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

A hand tool is any

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

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

pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...

, cutters, files, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises,

clamps Clamp may refer to: Tools and devices *Brick clamp, an early method of baking bricks *Clamp (tool), a device or tool used to hold objects in a fixed relative position (many types listed) **C-clamp **C-clamp (stagecraft) **Riser clamp, a device u ...

, snips, hacksaws, drills, and

knives A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

. Outdoor tools such as garden forks,

pruning shears Pruning shears, also called hand pruners (in American English) or secateurs (in British English), are a type of scissors used for plants. They are strong enough to pruning, prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimetres ...

, and rakes are additional forms of hand tools. Portable

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuator, actuated by an additional engine, power source and mechanism (engineering), mechanism other than the solely manual labour, manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric ...

s are not hand tools.

History

Hand tools have been used by humans since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, when

stone tools Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a c ...

were used for hammering and cutting. During the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, 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 ejected or ...

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

s of

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

and

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

. 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 historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () 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, forming much of Earth's o ...

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. After the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, most tools were made in factories rather than by craftspeople. A large collection of British hand tools dating from 1700 to 1950 is held by St Albans Museum. 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''. Russell, David R., with Robert Lesage and photographs by James Austin, 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 The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization, whose mission is "Creating knowledge to protect worker health." The American Industrial Hygiene Association works to provide information and resources to In ...

gives the following categories of hand tools: wrenches,

, cutters, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises,

, snips,

saws A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when mankind learned how to ...

, drills and

References

{{Authority control

History

General categories

See also

References