Module Three: Intro to Hand Tools Trade Terms

Bell faced hammer

A claw hammer with a slightly rounded, or convex, face.

Fastener

A device such as a bolt, clasp, hook, or lock used to attach or secure one material to another.

Carpenter's square

A flat, steel square commonly used in carpentry.

Ball-peen hammer

A hammer with a flat face that is used to strike cold chisels and punches. The rounded end (the peen) is used to bend and shape soft metal.

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.

Hex-key wrench

A hexagonal steel bar that is bent to form a right angel. Often referred to as an Allen wrench.

Miter joint

A joint made by fastening together usually perpendicular parts with the ends cut at an angle.

Newton-meter

A measure of torque or moment equal to the force of one Newton applied to a lever one meter long.

Chisel

A metal tool with a sharpened, beveled edge used to cut and shape wood, stone, or metal.

Open-end wrench

A non-adjustable wrench with a fixed opening at each end that is typically different, allowing it to be used to fit two different nut or bolt sizes.

Striking (or slugging) wrench

A nonadjustable wrench with an enclosed, circular opening designed to lock on to the fastener when the wrench is struck.

tenon

A piece that projects out of wood or another material for the purpose of being placed into a hole or groove to form a joint.

Dowel

A pin, usually round, that fits into a corresponding hole to fasten or align two pieces.

Torque

A rotating or twisting force applied to an object such as a nut, bolt or screw, using a socket wrench or screwdriver. Torque wrenches allow a specific torque value to be set and applied.

Pliers

A scissor-shaped type of adjustable wrench equipped with jaws and teeth to grip objects.

Try square

A square whose legs are fixed at a right angle.

Punch

A steel tool used to indent metal.

Cat's paw

A straight steel rod with a curved claw at one end that is used to pull nails that have been driven flush with the surface of the wood or slightly below it.

Ripping bar

A tool used for heavy-duty dismantling of woodwork, such as tearing apart building frames or concrete forms.

Nail puller

A tool used to remove nails.

Chisel bar

A tool with a claw at each end, commonly used to pull nails.

rafter angle square

A type of carpenter's square made of cast aluminum that combines a protractor, try square, and framing square.

Pipe wrench

A wrench for gripping and turning a pipe or pipe-shaped object; it tightens when turned in one direction.

Combination wrench

A wrench with an open end and a closed end.

Box-end wrench

A wrench, usually double-ended, that has a closed socket that fits over the head of a bolt.

combination square

An adjustable carpenter's tool consisting of a steel rule that slides through an adjustable head.

planed

Describing a surface made smooth by using a tool called a plane.

Square

Exactly adjusted; any piece of material sawed or cut to be rectangular with equal dimensions on all sides; a tool used to check angles

tang

Metal handle-end of a file. The tang fits into a wooden or plastic file handle.

Level

Perfectly horizontal; completely flat; also, a tool used to determine if an object is level.

Points

Teeth on the gripping part of a wrench. Also refers to the number of teeth per inch on a handsaw.

Joint

The point where members or the edges of members are joined. The types of welding joints are butt joint, corner-joint, and T-joint

Peening

The process of bending, shaping, or cutting material by striking it with a tool.

Flats

The straight sides or jaws of a wrench opening. Also, the sides on a nut or bolt head.

Bevel

To cut on a slant at an angle that is not a right angle (90 degrees). The angle or inclination of a line or surface that meets another at any angle but 90 degrees.

Strip

To damage the head or threads on a screw, nut, or bolt.

Weld

To heat or fuse two or more pieces of metal so that the finished piece is as strong as the original; a welded joint.

Round off

To smooth out threads or edges on a screw or nut.

Tempered

Treated with heat to create or restore hardness in steel.

Foot-pounds

Unit of measure used to describe the amount of pressure exerted (torque) to tighten a large object.

Inch-pounds

Unit of measure used to describe the amount of pressure exerted (torque) to tighten a small object.

kerf

a cut or channel made by a saw.

plumb

perfectly vertical; the surface is at a right angle (90 degrees) to the horizon or floor and does not bow out at the top or bottom.