Mechanical Aptitude

bolt cutters

A cutting tool; heavy-duty shears the produce enough force when the handles are closed to slice through metal bolts or rods

Bench Grinder

A grinding machine that has been mounted to a bench or table. The grinding wheels mount directly onto the motor shaft. Normally one wheel is coarse, for roughing, and the other is fine, for finishing.

claw hammer

A hammer with a flat striking face. the other end of the head is curved and divided into two claws to remove nails.

handsaw

A manually powered saw designed to cut different types of materials. Examples include hacksaws, carpenter's handsaws, keyhole saws, and coping saws.

reciprocating saw

A saw that is powered by an electric motor or a battery motor, and whose blade moves back and forth.

back saw

A saw with very fine teeth and is often used in a miter box for cutting angles. The thin blade is reinforced with a ridge of thicker metal along the back of the saw. It cannot cut deeper than the ridge.

offset screwdriver

A screwdriver that has the shank set at an angle to the blade to allow the tool to be used in cramped spaces; these can have a standard blade, phillips blade, or any number of other blades

crescent wrench

A smooth-jawed, adjustable wrench used for turning nuts, bolts, and pipe fittings.

protractor

A tool used to measure and draw angles.

combination square

An adjustable carpenter's tool consisting of a steel rule that slides through an adjustable head; it can be used to mark 45 and 90 degree angles.

MONKEY WRENCH (Screw wrench)

Another adjustable wrench that can be used to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts of various sizes

open ended wrench

Designed to fit nuts of a specific standard size

box wrench

Designed to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts. Closed wrench allows more torque. Does take more time to use than open variety.

Steel ruler

Has linear gradations to measure a workpiece. It can double as a straightedge. (Average length is 300mm.)

cutting torch

It consists of valves for mixing oxygen and acetylene, and a valve lever attached to the torch handle to release oxygen which does the cutting.

depth gauge

Measuring. To confirm the depth of the drill hole in bone to determine the length of the screw

socket wrench

One of the most common wrenches. nuts and bolts can be quickly tightened or loosened with the ratchet handle, thus sparing the need to readjust for another grip as with most other wrenches.

Vise Grips (plier wrench)

Squeezing the handles, the wrench will lock onto an object or bolt and obtain a fir grip without having to apply a great amount of force. Could be used as a portable vise.

Outside Calipers

Tool used for making outside or external measurements

Phillips screwdriver

Turning Phillips head screws, enhances ones grip

slide calipers

Use is comparable to the vernier calipers, however, the gradations are not as precise. It's measuring capacity is up to 3 inches.

propane torch

Used as a heat source for brazing and soldering pipework

Steel Tape Measure

Used for general measurement work

strap wrench

Used for gripping and turning pipes without harming the exterior finish

disk sander

Used for the same purpose as a belt sander, but the abrasives are embedded in disks that are used in conjunction with a drill or offset sander grinder

Vernier Calipers

Used in determining precise internal or external measurements. Measuring capacity is 6-72 inches or 150-1800 millimeters.

Jeweler's Screwdriver

Used in driving or loosening relatively small screws such as those found in eyeglass hinges, clocks, wristwatches, etc.

parallel clamps

Used like pipe clamps with the added feature of being able to secure and angled object, whether wood or metal.

Filter Wrench

Used specifically to remove or tighten oil filters

Spark Plug Wrench

Used specifically to remove or tighten spark plugs without damaging the insulator.

Round Split Die in Holder

Used to create threading on smooth metal rods. Comparable to manufacturing a bolt.

end cutting pliers

Used to crop metal wire close to a work surface

portable electric router

Used to cut various grooves and moldings.

feelers gauge

Used to determine gaps between electrical contacts such as those found in a spark plug. Can also measure the gap between a shaft and bearing on an engine.

screw pitch gauge

Used to determine the pitch of a machined thread. each blade is calibrated in metric units.

Test Light (Circuit Tester)

Used to determine the presence of current in a given circuit.

Tire gauge

Used to determine the proper inflation pressure in a tire.

conventional straight-shank screwdriver

Used to drive slotted head screws

Orbital Sander (Finishing Sander)

Used to finish sanding with light abrasive paper.

grease gun

Used to force grease into grease fittings to lubricate a moving part.

Arc Welder

Used to fuse pieces of metal together using electrical current.

Crocodile Wrench (Bulldog Wrench)

Used to grip and turn round stock such as pipe or steel rod.

sheet metal punch

Used to make holes in sheet metal to accommodate screw nails

T-Bevel

Used to mark or verify angles on a workpiece. Normally a protractor is used to serve as a point of reference.

center punch

Used to mark where a drilled hole is to be placed; this keeps the drill bit in position and prevents the drill from jumping to another part of the material

compression gauge

Used to measure the amount of compression an engine cylinder possesses

machinist vise

Used to secure or hold a metal workpiece

soldering gun

Used to solder wire to form contact terminals and in other related light electrical work

Inside Calipers

Used to transfer internal measurements from a rule, or match two items to fit. Measurement capacity up to 12 inches.

