15 Most Common Types Of Tools And Their Uses

Tools have been used for centuries to make life easier. From the earliest stone axes and spears, to today’s high-tech devices, humans have always looked for ways to improve their lives by inventing new tools. 

In this article we will explore 15 different types of tools and their uses.

Types of hand tools:

Pliers

A pliers is a tool resembling pincers. The pliers are designed to hold an object while having straight, parallel jaws.

One type of pliers are side cutters, which have one blade facing up for cutting on the top of the material and one blade on the bottom for cutting on the underside. Another type of pliers are used to grab and twist objects such as wires or pipes.

Typically pliers are used as a hand tool to hold something, but they can also be made into a power tool which is motorized. 

Screwdriver 

The screwdriver is a tool used to convert rotational motion into linear motion.

The most common are the slotted type and the Phillips head which is star shaped with four or five points. The slotted screwdriver, which looks like a flat metal bar with one end thicker than the other, fits onto the groove on a hex nut or bolt head and twists when pressure is applied by pushing directly on it or by rotating it manually.

The Phillips head is used on a variety of screws, but the most common use is on the slotted screw. It allows greater torque to be applied and reduces cam-out, because it contacts only two sides of the groove.

Saw (hand saw)

A hand saw is a tool used to cut material using the application of force and movement of the blade. It comes in many sizes and ranges from smaller types for hobby or household use to larger more powerful ones for heavy commercial work.

There are two types, crosscut saws which are used to make lengthwise cuts (across the grain) and rip saws used to make sideways widthwise cuts (with the grain).

Knife

A knife is a hand tool with a cutting edge, usually consisting of a blade that has been sharpened to razor-like thinness, and is strong enough to cut through material by pressing it against the blade.

It can be used as an improvised weapon. Some designs are meant for specific purposes such as hunting or fishing while others are made for multiple uses.

Such as a butcher knife is designed to cut through meat, bone and joints. Whereas a filet knife is used to fillet fish.

Hammer

A hammer is a tool used to deliver an impact to an object.

It can also be used as a weapon or as an improvised weapon when the handle and some of the head are removed or broken off, called a mace.

The use of hammers dates back about 1 million years in our history and has been found in almost every culture. They came in various designs such as the primitive stone ball hammer, the one-sided sledgehammer and the pickaxe. A common type of hammer is a claw hammer, which has a flat head at 90 degrees to a handle (sometimes called the haft). The back side of this hammer's head is curved to form claws for pulling nails.

Wrench

A wrench is a tool, often in the shape of an open-ended spanner, used to provide a mechanical advantage in applying torque or turning force to objects.

There are many types of wrenches: from larger and more powerful ones - such as a monkey wrench or an adjustable spanner - to smaller and less powerful types used in assembly work or on miniature bolts.

Shovel

A shovel is a tool used to dig, collect or transport material. It has two major classes: the spade and the mattock/pickaxe/hoe which is similar in structure to an axe (it even uses the same handle), but with a sharp end for digging instead of an axe-like head.

The spade is a small shovel used to dig, move or mix material. Spades are often sold as part of tool sets along with other tools such as trowels and scoops.

The mattock is a one-handed tool consisting of an axe blade with the handle attached perpendicular to the axe head which is used to break up hard or frozen ground.

The pick axe is a tool combining an axe and a hoe (which has the same structure as an axe, but with a sharp edge on its side) used to dig or loosen material such as soil.

Hoe

A hoe is a short handled gardening tool used for digging, cutting weeds and applying pesticide. It was first made of wood, but now it is mostly made of plastic or metal.

When we think of the garden hoe, we usually call to mind its most popular shape: a flat blade which can be pushed into the ground and then pulled up, cutting off weeds and clearing them from the soil.

Tongs

A pair of tongs is a tool with two hinged arms which are used to hold objects. The jaws can be closed around an object by using a lever mechanism.

Tongs are useful for grasping items that are hot or otherwise difficult to handle. They often include spring mechanisms and other types of joint, allowing them to grip closer than the human hand allows. This improves mechanical ability and reduces the risk of repetitive strain or injury. Some can also be used as a type of wrench in order to hold objects more firmly.

Tongs are widely used in industrial settings, but they are also common household tools. They allow a person to move hot cooking items without burning their hands, since the distance between their arms is further than the length of their fingers.

They are also useful when picking up a hot iron or similarly dangerous object, or in handling red-hot embers, as they can protect much of the hand from the heat.

Rasp

A rasp is a tool used to produce an effect similar to sandpaper by creating small, randomly-oriented, surface-changing irregularly-spaced teeth on the working end. It is often found in woodworking and other related trades.

Rasps are most commonly made of metal or plastic (plastic being more commonly available, but also more brittle). The teeth can be cut in either direction and many have a ratchet to stop the movement of the rasp.

These are held in one hand while the other handles the material being worked upon, for instance wood mounted on a workbench.

