Multi-tool

A multi-tool (or multitool) is any one of a range of portable, versatile hand tools that combines several individual functions in a single unit. The smallest are credit-card or key sized units designed for carrying in a wallet or on a keyring, but others are designed to be carried in a trouser pocket or belt-mounted pouch.

Historical

The idea of incorporating several tools in one small portable unit is very old, dating back at least as far as Middle Roman times. Many of these were based around eating.

Pocket knives

Among the earliest contemporary examples is the Swiss Army knife as supplied by makers Victorinox and Wenger. The actual version supplied to the Swiss army includes a knife blade, a reamer, a bottle-opener–screwdriver–wire stripper, and a can-opener–screwdriver. Besides Victorinox and Wenger, many other manufacturers now make similar knives.

Other versions may include items like a nail file, tweezers, folding scissors, a tooth pick, a magnifying glass, screwdriver bits and others. There are also versions that have special tools for specific sports or outdoor activities like golf, horseback riding, hunting or fishing. Versions intended for cyclists may have a selection of allen (hex) keys, a selection of wrenches, screwdrivers, a spoke key, and a chain-breaker.

Multi-tool (powertool)

Multi-tool is a common name for an oscillating Power tool powered by battery or mains. The name "multi-tool" is a reference to the many functions that this tool can perform with the range of attachments available. So far there are tools available to saw, sand, rasp, grind, scrape, cut and polish.

Use of an offset in a fitted blade allows the tool to cut flush with a surface. This is particularly useful when fitting flooring along a skirting board, cutting the skirting to allow the board to slide under for a neat finish. The small form of these tools and the ability to mount the blade/accessory in any orientation allows cutting in areas previously unreachable. The ability to cut a complex or precise recess without the need to remove the work piece from where is it fixed greatly increases productivity. Small and precise cuts are possible even on end grain, a small sliver can be easily removed from timber cut too long for a perfect fit.

The accessory is fitted to the tool by some mechanism which allows that accessory to be rapidly rotated back and forth (oscillated). This creates friction with the sanding attachments or rapid cutting motions with the saw and grinding attachments. The narrow angle of oscillation allows for precise control over the tool as it does not kick like a rotating tool can. The angle of oscillation creates increasing friction further from the center of the tool as these areas travel a greater distance. The increased friction is particularly apparent with the triangular sanding and grinding attachments which allow the operator to reach into corners and confined spaces, a feature unique to this type of power tool. The saw blade attachments use the angle of oscillation in the same way.

Tool

A tool is any physical item that can be used to achieve a goal, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. 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", "device," or "apparatus". The set of tools needed to achieve a goal is "equipment". The knowledge of constructing, obtaining and using tools is technology.

History

Anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the evolution of mankind. 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. 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.

Stone artifacts only date back to about 2.5 million years ago. However, a 2010 study suggests the hominin species Australopithecus afarensis ate meat by carving animal carcasses with stone implements. This finding pushes back the earliest known use of stone tools among hominins to about 3.4 million years ago.

Programming tool

A programming tool or software development tool is a computer program that software developers use to create, debug, maintain, or otherwise support other programs and applications. The term usually refers to relatively simple programs, that can be combined together to accomplish a task, much as one might use multiple hand tools to fix a physical object. The ability to use a variety of tools productively is one hallmark of a skilled software engineer.

The most basic tools are a source code editor and a compiler or interpreter, which are used ubiquitously and continuously. Other tools are used more or less depending on the language, development methodology, and individual engineer, and are often used for a discrete task, like a debugger or profiler. Tools may be discrete programs, executed separately – often from the command line – or may be parts of a single large program, called an integrated development environment (IDE). In many cases, particularly for simpler use, simple ad hoc techniques are used instead of a tool, such as print debugging instead of using a debugger, manual timing (of overall program or section of code) instead of a profiler, or tracking bugs in a text file or spreadsheet instead of a bug tracking system.

Tool (song)

"Tool" is a 7" single by Baboon that was released in 1993 on Silver Girl Records. Side A is 33rpm while side B is 45rpm.

The song "Tool" also appears on the band's first album, Face Down in Turpentine, though the album version is a different recording. The recording of "Tool" from this single also appears on the Get It Through Your Thick Skull compilation.

This version of the first b-side ("Why'd You Say Die?") is also on Face Down in Turpentine and Baboon's 1996 The Numb E.P..

Track listing

All songs by Baboon.

Personnel