SPANNER WRENCH (Hook spanner)

Used to turn special nuts or hose couplings

portable circular saw

a circular saw that is portable and is operated with a hand grip. Multiple saw blade options.

Ohmmeter

a device used to measure resistance

whetstone

a fine-grained stone used for sharpening cutting tools

hydrometer

a float device for determining the specific gravity of the electrolytes in a batter. This determines the state of charge.

ball peen hammer

a hammer with a rounded end opposite the face

plumb bob

a heavy weight that's suspended from a line that indicates vertical trueness

utility knife

a knife with a small sharp blade, often retractable, designed to cut wood, cardboard, and other materials.

chainsaw

a motorised tool made of lots of small blades that move very quickly, used for cutting down trees

Belt Sander

a sander that uses a moving abrasive belt to smooth surfaces.

ALLEN WRENCH (Setscrew wrench)

an L-shaped hexagonal key used to tighten or loosen a machines setscrew

Stilson Wrench (Pipe Wrench)

an adjustable wrench used to grip round objects like metal pipes or steel rods

Offset Wrench

designed to be able to reach a nut or bolt in a recessed area over an obstruction. Advantage of hand clearance when tightening

cold chisel

flat metal chisel and are used for cutting metals without using heating torches or forges

wood chisels

gouging wood variety of widths used with a rubber mallet

slip joint pliers

like ordinary pliers, but a pivot allows for two different jaw settings

Wind-Up Tape Measure

linear gradations on flexible metallic tape used to measure. Can be retracted. Normal length is 30 to 100 ft.

Compass Saw

manual saw that works well for cutting holes in panels. Not restricted an edge of a workpiece.

awl

pointed tool used for piercing

plunger

the rubber-tipped portion of a syringe that fits inside the barrel and is pulled outward to draw fluid or air into the syringe and pushed inward to insert fluid into the body or fluid or air into a container

coping saw

type of handsaw that's used to cut curved lines or shapes in wood or plastic

hacksaw

type of handsaw that's used to cut metal sheets, pipes, plastics, etc.

MULTIPURPOSE TOOL (Wire-stripping pliers)

used as a pair of pliers to cut and strip insulation from wire, to crimp terminals, and to cut small screws

NAIL PUNCH (Nail set)

used as an instrument to drove nails below the surface of a wooden workpiece

C-clamps

used for clamping two or more pieces of wood/metal together

sledgehammer

used for heavy duty work such as breaking concrete, driving posts, head can weigh from 2 to 24 lbs.

CLUB HAMMER (Hand-drilling hammer)

used for heavy-duty work involving masonry drills or chisels. The head can weight up to 4 lbs.

Curved Jaw Pliers (Channel-Lock Pliers)

used in same manner as slip join pliers. There are additional settings to adjust jaw widths to accommodate larger round stock

torque wrench

used to apply a calibrated force when tightening a nut or bold as recommended by the manufacturer

Carpenter's Steel Square

used to check the squareness of rating 90-degree or right angles.

drain snake

used to clear or remove debris that obstruct a drain pipe from a sink or toilet by extending into the piping.

Saber Saw (Jig Saw)

used to cut curves in various materials depending on blade selection

pipe cutter (wheel cutter)

used to cut metal pipe to desired size

Side cutting pliers

used to cut metal wire

STRAIGHT SNIPS (Tin snips)

used to cut thin sheet metal

level

used to determine a true horizontal line or accurate level of a surface.

micrometer caliper

used to determine precise measurements from 0 to 12 inches or 0 to 300 millimeters.

Jack Plane (fore plane):

used to dimension or smooth a wooden workpiece

Soft-Faced Mallet (rubber mallet)

used to drive materials without causing any damage to the tools involved or to the surface of a workpiece.

Stubby Screwdriver

used to drive screws where space is fairly limited

glass cutter

used to etch a groove in a piece of glass tubing so that it can be broken cleanly

triangular file

used to file angles or square corners

flat files

used to file flat surfaces; can be used on most types of material

soldering iron

used to heat metal and solder to form a joint

power drill

used to manually drill holes but with speed and flexibility of using various accessories

Brace Drill

used to manually drill holes in woodier provide extra torque in driving screws.

Pipe Clamp

used to secure boards or framing together while they are bonded by glue

needle nose pliers

used to share or cut thin-strand wire and grip small items (washers, nuts, etc.) in confined spaces

round file (rat-tail file)

used to smooth round openings

Torx Screwdriver

used when a fair amount of torque is required on a screw. this design enhances your drip still more than a Phillips or flat-tipped screwdriver

tap wrench

used when cutting internal screw threads with a tap. It allows for a better and more even grip when applying pressure