Hand Tools and Bench Work

Non-cutting Hand Tools

1. Bench Vise
2. Hammers
3. Screwdrivers
4. Wrenches
5. Pliers

Cutting Hand Tools

1. Hacksaw
2. Files
3. Chisels
4. Scrapers
5. Hand Taps
6. Threading Dies
7. Hand Reamers
Hand Tools and Bench Work

Introduction
A machinist must be skilled in the use of the numerous hand tools, which have been
designed to make work easier. In addition to knowing how to use hand tools properly,
the machinist must also know the various types of tools available to do a particular
job, how to select the best type and and size for a given job, and how to care for and
store tools when not in use.
Hand tools may be divided into two classes: non-cutting and cutting tool types. Non-
cutting tools are basically used for holding, assembling and dismantling parts while
Cutting type tools involve bench work such as sawing, filing, scraping, reaming, and
tapping.
Types of Non-Cutting Hand Tools
1. Bench vise
- is used to hold small work securely for sawing, chipping,
filing, polishing, drilling, reaming, and tapping
operations. Vises are mounted close to the edge of the
bench; they permit long work to be held in a vertical
position. Vises may be made of a cast iron or cast steel.
The vise size is determined by the width of the jaw. The
machinist vise may be of the solid base or swivel base
type. The swivel base vise differs from the solid base
type by having a swivel plate added to the bottom of
the vise. This allows the vise to be swung in any circular
positions. When gripping finished work or soft
materials, use jaw caps made of brass, aluminum, or
copper to protect the work from being marred of
damaged.
Standard Parts of a Bench Vise
1. BASE
This is the part of a vise that holds it all together,
literally. The base of a vise is the part that is
secured to your bench. There are different types
of bases, however. Some bases are designed to
be clamped into place, while others are bolted
down. There are also vacuum and swivel bases
available for different purposes.
2. JAW
This is where the item you want to clamp is
placed. Depending on the scope of the job, the
jaws can be made of wood, plastic, or metal.
Take some precautions when clamping soft
materials: it may scratch, crack or break.
3. SLIDE
We mentioned the sliding jaw that applies the pressure when you turn the
handle; this is what that jaw is attached to. This is the part of the vise that moves
when the handle is turned, applying the pressure.

4. SCREW
This is where the magic of a bench vise happens. The force you
apply to the handle is converted to movement of the sliding jaw
toward the static jaw. This screw can be seen attached to the
handle and it’s the part that extends into the vise.

The main screw of a vise is extremely important. If a vise has a

main screw that wasn’t manufactured to spec or has flaws that
cause weaknesses, your vise won’t hold well at all. You’ll still be
able to apply pressure, but, with a bad main screw, it won’t
maintain the pressure you want.
5. HANDLE
There’s more engineering in the handle of a vise than you probably realize.
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I will move the
Earth.”

The principle of leverage allows you to transform a minimal force into an

unstoppable one. That’s exactly why the handle of a vise is a lever.

6. ANVIL
Part of the fixed body of an anvil (the part that is attached to your bench), this
gives you a place to do light shaping of materials. You can use it as a base to
hammer small objects like bent nails. This part is usually only found on
metalworking vises.
2. Engineer’s Hammers
There are many types of hammers used by the
machinist, the most common being the ball-peen
hammer. The larger striking surface is called the face,
and the smaller, rounded end is the peen. Ball peen
hammers are made in variety of sizes, with the head
masses ranging from approximately 2 ounces to 3 lbs.
The smaller sizes are used for layout work and the
larger ones are for general work. The peen is generally Ball-peen hammer
used in riveting or peening operations.

Soft face hammer are for use with soft metal such as
aluminum or with finished components where the
workpiece could be damaged if struck by an
engineer’s hammer, a range of hammers is available
with soft faces, usually hide, copper or a tough plastic Soft face hammer
such as nylon.
3. Screwdrivers
A screwdriver is a hand tool that is designed to turn screws. The shank is made
of steel set into a wooden or plastic handle. The blade is shaped or flattened to
fit recesses in the heads of screws or bolts. Screwdrivers are made in many
sizes.

