This document provides an overview of common hand tools used for fastening, gripping, and clamping in construction. It describes hammers, screwdrivers, C-clamps, F-clamps, pipe clamps, pliers, vise grips, box end wrenches, pipe wrenches, socket wrenches, and adjustable wrenches. For each tool, it outlines the basic purpose, components, and applications in construction.

1. Unit Two: Construction Tools, Tool Use and Tool Safety Introduction to Hand Tools: Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools

2. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Hammer The hammer is one of the most common and one of the oldest household and building trades tools. A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head, with most of the weight in the head. On a framing hammer, the straight claw serves the dual purpose of removing nails and acting as a crow bar to pry apart (rip) lumber.

3. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Screwdrivers A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and rotating other machine parts with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver. A typical hand screwdriver comprises an approximately cylindrical handle of a size and shape to be held by a human hand, and a shaft fixed to the handle, the tip of which is shaped to fit a particular type of screw. The handle and shaft allow the screwdriver to be positioned and supported and, when rotated, to apply torque. Screwdrivers are made in a variety of shapes. In the building trades, it is particularly important to understand the difference between the tips of the screwdrivers; especially Phillips and Robertson.

4. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:C- Clamps A C-clamp is a type of clamp device typically used to hold a wood or metal work piece, and are often used in, but are not limited to, carpentry and welding. These clamps are called "C" clamps because of their C shaped frame

5. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:F- Clamps An F-clamp, also known as a bar clamp or speed clamp, is a type of clamp. The name comes from its "F" shape. The F-clamp is similar to a C-clamp in use, but has a wider opening capacity. This tool is used in woodworking while more permanent attachment is being made with screws or glue or glue, or in metal working to hold pieces together for welding or bolting.

6. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:F- Clamps pipe clamp is a type of clamp used in woodworking. It is made of commercially manufactured clamp heads or "jaws" and a length of common threaded pipe. A common use of pipe clamps in woodworking is for edge gluing or laminating; several boards being joined edge to edge to produce a wider surface such as a table top or cabinet components.

7. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, for cutting, bending or physical compression. Generally, pliers consist of a pair of metal levers joined at a fulcrum positioned closer to one end of the levers, creating short jaws on one side of the fulcrum, and longer handles on the other side. This arrangement creates a mechanical advantage, allowing the force of your handgrip to be amplified and focused on an object. The jaws can also be used to hold or move objects too small or unwieldy to be manipulated with your fingers.

8. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Vice Grips Locking pliers or Vise-Grips are pliers that can be locked into position. One side of the handle includes a bolt that is used to adjust the spacing of the jaws, the other side of the handle (especially in larger models) often includes a lever to push the two sides of the handles apart to unlock the pliers. "Vise-Grip" is the business name of a brand of locking pliers. Locking pliers are available in many different configurations, such as needle-nose locking pliers, locking wrenches, locking clamps and various shapes to fix metal parts for welding.

9. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Box End Wrench A wrench is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects, such as nuts and bolts or keep them from turning. A Box End Wrench is a one-piece wrench with an enclosed opening that grips the faces of the bolt or nut. The opening is generally a six-point or twelve-point opening for use with nuts or bolt heads with a hexagonal shape. The twelve-point fits onto the fastening at twice as many angles, an advantage where swing is limited. Eight-point wrenches are also made for square-shaped nuts and bolt heads.

10. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Pipe Wrench A pipe wrench is a tool with self-tightening properties and hardened, serrated jaws that securely grip soft iron pipe and pipe fittings. Sometimes known by the original patent holder's brand name as a Stillson wrench.

11. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Socket Wrench A socket wrench has a hollow cylinder that fits over one end of a nut or bolt head. It may include a handle, if it does not then it is often just referred to as a socket and is usually used with various drive tools to make it a wrench such as a ratchet handle. It generally has a six-point, eight-point or twelve-point opening to fit over a bolt or nut and may have either a shallow socket or deep socket.

12. Fastening, Gripping and Clamping Tools:Adjustable Wrench A type of wrench with a movable jaw that adapts the tool to different sized objects. Often called a “monkey wrench”.