ASVAB Shop Information

Micrometers

Can measure down to thousandths of an inch, so you can use them when you need to precisely measure the thickness of a flat object or the outside diameter of a cylinder

Outside Calipers

Measure the external size of an object

Inside Calipers

Measure the internal size

Gauges

Measure depth and thickness

Depth Gauges

Measure the depth of holes

Thickness Gauges

Measure the thickness of small gaps

Thread Gauges

Measure the thickness of small gaps

Wire Gauges

Measure the thickness of a wire

Levels

Show whether a horizontal surface is true. A torpedo level has one or more small tubes filled with a liquid (like alcohol) and an air bubble. If the level is placed on a surface and the bubble remains exactly in the center of the tube, the surface is level. When you need to measure trueness across a plane, like a tabletop, you use a bullseye level.

Square

Check the trueness of an angle. Because more squares have a rule you can use them for measuring. Square have long (blades) and short arms (tongues). The two arms meet at a right angle.

Sliding T-bevel

Has an adjustable blade so you can check different angles

A plumb bob

A heavy weight that is suspended from a line that indicates vertical trueness

Hammer

Made of medal and has a handle, head, a face, a claw, and a wedge

Mallet

Made of metal or plastic but can be made of wood of rubber. Used to strike another tool or surface without damaging it. No claw

Sledge

Generally made of metal. Used to drive bolts and chisels to break rock. No claw

Stapler

Hand-held fastening tool that drives U-shaped metal staples into materials like wood, drywall, fabric, and plastic to secure coverings, insulation, housewrap, cable, and crafts. Heavy-duty ones can staple roofing felt to a roof

Wrenches

Turn nuts and bolts, and can be used to keep them stationary. Fits between the jaws of this tool and turns the bolt. Some have adjustable jaws. Open-end wrenches have open jaws. Box wrenches are closed

Socket wrenches

Have box-type sockets of varying sizes that can be attached to a handle, which in turn can be attached to an extension

Torque wrenches

Apply measured leverage to a fastener. Looks like a socket wrench but has additional internal mechanisms designed to measure and limit the amount of torque being applied

Pipe wrenches

Have serrated jaws and grip round objects

Screwdrivers

Turn screws

Flathead screwdriver

Screwdriver with a flat tip at one end of the shank

Phillips screwdriver

Screwdriver that has a tip that is shaped like a cross; this tip fits into a cross-shaped Phillips screw head

Allen wrench

Type of screwdriver that fits hexagonal screw heads. It’s used on hexagonal screws. Sometimes called a hex key

Offset screwdriver

Screwdriver that has the shank set at an angle to the blade to allow the tool to be used in cramped spaces. Can have a standard blade, Phillips blade, or any number of other blades

Pliers

Can be used to fasten and unfasten fasteners, hold objects, and cut material. When the handles are squeezed, the jaws of this tool come together. Also a clamping tool

Long-nosed or needle-nosed

A type of plier with tapered jaws that can hold small objects or fit into small spaces

Curved nose

A type of plier with curved jaws

Slip-joint

Can be adjusted so the jaws of a plier open wider

Wrench and vise-grip

Type of plier with serrated jaws that clamp onto and hold objects of all shapes. Adjustable and can lock into a closed position

Soldering

The process that joins metals together by bonding a metal alloy between two surfaces. Soldering irons and soldering guns are the tools necessary for melting metal alloy and are electrically powered. You can solder two objects together with temperatures less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit because you are only melting the bonding alloy. The amount of lead in a solder determines how hot your iron or gun needs to be since more lead means a lower melting temperature

Welding

Process that creates incredibly strong joints. Rather than melting a metal alloy to use like glue, welding involves melting the base of metal of two surface you want to join and it requires a very high temperature depending on the type of metal being joined. The two major types of this process are oxyacetylene and electric arc

Oxyacetylene welding

Welding that requires a torch fueled by oxygen and acetylene, which burns hot enough to melt steel and other iron-based metals

Electric-Arc

Type of welding that uses electrically generated heat. Different forms are MIG, TIG, and stick

Cutting Tools

Use sharp blades to cut through metal, wood, or other materials. Cutting tools have teeth—and the number of teeth indicates the type of work the saw/cutting tool can do. A saw with fewer teeth is for rough work, like cutting wood to a size. A saw with more teeth cuts more finely and is used for more delicate work like sawing joints, and lightweight pieces of wood for molding in a house

Bolt-cutters

Heavy-duty shears that produce enough force when the handles are closed to slice through metal bolts, chains, or rods

Circle snips

Used to cut curves

Coping saws

A type of handsaw that’s used to cut curved lines or shape

Crosscut saw

A type of handsaw that cuts against the grain of the wood; the shape of the teeth and the angle in which they’re set different from other types of saws

Hacksaw

When this kind of tool is designed to cut metal, it has an adjustable frame that holds thin blades of varying length in place