Always select the screwdriver to suit the size

and type of head drive. Use of the incorrect
size or type results in damage to both the
screwdriver and the screw head, leading to a
screw that is very difficult to loosen or tighten.

There are a number of different head drives.

The four most common are slotted (flat),
Phillips (cross), Pozidriv and Torx
Common Types of Screwdrivers
• A Stubby screwdriver helps to start screws where space is
limited.
Stubby Screwdriver
• A Heavy-duty screwdriver is of average length but is
made with a heavy blade and a square shank. The
shape of the shank permits the use of a wrench to
assist in tightening a screw. Heavy (thick) material is
used so that the blade and shank will resist being Heavy-duty Screwdriver

twisted when a wrench is used.

• A Philips screwdriver is specially designed to fit the
heads of Philips screws. It differs from the other
screwdrivers in that the end of the blade is fluted
instead of flattened.
Philips Screwdriver
• A Double-ended offset screwdriver is used for turning
screws in awkward places where there is not enough
room to use a regular screwdriver.

• A Jeweler’s Screwdriver Precision screwdrivers

and jewelers screwdrivers are great for working on
Double-ended offset Screwdriver
small electronic devices. A great addition to any
electronic technicians toolbag.

Jeweler’s Screwdriver
4. Wrenches
Many types of wrenches are used in machine shop work each being suited for a
specific purpose. The name of the wrench is derived from either its use, its
shape or its construction. The more common types of wrenches are as follows:

• Open-end wrenches may be single-ended or

double-ended. The openings on these
wrenches are usually offset at a 15° angle to
permit turning the nut or bolt head in limited
Open-end wrench
spaces by “flopping” the wrench.

• Double-ended wrenches usually have a

different size opening at each end to
accommodate two different size bolt heads
or nuts. These wrenches are available in
both inch and metric sizes. Double-ended wrench
• Combination wrenches One side is a closed loop for
hexagonal or square nuts, while the other end is an
open U-shape. Used most often for difficult nuts, the
closed end loosens the nut so that the open end can be
used to quickly unscrew it. Combination wrench

• Box-ended 12 –point wrenches, completely surround

the nut and are useful in close quarters where only a
small rotation of the nut can be obtained at one time.
The box end has 12 precisely cut notches around the
inside face which fit closely over the points on the
outside of the nut. Because this wrench cannot slip
when the proper size is used, it is preferred over most
other styles of wrenches. The wrenches usually have a Box-ended wrench
different size at each end and are available in inch and
metric sizes.
• Socket wrenches are similar to box wrenches in that
they are usually made with 12 points and surround the
nut. These sockets are also available in inch and metric
sizes. Several types of drives, including ratchet and
torque wrench handles, are available for the various
sockets. When nuts or bolts must be tightened to within
certain limits to prevent warping, socket wrenches are Socket wrench with a
ratchet and torque handle
used in conjunction with a torque-wrench handle.

• Adjustable wrenches may be adjusted with in a certain

range to fit several sizes of nuts or bolt heads. This
wrench is particularly useful for odd-size nuts or when
another wrench of the proper size is not available.
Unfortunately, this type of wrench can slip when not
properly adjusted to the floats of the nut. This may
Adjustable wrench
result in injury to the operator and damage to the
corners of the nut.
• Hex key or Allen setscrew wrenches, commonly
called socket head setscrews. They are made of tool
steel and are available in sets to suit the wide
variety of screw sizes. The indicated size of the
wrench h is same as the distance across the flats of
the wrench. These wrenches are available in both
inch and metric sizes Hex key / Allen wrench

