Imagine the Egyptian pyramids built without planning and measurements. You can’t, because there would be no pyramids today, just piles of rubble. Careful measurements were the key to the ancient Egypytians’ success. Many of the measuring tools they used —...
An impact driver and a hammer drill look like close cousins. Both are compact, equipped with a pistol grip, and have rotating chucks. Both are loud enough to wake the neighbors. But they couldn’t be more different. One specializes in brute-force persuasion —...
Have you ever tightened a nut with pliers? It sort of works until the nut strips. Reach for a wrench instead. The modern wrench emerged in the 1800s, alongside the rise of machine manufacturing and standardized hardware. Before that, blacksmiths and craftsmen often...
What does a dentist use to pull a tooth? Not a hacksaw, and not a hammer, but a pair of piers. Pliers are among humanity’s oldest hand tools. Historians trace their development to around 3.000 BCE in the Near East. The earliest pliers were made to handle hot...
If you drill, saw, or glue, chances are you’ll need a clamp to hold things steady. The simple iron clamping devices of medieval forges have morphed into more than 50 specialized types, each engineered for different purposes. The humble C-clamp traces its roots...
