The document discusses the functions of various carpentry tools. It describes how tools such as planes, chisels, sanding blocks, and saws are used to shape, cut, and smooth wood. It also explains how power tools like routers, jointers, planers, and power sanders now perform many of the tasks that were previously done by hand tools and help carpenters complete projects more efficiently.

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Functionsof Carpentry Tools
By Jay P. Whickson, eHow Contributor , last updated January 24, 2014
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When you have the right tool for the job, your task seems to complete itself. Through the years, tool
companies created special tools with specific carpentry jobs in mind. These carpentry tools, when
used properly, not only make the task easier but also do it with more accuracy for a cleaner, more
professional result.
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1. Types
o At one time, carpentersonly used hand tools. Some people still use only these, but the vast majority
of carpentersrely heavily on power tools. The hand toolsmost useful today are planes, sanding
blocks, bevels, T-squares, woodenmallets, chisels, gouges, bracesand hand saws. There are a
numerous typesof chisels, planes, bracesand gouges. Power toolshold a high place on the
carpenter’sbench. Routers, shapers, planers, belt sanders, drills, power saws of all varietiesand
drill presses are among the most prevalent.
Planes
o Planes remove bits of wood to create a decorative design, reduce the size of the wood, cut joints and
smooth the surface area. These handy tools came long before power tools. Carpentry planes are
usually either bench planes or block planes. The classificationof different benchplanes is by the
length. Fore, jack and smooth planes are all bench planes. The jack plane is the most prevalently
used. Bench planes are also still very usefuland popular for shaving a bit of wood away. The
carpenter slides the plane over the wood, and blades shave off bits of the wood to create the
appearance the carpenter desires. The job once done by the plane with the aid of a little elbow
grease is much easier when a router, jointer, power planer or belt sander takes over the task.
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Chisels
o Just like planes, chisels remove wood, but rather than shaving off a bit at a time, larger gouges in
the wood come from the chisel and gouger. Chisels and gougers were the tools early carpenters
used to create mortises and create designs by removing pieces of wood. Carpenters most frequently
use straight beveled-edge chisels. Chisels, V-edges and gougers look similar except the gouge has a
cup-shaped end, the V has a V blade and chisels have a straight blade. The final appearance of the
cut is what makes the difference which one youuse. The carpenter puts the bevelededge of a chisel
against the wood and strikesit with a wooden hammer to make a cut. He then removesthe chip
from the wood. Routers, jointers, shapers and power saws now do many of the same jobs that
chisels used to do.
Braces
o Clamps and braceshold the wood in place while the carpenter cuts and shapes it. Clamps brace two
boards together while glue to connect them dries. No matter how advancedscience and the craft of
carpentry becomes, clamps will always have a place in the wood shop.
Sanding Blocks
o Sanding blocksare nothing more than a way to hold sandpaper. Many carpentersmake their own
sanding blocksfrom a rectangle of wood and attach the sandpaper over the bottom. Ergonomically
designed blocksnow floodthe market to prevent stress and strain on the muscles and joints of the
hand. Rubber sanding blocksare also available for a more comfortable feel. Power sanders
dominate the field of sanding in carpentry, but there are always places that the power sander can't
reach. Small areas, recessesand final finishes are often the job of the sanding block.
Saws
o The handsaw was once the only optionfor the carpenter. Today, he has jigsaws, table saws, miter
saws, circular saws, band and reciprocatingsaws. Each of these is better for different typesof jobs,
but their functioncan overlapif the carpenter needs something cut right away. Jigsaws cut designs
and holes in thinner wood. Miter saws make mitered corners, circular saws are either table saws,
radial arms or portable and best used for straight cuts. Band saws and reciprocatingsaws are
versatile enough for most typesof cuts.
