Humans' ability to make and use tools has helped us to secure the top spot in our planet's food chain. Starting out with simple, unaltered bones and rocks and progressing to the massive supercomputers and industrial machinery we use today, tools are an inescapable necessity to human life, whether we're building a home in Australia or doing windows and doors installs. Tools are divided into the following subtypes by their function:
Cutting
Have you ever sliced a carrot? Pinched off the end of a wire? Drilled a pilot hole in a piece of wood? Then you've used a cutting tool. Cutting tools are designed to separate portions of a material from the whole, and usually are made out of a stronger material than what's meant to be cut. You can have manual cutting tools, such as simple wire cutters, or you can have power (usually electric) cutting tools.
Moving
Have you ever operated the hydraulic lift in an auto body shop such as at Fix Auto in northwest London Ontario? Used a hammer to pound in a nail? Written your name with a pen? Then you've used a moving tool. Moving tools are designed to transfer a material from one place to another place, whether it be ink onto a page or spacecraft to another planet. The infamous wheel is a type of moving tool.
Transforming
Have you ever cooked a turkey in an oven? Melted metal with a blow torch? Used spray cleaner to dissolve a stain? Then you've used a transforming tool. Transforming tools are designed to change the chemical or physical state of a material. Some use temperature to achieve the change while others use reactive chemicals.
Guiding
Have you ever traced a line with a ruler? Gauged your height with a measuring tape? Navigated your way home with a compass? Then you've used a guiding tool. Guiding tools are designed to help you achieve accuracy in your projects, whether it's installing doors and windows or simply finding your way to the grocery store.
Shaping
Have you ever poured cake batter into a pan? Made play dough figures in a mould? Planed a piece of wood to fit your door frame? Then you've used a shaping tool. Shaping tools are designed to do exactly what their names suggest: alter the shape of a material, either for aesthetic reasons (like carving a sculpture) or practical reasons (like bending metal to create ductwork).
Fastening
Have you ever glued macaroni to a piece of paper? Soldered connections in a circuit with a soldering iron? Zippered up the fly on your Levi's jeans? Then you've used a fastening tool. Fastening tools are designed to join two parts into one whole. Sometimes the two parts are made of the same material, sometimes not. This is one of the most common types of tool, used on everything from diapers to compression fittings.
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