Glardon Vallorbe LA2442-0 140 mm Swiss cut 0 6-piece needle file set

A hand tool is any

tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates b ...

that is powered by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include

wrenches A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning. In the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zeala ...

, pliers, cutters, files, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises, clamps, snips, hacksaws, drills, and knives. Outdoor tools such as garden forks, pruning shears, and rakes are additional forms of hand tools. Portable

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed ...

s are not hand tools.

History

Hand tools have been used by humans since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

when stones were used for hammering and cutting. During the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

tools were made by

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejecte ...

the

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

and tin

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductili ...

s. Bronze tools were sharper and harder than those made of stone. During the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

replaced bronze, and tools became even stronger and more durable. The Romans developed tools during this period which are similar to those being produced today. In the period since the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the manufacture of tools has transitioned from being craftsman made to being factory produced. A large collection of British hand tools dating from 1700 to 1950 is held by St Albans Museums. Most of the tools were collected by

Raphael Salaman Raphael Arthur Salaman (24 April 1906 – 31 December 1993) was an English engineer, collector, and writer. His work recorded the hand tools used in Britain during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Family and education R. A. ...

(1906–1993), who wrote two classic works on the subject: ''Dictionary of Woodworking Tools'' and ''Dictionary of Leather-working Tools''. David Russell's vast collection of Western hand tools from the Stone Age to the twentieth century led to the publication of his book ''

Antique Woodworking Tools ''Antique Woodworking Tools: Their Craftsmanship from Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century'' is David Russell's account of the history of woodworking tools illustrated profusely with items from his extensive collection of British, continental ...

''. Russell, David R., with Robert Lesage and photographs by

James Austin James Austin may refer to: Sports * Jim Austin (baseball) (born 1963), former baseball pitcher * Jim Austin (rugby league), New Zealand rugby league player * James Austin (judoka) (born 1983), English judoka * James Austin (American football) ( ...

, cataloguing assisted by Peter Hackett (2010). '' Antique Woodworking Tools: Their Craftsmanship from the Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century'' Cambridge: John Adamson .

General categories

The American Industrial Hygiene Association gives the following categories of hand tools:

, pliers, cutters, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises, clamps, snips, saws, drills and knives.

References

{{Authority control

History

General categories

See also

References