Routers, Jointers, Shapers and Planers
o Routers, jointers, shapers and planers all remove wood fromthe board’s surface, as mentioned
earlier. Jointers cut wood so youcan lay two boards together with a flat surface on each. It creates
joint-edged boards. Controversybetweenwhether the planer or the jointer is more important is
rampant among carpenters. These toolsboth create a flat surface. Routersand shapers create joints
like mortises and rabbets. They shape molding and create designs and fitting. The router is far
more practicalthan the shaper.
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For the American rock band, see Tool (band). For other uses, see Tool (disambiguation) and Equipment
(disambiguation).
A modern toolbox
A tool is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the
process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tool use
by humans dates back millions of years, and other animals are also known to employ simple tools.
Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such as "instrument",
"utensil", "implement", "machine", or "apparatus". The set of tools needed to achieve a goal is "equipment". The
knowledge of constructing, obtaining and using tools is technology.
Contents
[hide]
 1 History
 2 Functions
o 2.1 Tool substitution
o 2.2 Multi-use tools

9.  3 Use by animals
 4 Tool metaphors
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 External links
History[edit]
Prehistoric stone tools over 10,000 years old, found in Les Combarelles cave, France
Carpentry tools recovered from the w reckof a 16th-century sailing ship, the Mary Rose. From the top, a mallet, brace, plane,
handle of a T-auger, handle of a gimlet, handle of ahammer?, rule.
Stone and metal knives

10. An upholstery regulator
Main article: History of technology
Anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the evolution of mankind.[1]
Humans
evolved an opposable thumb — useful in holding tools — and increased dramatically in intelligence, which
aided in the use of tools.[2]
Because tools are used extensively by both humans and wild chimpanzees, it is
widely assumed that the first routine use of tools took place prior to the divergence between the two
species.[3]
These early tools, however, were likely made of perishable materials such as sticks, or consisted of
unmodified stones that cannot be distinguished from other stones as tools. The beginning of the Stone
Age marks the era when hominins first began manufacturing stone tools, and evidence of these tools dates
back at least 2.6 million years in Ethiopia.[4]
One of the earliest distinguishable stone tool forms is the hand axe.
Up until recently, weapons found in digs were the only tools of “early man” that were studied and given
importance. Now, more tools are recognized as culturally and historically relevant. As well as hunting, other
activities required tools such as preparing food, “…nutting, leatherworking, grain harvesting and
woodworking…” Included in this group are “flake stone tools".
Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to the top of the food chain; by
inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that human bodies could not, such as using a spear or bow
and arrow to kill prey, since their teeth were not sharp enough to pierce many animals' skins. “Man the hunter”
as the catalyst for Hominin change has been questioned. Based on marks on the bones at archaeological sites,
it is now more evident that pre-humans were scavenging off of other predator’s carcasses rather than killing
their own food.[5]
The transition from stone to metal tools roughly coincided with the development
of agriculture. Mechanical devices experienced a major expansion in their use in Ancient Greece and Ancient
Rome with the systematic employment of new energy sources.especiallywaterwheels. Their use expanded
through the Dark Ages with the addition of windmills.
Machine tools occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the industrial revolution. Advocates
of nanotechnology expect a similar surge as tools become microscopic in size.[6][7]
Functions[edit]
One can classify tools according to their basic functions:
 Cutting tools, such as the knife, scythe or sickle, are wedge-shaped implements that produce a shearing
force along a narrow face. Ideally, the edge of the tool needs to be harder than the material being cut or

11. else the blade will become dulled with repeated use. But even resilient tools will require
periodic sharpening, which is the process of removing deformation wear from the edge. Other examples of
cutting tools include gouges and drill bits.
 Moving tools move large and tiny items. Most are levers which give the user a mechanical advantage. For
example, concentrating-force tools: the hammer moves a nail, the maul moves a stake, or a whip moves
flesh on a horse. These operate by applyingphysical compression to a surface. In the case of
the screwdriver, the force is rotational and called torque. Writing implementsdeliver a fluid to a surface via
compression to activate the ink cartridge. Also grabbing and twisting nuts and bolts with pliers, aglove,
a wrench, etc. All these tools move items by some kind of force. Also trucks, rockets and airplanes move
larger items andparticle accelerators move very small items.