Types of power tools

Drill

A drill is a tool used to create holes. It consists of a long continuous rotating shaft with a sharp end called the drill bit. The point emerged into an object by applying pressure (manual or electrically powered).

The drill bit can be spun at low speeds to create larger holes (e.g., for mounting wood screws), or at high speeds to create smaller holes, cause various materials to smolder or melt, or as a cutting tool.

Some drills have side handles for better control and balance on the material being drilled, while other types are designed to be held with one hand. In addition, a drill holster or back mounted case contains the same type of drill, and can drive sized bits up to in diameter.

Grinder

A grinder is a power tool consisting of a rotating abrasive disc or belt, which is used for grinding various materials.

The material being ground can be secured in place with clamps or similar, to allow more even and controlled motion. For instance, it could be fixed onto a metal bar in order to hold the workpiece.

A heavy and/or thick plate can also be used to increase stability when grinding. This can prevent the object from moving across the table, or the tool from tilting when there is too much material in it.

Grinding is often used for metalworking, but it can also be applied to other materials such as plastics or wood. The type of grinding tool used depends on the material and the desired result.

Saw (chainsaw)

A saw is a tool consisting of a set of fine, typically metal, teeth arranged in two parallel rows (called a "set") attached to a frame. When the saw is pushed forward, the cutting edge of the blade cuts into a material. The most common example in everyday use is an electric hand saw used to cut wooden boards and pipes and for other purposes.

The handle allows the user to provide a forward force pushing the teeth of the blade through material, while the frame provides two guiding surfaces perpendicular to the direction of travel, allowing the saw's teeth to achieve maximum bite into the material as it is pushed against them.

Hammer Drill

A hammer drill (or just "hammer drill") is an electric drill with a hammering action. It can be used for drilling holes in concrete or stone, and is of particular utility where the hole to be drilled is lined with rebar although any soft material can also be used as a core.

The tool combines a rotary drill with a specially hardened grinding bit which is used to pulverize the material it drills into. The hammer drill can first bore a hole, then grind the resulting core out in one operation, something that neither type of tool can do by itself.

A hammer drill looks and acts like a rotary drill, but the clutch mechanism is different. The speed at which the bit will rotate is controlled by a switch on the power handle. When the trigger is pressed, the clutch mechanism engages to allow rotation of the chuck and rotating drive shaft at full speed, while slowing down or stopping movement in any other direction. When the trigger is released, the clutch mechanism disengages and allows forward or reverse travel of the bit at full speed, while stopping any rotation.

The hammer drill uses a hardened grinding disc as an insert in the chuck to pulverize materials like concrete and stone so that they can be removed during drilling operations.

Band Saw

A band saw is a power-driven saw with a long, thin, flexible cutting blade of metal (tungsten carbide) or diamond encased in an outer cylindrical casing. By pressing the blade against a material and moving it forwards at high speed, the band saw can cut through large sections of material in parallel.

Band saws are commonly used in woodworking, metalworking and in the production of semiconductors.

In a basic band saw, the blade consists of an inner diameter toothed cylinder travelling around two large pulleys fastened on either side of the blades lower support frame. The blade rotates at high speed (often between 12 and 30 miles per hour) and is multi-toothed with fine, widely spaced teeth.

A more advanced band saw uses two thin blades that rotate in opposite directions on the same axis. This design forces the material being sawn to push forward against one blade while it pulls backward against the other - a unique action that prevents a build up of resistance to cutting that can occur with a standard one blade band saw. These are known as "dual-blade" or "parallel-link" type band saws.

Frequently Asked Questions

- What types of tools are most commonly used in metalworking?

While there are many types of tools that are specifically used in metalwork, including hammers and chisels, the most common type of tool is the wrenches. Wrenches are used to hold fasteners in place while a nut or bolt is being tightened. There are many types of wrenches, including adjustable-wrench and crescent-wrench.

An adjustable wrench has jaws that can be adjusted to accommodate different sized fasteners. The lower jaw is fixed, while the upper jaw slides along the lower jaw. The jaws are made thin enough to allow the wrench to fit into narrow spaces, but also thick enough to provide a sturdy base for turning large fasteners.

- How does a band saw work?

A band saw, formerly known as a "sawyers saw" has any number of blades fastened to the rim of an up-angled wheel.

A power source drives the blade around a track on both sides of the machine's upper frame, usually at high speed, providing a thin steady cutting edge and steel teeth for strength.

In use, the operator positions material to be cut near either exposed face or corner of one end of the nearly flat table according to personal preference. The feed rolls push against one side or edge (or more) of the work piece and move it through the cutting zone; often pushing it towards either end in order to machining all sides without interference with other operations.

- Which brands of hammer drills are the best rated by consumers on Amazon?

The following brands of hammer drills are the most rated on Amazon: Makita, Bosch and Milwaukee. 

Conclusion

This article provides a list of 15 types of tools that are commonly used in metalworking, woodworking and the production of semiconductors. From wrenches to band saws, this list will help you learn more about how different tools work for specific jobs so you can find what best fits your needs