Hand tool

A hand tool is any tool that is not a power tool – that is, one powered by hand (manual labour) rather than by an engine. Some examples of hand tools are garden forks, secateurs, rakes, hammers, spanners, pliers, screwdrivers and chisels. Hand tools are generally less dangerous than power tools.

Brief history

Hand tools have been used by humans since the stone age when stones were used for hammering and cutting. During the bronze age tools were made by casting the copper and tin alloys that the period is named after in clay moulds. Bronze tools were sharper and harder than those made of stone. During the iron age iron replaced bronze, and tools became even stronger and more durable. The Romans developed tools during this period which are similar to those being produced today. In the period since the industrial revolution, the manufacture of tools has transitioned from being craftsman made to being factory produced.

A large collection of British hand tools dating from 1700 to 1950 is held by St Albans Museums. Most of the tools were collected by Raphael Salaman (1906–1993) who wrote two classic works on the subject: Dictionary of Woodworking Tools and Dictionary of Leather-working Tools.