 Tools that enact chemical changes, including temperature and ignition, such as lighters and blowtorches.
 Guiding, measuring and perception tools include the ruler, glasses, set
square, sensors, straightedge, theodolite, microscope, monitor, clock,phone, printer
 Shaping tools, such as molds, jigs, trowels.
 Fastening tools, such as welders, rivet guns, nail guns, or glue guns.
 Information and data manipulation tools, such as computers, middleware, IDE, spreadsheets
Some tools may be combinations of other tools. An alarm-clock is for example a combination of a measuring
tool (the clock) and a perception tool (the alarm). This enables the alarm-clock to be a tool that falls outside of
all the categories mentioned above.
There is some debate on whether to consider protective gear items as tools, because they do not directly help
perform work, just protect the worker like ordinary clothing. They do meet the general definition of tools and in
many cases are necessary for the completion of the work. Personal protective equipment includes such items
as gloves, safety glasses,ear defenders and biohazard suits.
Tool substitution[edit]
Often, by design or coincidence, a tool may share key functional attributes with one or more other tools. In this
case, some tools can substitute for other tools, either as a makeshift solution or as a matter of practical
efficiency. "One tool does it all" is a motto of some importance for workers who cannot practically carry every
specialized tool to the location of every work task; such as a carpenter who does not necessarily work in a shop
all day and needs to do jobs in a customer's house. Tool substitution may be divided broadly into two classes:
substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose" use, and substitution as makeshift. Substitution "by-design" would
be tools that are designed specifically to accomplish multiple tasks using only that one tool.
Substitution as makeshift is when human ingenuity comes into play and a tool is used for its unintended
purpose such as a mechanic using a long screw driver to separate a cars control arm from a ball joint instead
of using a tuning fork. In many cases, the designed secondary functions of tools are not widely known. As an
example of the former, many wood-cutting hand saws integrate a carpenter's square by incorporating a
specially shaped handle that allows 90° and 45° angles to be marked by aligning the appropriate part of the
handle with an edge and scribing along the back edge of the saw. The latter is illustrated by the saying "All
tools can be used as hammers." Nearly all tools can be used to function as a hammer, even though very few
tools are intentionally designed for it and even fewer work as well as the original.
Tools are also often used to substitute for many mechanical apparatuses, especially in older mechanical
devices. In many cases a cheap tool could be used to occupy the place of a missing mechanical part. A
window roller in a car could easily be replaced with a pair of vise-grips or regular pliers. A transmission shifter
or ignition switch would be able to be replaced with a screw-driver. Again, these would be considered tools that

12. are being used for their unintended purposes, substitution as makeshift. Tools such as a rotary toolwould be
considered the substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose". This class of tools allows the use of one tool that
has at least two different capabilities. "Multi-purpose" tools are basically multiple tools in one device/tool. Tools
such as this are often power tools that come with many different attachments like a rotary tool does, so you
could say that a power drill is a "multi-purpose" tool because you can do more than just one thing with a power
drill.
Multi-use tools[edit]
Bicycle multi-tool
A Multi-tool is a hand tool that incorporates several tools into a single, portable device; the Swiss army
knife represents one of the earliest examples. Other tools have a primary purpose but also incorporate other
functionality - for example, lineman's pliersincorporate a gripper and cutter, and are often used as a hammer;
and some hand saws incorporate a carpenter's square in the right-angle between the blade's dull edge and the
saw's handle. This would also be the category in which the "multi-purpose" tools since they are also multiple
tools in one (multi-use and multi-purpose can be used interchangeably). These types of tools were specifically
made to catch the eye of many different craftsman who traveled to do their work. To these workers these types
of tools were revolutionary because they were one tool or one device that could do several different things.
With this new revolution of tools the traveling craftsman would not have to carry so many tools with them to job
sites, being that their space would be limited to the vehicle they were driving. The problem of having to deal
with so many different tools was solved with the overtaking of multi-use tools.
