Module 4: Power Tools Trade Terms

Masonry bit

A drill bit with a carbide tip designed to penetrate materials such as stone, brick, or concrete.

Grit

A granular, sand-like material used to make sandpaper and similar materials abrasive.

Forstner bit

A bit designed for use in wood or similar soft material. The design allows it to drill a flat-bottom blind hole in material.

Countersink

A bit or drill used to set the head of a screw at or below the surface of the material.

Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)

A circuit breaker designed to protect people from electric shock and to protect equipment from damage by interrupting the flow of electricity if a circuit fault occurs.

Chuck

A clamping device that holds an attachment; for example, the chuck of the drill holds the drill bit.

Pneumatic impact wrench

A compressed air driven tool used to fasten, tighten, and loosen nuts and bolts.

Ring test

A method of testing the condition of a grinding wheel. The wheel is mounted on a rod and tapped. A clear ring means the wheel is in good condition; a dull thud means the wheel is in poor condition and should be disposed of.

Tool rest

A rest for the material on a bench grinder. Should be set 1/8" from the grinding wheel.

Chuck key

A small T-shaped steel piece used to open and close the chuck on power drills.

Trigger lock

A small lever, switch, or part that you push or pull to activate a locking catch or spring. Activating the trigger lock causes the trigger to stay in operating mode even without your finger on the trigger.

Porta Power

Hydraulic tools that are industry equipment and are utilized in a large range of applications. They are suited to automotive body and frame repair and can be used to straighten, bend or modify any metal that requires hydraulic power.

Carbide

A very hard material made of carbon and one or more heavy metals. Commonly used in one type of saw blade.

Paddle/Spade Drill Bit

This bit is also used in wood. The bit size is measured by the spade's diameter, which ranges from 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches.

Auger bit

This bit is used for drilling wood and other soft materials, but not for drilling metal.

Forstner Drill Bit

This bit is used on wood and produces a flat bottomed circle.

Hammer Drill

This drill has a pounding action that lets you drill into concrete, brick, or tile.

Electromagnetic drill

This drill is a portable drill mounted that is used for drilling thick metal. When the drill is placed on metal and is turned on, the magnetic base will hold the drill in place for drilling.The drill can also be rotated on the base.

Pneumatic Drill

This drill is powered by compressed air from an air hose. Can be useful when there is no electricity.

Twist Drill Bit

This is a bit used to drill wood and plastics at high speeds or to drill metal at lower speed.

Corded Drill/Electric Drill

This is a power drill that gets their power from AC wall.

Cordless Drill

This is a power drill that gets their power from DC battery source and usually contains a rechargeable battery pack that runs the motor.

Chuck

This is the mechanism on a drill that holds the bit.

Pavement Breaker or Jackhammer

This large scale demolition jack is frequently used in construction such as tearing down brick and concrete walls and breaking up concrete or pavement.

Pneumatic nailer

This nail gun is driven by compressed air traveling through air lines connected to an air compressor.

Power Miter Saw

This saw combine a miter box with a circular saw to produce accurate cuts.

Reciprocating Saw or Sawsall™

This saw is designed for more heavy duty jobs such as demolition work.

Burr bit

Used for cutting, shaping, grinding and for the removal of sharp edges, burrs and excess material (deburring).

Portable Handheld Bandsaw

Uses a continuous blade that runs around two wheels. Mostly used to cut metals and pipes.

Hydraulic jack

Uses force generated by liquid pressure to lift heavy loads. They are commonly used in the industrial and automotive industries.

Abrasive

A substance, such as sandpaper, that is used to wear away material.

Direct Current (DC)

An electric power supply where the current flows in one direction only. DC power is supplied by batteries and by transformer-rectifiers that change AC power to DC.

Bench grinder

Benchtop type of grinding machine used to drive abrasive wheels.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Equipment that should be worn to keep workers safe while using tools and doing jobsite tasks.

Reciprocating

Moving backward and forward on a straight line.

Band saw

One continuous band of flexible steel available in different sizes used for cutting wood or metal.

Kerf

The channel created by a saw blade passing through the material, which is equal to the width of the blade teeth.

Alternating Current (AC)

The common power supplied to most all wired devices, where the current reverse it's direction may times per second. AC power is the type of power supplied through a wall outlet.

Arbor

The end of a circular saw shaft where the blade is mounted.

Revolutions per minute (rpm)

The rotational speed of a motor or shaft, based on the number of times it rotates per minute.

Shank

The smooth part of a drill bit that fits into the chuck.

Angle Grinder

These grinders are used to grind away hard, heavy materials and for grinding surfaces, such as pipe, plates, or welds.

Powder-Actuated Fastening Tool guns

These guns are used to drive various fasteners into concrete and structural steel.The gun ignites blasting powder to drive fasteners into tough material.

Circular Saw

These power saws are designed to cut lumber and boards to size for a project. They are powered by both AC and DC and have a blade mounted to an arbor.

Saber Saws or Jig Saws

These saws have very fine blades, which makes them great tools for doing delicate and intricate work, such as cutting out patterns or irregular shapes from wood or thin, soft metals. They are also one of the best tools for cutting circles.

End/Detail Grinder

These smaller grinders are used to smooth the inside of materials such as pipe.