used in a
direction going away from the hands and
body.
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Saws can be used to cut wood, plastics, or
metal.

Wooden Saws tend to have fewer and larger
teeth while metal saws have smaller and
many teeth.

Crosscut Saw- Used to cut across the grain
of the wood. Alternate teeth are bent
outward so the kerf is wider than the width of
the blade. This prevents binding.

Rip saw- is used to cut with the grain. It
tends to have fewer teeth and teeth are not
bent outward

Hack Saw- adjustable frame saw for cutting
metal. It is very fine toothed saw

Keyhole Saw- Narrow Tapering blade the
keyhole saw is used for making curvilinear
cuts to stock lumber

Coping Saw- Used for making curvilinear cuts
to thin plywood. The blades break easily

Scissors- Heavy duty scissors are often used
to cut fabrics, papers, and plastics in scenic
construction

Utility Knife/Matte Knife/ Box Cutter- the
replaceable blades are stored in the handle
and the blade depth is adjustable

Tin Snips- Used to cut thin sheet metals

Wood Chisel has a steel blade and a wooden
or plastic handle. Used for gouging paring or
smoothing wood. Usually has blade widths of
½”, ¾”, 1”
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Cold Chisels are made of very hard steel.
Used for cutting and shearing metals. It is
struck with a ballpeen hammer.

Used to grind or rasp wood, metal, plastic and
other materials. The spacing and height of the
teeth determine the intended material the file is
designed for.
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Wood files have very coarse teeth while
Metal files have very fine teeth

Chisels and files can be decievingly sharp.
Remember to always use them in a direction
away from the body

Clamping tools cover a wide variety of
devices ranging from vices to pliers to CClamps. They are all used to secure materials
so they will not move.

Vise, Adjustable wood clamp, Pipe Clamp, CClamp, Pony Clamp, and Vice Grips

Pliers are used in a variety of gripping,
clamping, bending, and cutting jobs. There
are a wide range of uses and styles.

Slip Joint pliers, Needle Nose Pliers, Locking
Pliers, Diagonal Cutters, Wire Strippers, Wire
Crimper, and Linesman Pliers

Wrenches and ratchets are used to tighten
and loosen nuts and bolts

Open End Wrench, Box Wrench, Crescent
Wrench, Pipe Wrench, and Monkey Wrench

Screw Drivers are used for inserting and
removing screws. They are available in a
variety of lengths, sizes, and configurations.

Standard, Slotted, or Straight screw driver is
the most common

Phillips Head Screw Driver allows more
rotational force to be used. The four flanged
design fits into Phillips Head Screws.

Robertson Screw Driver- the Robertson
design is a square top. Many Theatres will
use this screw in stock scenery because you
need special drivers to remove it and it tends
not to strip for quick and easy demolition
purposes.
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Nut Driver- Similar to a screwdriver it has a
cylindrical socket for tightening hex nuts
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Staple Gun
Pry Bars and Crow Bars
Sandpaper
Snips
Grommet Set
Conduit Bender
Pipe Cutter
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Every tool can be dangerous if misused.

Always wear protective gear for your eyes
and ears when using tools.

Don’t use a tool you are not trained in using.