Use by animals[edit]

13. A Bonobo at the San Diego Zoo "fishing" for termites
Main article: Tool use by animals
Observation has confirmed that a number of species can use tools including monkeys, apes, elephants,
several birds, and sea otters. Philosophers originally thought that only humans had the ability to make tools,
until zoologists observed birds[8]
and monkeys[9][10][11]
making tools. Now the unique relationship of humans with
tools is considered to be that we are the only species that uses tools to make other tools.[12]
Tool metaphors[edit]
A telephone is a communication tool that interfaces between two people engaged in conversation at one level.
It also interfaces between each user and the communication network at another level. It is in the domain of
media and communications technology that a counter-intuitive aspect of our relationships with our tools first
began to gain popular recognition. Marshall McLuhan famously said "We shape our tools. And then our tools
shape us." McLuhan was referring to the fact that our social practices co-evolve with our use of new tools and
the refinements we make to existing tools.
See also[edit]
 Ergonomics
 List of timber framing tools
 List of tool-lending libraries
 Toolbank
 Toolmaker
The area of history and the social sciences comprises those disciplines by w hich w e read the stories of political,
psychological, and societal life. Courses in economics investigate such issues as globalization, the interaction of grow th and
social policy, and the glories and inequalities of capitalism. Others in anthropology, geography, political science, psychology,
public policy, science and technology, and sociology examine such subjects as death and dying, personality development,
and w omen in the Muslim w orld. Through focused study, students explore many sides of the human condition.
Anthropology
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The study of anthropology traditionally covers four “fields”: sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological
anthropology and archaeology. At Sarah Law rence College, w e concentrate on sociocultural and linguistic anthropology.

14. Behind almost every aspect of our lives is a cultural realm: a shared construction that shapes assumptions and determines
much of how w e perceive and relate to the w orld. Sociocultural anthropology is the study of that realm—its extent and its
effects. As students learn to approach, w ith an anthropological eye, w hat they formerly might have taken for granted, they
gain insight into how social forces govern the w ays in w hich w e relate to ourselves and each other: how w e use w ords, how
w e define ourselves and others, how w e make sense of our bodies, even how w e feel emotions. Through examining the
w ritings of anthropologists, view ing ethnographic films, and discussing these and other materials in seminar and conference
sessions, students develop a comprehensive and multipatterned sense of the cultural dimensions of human lives. By
studying the underpinnings of language, symbolic practices, race, gender, sexuality, policy and advocacy, medical systems,
cities, modernity, or social organization across a range of Western and non-Western settings, students come to understand
better how meaning is made. With seminar dynamics and content characteristic of graduate-level w ork, Sarah Law rence’s
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Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary field grounded in current approaches to the varied regions of Asia. Seminars and
lectures are offered on China, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Indonesia. Courses explore Asian cultures,
geographies, histories, societies, and religions. Visual and performing arts are included in the Asian Studies curriculum.
Faculty, trained in languages of their areas, draw on extensive field experience in Asia. Their courses bridge humanities,
social sciences, and global studies.
Students are encouraged to consider studying in Asia during their junior year. The Office of International Programs assists
students in locating appropriate opportunities. Recent Sarah Law rence College students have participated in programs of
study in India, China, and Japan.