Pipe cutters and tube cutters

Used to score and cut metal pipes and tubes 

Ripsaw

A type of handsaw that cuts with the grain of the wood; the shape of the teeth and the angle in which they’re set sets this cutting tool apart from others 

Snips and shears 

Have two cutting blades that scissor together when the handles close; the blades can be curved or straight

Twist Drill

This kind of drill used a drill bit with a twisted body (spiral). Can be a power drill or a hand drill operated manually with a crank

Countersink

A drill bit that enlarges just the surface of a hole so a screw head can be accommodated. Allows the top of a fastener to be set flush with or below the material to which it’s attached. If a fastener is slightly protruding from a material to which it’s been attached, a countersink is required

Auger bits

Bore larger holes and shaped differently and much bigger than drill bits. They have a long, deep spiral flute for easy chip removal. Most commonly used with a brace for drilling holes in wood. Average length varies from 7-10 inches. Larger variants are used to dig holes in the ground when attached to large machinery

Punches

Have a sharp end that’s placed against the material to be punctured; the other end is struck with a hammer. A center punch is used to mark where a drilled hole is to be placed’ this keeps the drill bit in position and prevents the drill bit from wandering to another part of the material during the first few rotations

Chisels

Made of steel and have a sharp cutting edge. They’re used to chip or cut metal or wood. Because they are used with other tools and the pressure of your hands, caution is required since they can easily cut large chunks out of your skin with one slip

Metal-cutting chisels

Chisels that cut metal are usually struck with a hammer to make the cut. These chisels have different shapes depending on how they’ll be used; cold chisels are flat, and they’re used for cutting metal without using heating torches or forges, whereas round chisels make circular cuts

Wood-cutting chisels

Come in many different shapes depending on what they’re used for. Some have short blades and are used for in-close work (butt chisels), mortising chisels have narrow blades made for chiseling out the narrow mortises to create joints. A framing chisel has a heavy, strong blade meant for rough work. The one’s called socket chisels are struck with a mallet. Other kind of this chisel require only the pressure of your hands.

Finishing tools

These shop tools are used to sharpen the blades of other tools and to smooth the edge of cut objects. Files come in a range of coarseness, and the blades can cut in different patterns. Files also come in different shapes to finish different kinds of objects.

Single-cut files

Used for finishing work and sharpening blades

Double-cut files

Used for rough finishing work

Flat and hald-round files

Used for general purpose finishing

Square and round files

Fit square and round opening during finishing

Planes

A type of finishing tool used to prepare wood for final finishing, to fit doors and trim, and to create flat surfaces for furniture. A body or frame has two handles: a handle to push with and a knob to guide with. It has four parts: a blade or iron, a chip breaker, a lever cap, and a frog, which is used to hold the blade. Bench ones are used to smooth surfaces. Longer ones give a more uniform surface by shaving off a portion of the wood

Planer

A larger machine that takes the same concept of planing and allows you to create a flat surface on a board by using several blades attached to a roller

Clamping tools

Used to hold or fasten objects securely so they won’t move while you’re working on them

Vises

Hold material while it’s being sawed, drilled or glued. Generally attached to a workbench

Bench vise

A bench vise has large, rough jaws that keep material from slipping

Pipe vise

Hold round material or pipes

Hand-screw vise

A hand screw vise has two hard, wooden jaws connected by two long screws. The screws are tightened to bring the jaws of the hand screw vise together

Clamps

Used when a vise doesn’t/won’t work. Generally only connect to the items being worked with

C-clamps

Consist of a cast-iron “C” frame and a screw that moves back and forth to open and shut the clamp

Bar clamps

Hold material together that can measure several feet wide

Nails

Type of fastener used to hold pieces of wood together. The head of it is flat, and the shank is usually round. Preferable to screws for structures that need some flex, like the frame of a house, because they bend more. Length is designated by the penny system which is abbreviated with a d. A ten-penny fastener is 10d. Length and thickness generally correspond. The higher the penny size, the longer the fastener. If they are longer than 20d, they are called spikes and measured in inches.

The penny system

Used in the U.S. Originates from the price of 100 nails in the 15th century in England

Brads and finishing nails

Have heads that are made to fit flush with or slightly below the surface of the wood

Common nails

The most commonly used nails

Double-headed nails

Type of nail that have two heads, one lower than the other, and a point on the other end. It is driven to the lower head but can be pulled out of the material because of the remaining higher head. Used for temporary construction that will be taken apart

Screws

A threaded fastener that can be driven directly into a material to hold parts together without needing a nut. Unlike nails, they can be easily taken out of wood without causing additional damage.

Wood screws

Used to fasten wood

Lag screws

Have square or hexagon-shaped heads and are used for large projects

Bolts

Don’t thread into wood. They have flat ends as opposed to the pointed end of screws. Held in place by a nut and washer. Can be easily taken out of wood without causing additional damage to the wood, unlike nails

Machine screws

Used to fasten metal parts. Sometimes used with nuts and come in various lengths and widths and have a wide variety of heads