While most animals utilize simple tools, only humans, who have been using stone tools for hundreds of years, have been able to use tools to create other types of tools. Examples of basic tools include scissors, pliers, screwdrivers, air tools, wrenches, drills, and ratchets. Each of these tools has a particular function and there are also many different types of each of these tools.

 

These different types of tools can be categorized into two general groups. Those tools are classified as hand tools and those tools are classified as mechanical tools. The hand tools include knives, scissors, pliers, and screwdrivers. Knives are used to cut or carve wood. Scissors can be used to cut paper or fabric and pliers are used to pulling strings, lift and lower items, and pry. A wrench is used to tighten or loosen fittings and there are multi-purpose tools such as the pliers, which can perform many jobs.

 

The mechanical tools include the axel, which is the main component of the wheel, and the lever, which enables rotation of the wheel and is often used interchangeably with the screwdriver. There are also wedge tools and ratchets. A wedge is a tool that allows you to get under a piece of furniture or another heavy object without budging it up. A ratchet is also a tool that allows for rotating motion and acts similarly to a screwdriver.