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Economics
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At Sarah Law rence College, economics is not taught as a set of techniques for w orking in a static field but as an evolving
discipline. In the liberal arts tradition, Sarah Law rence students approach the study of economics by addressing issues in
historical, political, and cultural context. They analyze and evaluate multiple schools of thought as they relate to actual

15. situations, exploring from an economic perspective such topics as globalization, grow th and social policy, inequality,
capitalism, and the environment. Students w ho have focused on economics have gone on to become union organizers,
joined the Peace Corps, interned w ith United Nations agencies, gone to law school, and entered graduate programs in
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Environmental Studies
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Environmental Studies at Sarah Law rence College is an engagement w ith human relationships to the environment through a
variety of disciplines. Sarah Law rence’s Environmental Studies program is a critical component of a liberal arts education; it
is an intersection of know ledge-making and questions about the environment that are based in the humanities, the arts, and
the social and natural sciences. Sarah Law rence students seeking to expand their know ledge of environmental studies are
encouraged to explore the interconnections betw een disciplinary perspectives, w hile developing areas of particular interest
in greater depth. The Environmental Studies program seeks to develop students’ capacities for critical thought and analysis,
applying theory to specific examples from Asia, Africa, and the Americas and making comparisons across geographic
regions and historical moments. Courses include environmental justice and politics, environmental history and economics,
policy and development, property and the commons, environmental risk and the rhetoric of emerging threats, and cultural
perspectives on nature, as w ell as courses in the natural sciences.
Environmental Studies, in conjunction w ith the Science, Technology, and Society program, offers an annual, thematically
focused colloquium: Intersections: Boundary Work in Science and Environmental Studies. This series brings advocates,
scholars, w riters, and filmmakers to the College, encouraging conversations across the disciplines among students, faculty,
and guest speakers, as w ell as access to new ideas and lively exchanges. Students may participate in internships during the
academic year or in rural and urban settings across the country and throughout the w orld during the summer. Guest-study at
Reed College, the Council on International Educational Exchange, the semester in environmental science at the Marine
Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole), or other programs are available to qualified Sarah Law rence students. Vibrant
connections across the faculty mean that students can craft distinctive competencies w hile building a broadly based
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16. Geography is a fundamentally interdisciplinary field, often seen as straddling the natural and social sciences and
increasingly draw ing upon the arts and other forms of expression and representation. For these reasons, Sarah Law rence
College provides an exciting context, as the community is predisposed to w elcome Geography’s breadth and
interdisciplinary qualities. Geography courses are infused w ith the central questions of the discipline. What is the relationship
betw een human beings and “nature”? How does globalization change spatial patterns of historical, political, economic,
social, and cultural human activities? And how do these patterns provide avenues for understanding our contemporary w orld
and pathw ays for the future?
Tw o seminars are taught on a regular basis: Introduction to Development Studies: The Political Ecology of Development and
The Geography of Contemporary China and Its Place in a Globalizing World Economy. In addition, a lecture course, Food,
Agriculture, Environment, and Development, provides students an opportunity to investigate these issues and their
connections both in lecture and in group conference activities that include debates and special presentations.
As a discipline built on field study, students in Geography classes participate in field trips—most recently, for example, to
farming communities in Pennsylvania but also to Manhattan’s Chinatow n, w here students engage aspects of Chinese
culture in w alks through the community that expose the heterogeneity of China through food, art, religion, and language,
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The History curriculum covers the globe. Most courses focus on particular regions or nations, but offerings also include
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The study of politics at Sarah Law rence College encompasses past and present thinking, political and interdisciplinary
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How is pow er structured and exercised? What can be accomplished through w ell-ordered institutions? And how do
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springboards for stimulating inquiry. Rather than limit ourselves to the main subdisciplines of political science, w e create
seminars around today’s issues—such as feminism, international justice, immigration, and poverty—and analyze these
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other disciplines or texts, especially w hen looking at complex situations. Because w e see an important connection betw een
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Psychology—one of the largest programs at Sarah Law rence College—offers students a broad array of courses at all levels,
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sources and explore issues through discussion and research, often making important connections betw een psychology and
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Using the College’s resources—including a new Child Study Lab and a computer psychology laboratory—students design
and conduct experiments, analyze data, and post results. At the campus Early Childhood Center, students have the
opportunity to explore firsthand the development of young children by carrying out fieldw ork in classrooms for children ages
tw o through six and/or by carrying out research in the Child Study Lab located in the same building. The lab has a room
dedicated to conducting research, complete w ith one-w ay mirror and video and audio equipment. An adjacent room provides
space and equipment for students to view and transcribe videotapes, as w ellas to analyze the outcome of their research
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Fieldw ork placements w ith organizations in New York City and Westchester County, as w ell as in the College’s ow n Early
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Sarah Law rence College’s Public Policy program addresses the most pressing public policy issues of our time, including
promoting peace, protecting the environment, providing education and health services, and safeguarding human and
w orkers’rights. Supported by the College’s Office of Community Partnerships, students partner w ith unions, community
organizations, and legal groups in the New York City area as a required element of their coursew ork, gaining direct
experience that they can relate to theoretical issues. Students also participate in international fieldw ork, including at a labor
research exchange in Cuba, a health-care w orker conference in the Dominican Republic, a community organizing project to
help establish a medical clinic for residents of the impoverished community of Lebrón in the Dominican Republic, and a
study trip to the US/Mexico border area of El Paso/Juarez. This combination of study and direct experience exposes
students to various approaches to problems and builds an enduring commitment to activism in many forms.