• Crowfoot wrench , these curious open-ended

wrenches have no handle. Instead, the single head is
designed to attach to a ratchet handle and socket
extension, allowing it to fit into very tight spaces.
They work great for handling bolts located deeper
on a machine’s body when you don’t want to Crowfoot wrench
remove nearby parts first.
Other Wrench Types
• Lug Wrench - This aptly-named tool is either “L”
shaped with a single socket opening at the end or a
large, “X” shaped design (also called a spider wrench)
with four sockets of different sizes. They are used to
tighten or loosen lug nuts on cars, earning them the
nickname of “wheel brace”.
• Pipe Wrench - This is the big brother of adjustable
wrenches, with a sturdier, F-shaped design. Used
mainly by plumbers on metal pipes and fittings, the
serrated jaws of this hefty tool can easily leave scratch
marks behind.
• Bung Wrench - the drum bung wrench (also called a
drum plug wrench) is a socket-style wrench. It was
designed specifically to remove the plastic or metal
bung (cap) on drums or
• Cone Wrench - Imagine an open-ended wrench after an
elephant steps on it and you’ll have a cone wrench. These
wide, flat wrenches are used on the cone portion of a cup and
cone hub. It’s mostly used for bicycles or adjusting the
leveling feet of washing machines, but sometimes employed
on other gentle projects where a normal open-ended wrench
is too thick.
• Dog Bone Wrench - Named after its bone-shaped appearance,
this wrench is also sometimes referred to as a dumb-bell
wrench. Each side of the two box-shaped ends has a different
socket size. These are used almost exclusively for bike
maintenance, although their ability to fit into small spaces has
occasionally made them useful elsewhere.
• Drum key - A square-holed socket wrench, a drum key has a
T-shape with flattened handles. As the name implies, it is
used to tune various percussion instruments, such as drums.
• Flare Nut Wrench - Sometimes referred to as a line
wrench, these are another hybrid of box and open
ended designs, The opening is just wide enough to fit
around a tube, but it still grips nuts like a box end.
These wrenches are especially useful on softer metals
prone to damage from open-ended wrenches, such as
those used in plumbing.
• Alligator Wrench - Once the big daddy of wrenches,
the alligator wrench was named due to the way it
gripped nuts. The top of the jaw is serrated, while the
bottom is smooth.
• Basin Wrench - This peculiar wrench has a long, T-
shaped handle ending in a curved, serrated jaw. Its
primary function is to loosen or tighten the fixtures
under sinks and toilets, resulting in it also being
known as a faucet wrench.
• Torque Wrench - This socket wrench is designed to
deliver a specific amount of torque without over
tightening. This amount can be calibrated,
and different types are available (including
manual, digital, and other variations). It’s most
commonly used for automotive work such as
tightening wheel lug nuts. A torque wrench can
also be used on bicycles, farming equipment, or
any instance where tightening a nut or bolt to a
specific torque specification which is usually set
by the manufacturer.
• Bionic Wrench - It’s a specialty wrench that has a
round opening and two handles similar to those
of pliers. When placed around the target head, the
two handles can be squeezed, causing the hole to
tighten and grip the head firmly, making this an
adjustable box-ended wrench.
5. Pliers
Pliers are useful for gripping and holding small parts for
certain machining operations (such as drilling small holes)
or when assembling parts. Pliers are made in many types
and sizes and are named by their shape, their function, or
their construction.
• Cutters – These surfaces are generally located close to the fulcrum
and are used for cutting wire and cables.
• Fulcrum (or Pivot Point) – Not only is this the place where the
handles and jaws connect, it also serves to create enough force for
the jaws to perform their duty.
• Handles – The part you hold. These can be straight or curved, and
the surface will wither be bare metal or plastic coated.
• Jaws (or Nose) – The working end of pliers are used primarily for
gripping. Combination pliers have jaws which also contain cutters
and/or pipe grips.
• Pipe Grips – A rounded opening in the jaws, pipe grips are
designed to do what the name implies, and are very useful for
gripping round objects. Parts of Pliers
Common Pliers
• Slip-joint pliers (known as water pump pliers) are
adjustable to grip both large and small work
pieces. They may be used to grip certain work
when small holes must be drilled or for bending
or twisting light, thin materials Slip joint plier

• Needle-nose pliers (known as long nosed pliers)

are available in both straight and bent-nose types.
They are useful for holding very small parts, for
positioning them in hard-to-get-at places, and for
Needle nose plier
bending or forming wire
• Diagonal cutters (known as diagonal cutting pliers,
flush cut pliers, side cutting pliers, wire cutters) are
used solely for cutting wire and small pieces of soft
metal. The jaws of these pliers have an angled edge Diagonal cutter
designed to cut through thick wire.
• Combination Pliers is a multipurpose tools have three
separate sections in the jaws. From the tip, the first
part is a serrated gripping surface. A round serrated
section behind this makes gripping tubes and other
thick round objects easier. Finally, the section closest
to the fulcrum contains a cutting surface. Often Combination cutter
mistaken for linesman pliers, the latter lacks a rounded
center section in the jaws.

• Vise-grip pliers provide and extremely high gripping

power because of the adjustable lever action. The
screw in the hand provides adjustment for various
sizes of work. This type of pliers is available in several
Vise grip plier
different styles such as standard jaws, needle jaws, and
C-clamp jaws.
• Tongue and Groove Pliers (known as Channel
Locks) These are an adjustable type of pliers with a
toothed groove along the upper handle, allowing
the lower jaw to be locked into a number of
positions. The angled jaws make this tool useful for Tongue and groove plier
turning nuts and bolts.

• Snap Ring Pliers (known as: retaining ring pliers,

circlip pliers, C clip pliers, lock ring pliers) These
pliers have short, round jaws to aid in closing snap Snap ring plier
rings. These rings are open-ended loops that fit into
grooves of a dowel or other round object. Once
closed, the ring can rotate freely, but is unable to
slide sideways. They are commonly used for the
gears on mountain bikes and similar vehicles.
Other Pliers
• Hose Clamp Pliers (known as: hose pliers, spring
clamp pliers, radiator hose pliers) These pliers are
designed to compress hose and spring clamps, making
the connection tighter. As a result, they come in a
wide range of designs. The most common models
have a peg-shaped tooth on each jaw, which is used to
pinch the clamp. Some models may also be used
directly on the hose.
• Bent Nose Pliers This variation of needle nose pliers has
a set of jaws that are bent at an angle at the midpoint
(most commonly 45 or 90 degrees). This allows them to
grip surfaces without getting in the way when multiple
pliers are needed or the angle is too difficult to reach
with normal needle nose pliers. As a result, they are
useful in jewelry making, electrical work, and other
occupations which deal with shaping wire.
 • Bail Making Pliers The jaws of this tool consist of
two dowels, one larger than the other. Used
primarily in jewelry making, wire is wrapped
around the jaws to form clasps, ear wires, and a
number of other shaped loop components.
• Battery Pliers Used primarily in the automotive
industry for maintaining the bolts on car batteries
and jumper cables, these pliers have short, angled
jaws. The lower jaw is slightly smaller, and both
jaws are thick to make them more durable.
• Brake Spring Pliers Another useful automotive tool, these
pliers are actually a multi-tool designed specifically for
handling the springs found in drum brakes. One jaw tip is
rounded for removing springs, while the other is curved
to put springs back in. Sometimes, one of the handles also
has a ratchet to remove the shoe hold-down pin.
• Crimping Pliers (known as crimping tools) These
pliers have the fulcrum at the far end and are used
similarly to a nutcracker. Wires are fed into the jack of
the jaw first, then the connector. Squeezing the handles
will break through the plastic coating and cause the
two sections to deform (or crimp) in such a way that
they stick together and allow data to pass through.
Crimping pliers are used heavily in networking and
telecommunications.
• Fencing Pliers This curious-looking multi-tool resembles
a hammer with two handles when looked at from above.
Notches in the fulcrum allow you to cut wires of different
gauges, while the side of the left jaw has a hammer
surface for driving in staples. The claw of the right jaw
can be used for removing staples, and the jaws
themselves contain a gripping surface and a rounded grip
hole.