DisciplineCoursesFaculty
Expand
Sociology
DisciplineCoursesFaculty
Class, pow er, and inequality; law and society (including drugs, crime and “deviance”); race, ethnicity, and gender issues;
and w ays of seeing—these are among the topics addressed by Sarah Law rence College students and professors in
sociology courses. Increasingly, social issues need to be—and are—examined in relation to developments in global politics
and economics. Students investigate the w ays in w hich social structures and institutions affect individual experience and
shape competing definitions of social situations, issues, and identities. Courses tend to emphasize the relationship betw een
the qualitative and the quantitative, betw een theoretical and applied practice, and the complexities of social relations rather
than relying on simplistic interpretations, w hile encouraging student research in diverse areas. Through reading, w riting, and
discussion, students are encouraged to develop a multidimensional and nuanced understanding of social forces. Many
students in sociology have enriched their theoretical and empirical w orkby linking it thematically w ith study in other
disciplines—and through fieldw ork.
DisciplineCoursesFaculty

19. Expand
In Depth
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Charles Paccione '13
As a pre-med student and violinist, Charlesispursuing all of hispassions: science, philosophy,Asian studies, and music. He isacti vely
engaged in anexcitingand original research project exploring thebenefitsof meditationin themedical field.
Abbie Heffelfinger
Economics and Sociology | Chapel Hill, NC
Among AbbieHeffelfinger’sgoalsfor the future: “working to create systemic change rather than placingband-aids.” At Sarah Lawrence, she
has acquired both academic knowledge andpractical experience to make that possible. “TheclassesI’ve taken have been about figuringout
how economic systemsand theorieswork in the real world,” she says. Referring to coursessuch as “Environmental Policy and
Development,” she describesherself as “obsessed with economics.” Other coursesand volunteer workhave given her hands-on exposure to
outreach. In “Poverty and Public Policy,” she had a service learning placementat A Different Start, an organization inYonkersthrough which
she mentored and tutored teen pregnant and parentingmothers. “It made the bookswe were reading very tangible,” she says.
Vera Kelsey-Watts
Economics and Public Policy | Wayland, MA
Diving head-onintoeconomicscourses, working as a resident adviser in campushousing, serving asa peer mentor, participating inStuden t
Senate, and advocatingwith theSLC Worker’s Justice group—all of these experienceshave prepared Vera Kelsey-Wattsto realize her
vision for a better world—and for her own future. “My immediateplanisto work for The Food Project, a nonprofit thatdoessustainable
agriculture andeducationaroundissuessuch as race, class, poverty, and justice.” Havingparticipated withthe organizationasa youth, she’ll
be returning asa program administrator. After that, she plansto apply for Marshall and Rhodesscholarshipsand pursue gradu atestudiesin
economics. “With an economicsdegree, I’m hoping to workwith progressive public policy thinktanks to make real and substantial changesin
monetary and fiscal policiesin the United States,” she says.
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 Environmental studiesprogram for educatorsto be offered August 4-8
 Center for the Urban River’s Rivertalks lecture seriesfeaturesHudson River enthusiasts

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