TOOLS.

The implements described hereafter are called “hand-tools” to distinguish them from machine-tools.A portable toolis a tool or machine-tool which can be taken from place to place, for example a riveting machine.

Fig. 610.

Tool, the word, comes probably from toil, signifying the thing with which one toils or labors, a hammer, file or wrench; a tool never ceases to be a tool,i.e., something which is applied directly to the work; generally tools in machine practice cut, abrade, like a file, or strike—as a hammer; a tool is that which is brought to bear directly on the work; again, it is any implement used by a craftsman at his work; it is any instrument employed for performing, or aiding to perform, mechanical operations by means of striking, penetration, separation, abrasion, friction, etc.

Again in practical mechanics the word tool has a restrictive meaning; a single device, as a chisel, crowbar or saw, or a very simple combination of moving parts, as tongs, shears, pincers, etc. These latter for manual use, are always called tools, although embodied in the strict technical definition of machine.

Such machines as are used in shaping materials in the construction of the parts of other machines, and also many of those which perform work, such as boring, planing, riveting, etc., formerly only done by hand, and still performed manually to a greater or less extent, are nearly always called machine tools; the term, engine tool, is more in accord with general usage when referring to large and complicated machines.

It is by his knowledge of the application of hand-tools and their practical use, that the pump attendant is judged by those around him.The skillful mechanic, who with many others, constructs a machine, may be neglected, but one who skillfully operates the apparatus, seldom fails of due credit and reward, hence these paragraphs are intended to emphasize the importance of these more humble implements.

Fig.610representsa pipe cutter—a hand tool specially used for cutting of wrought iron, steel or brass pipe. This tool consists of a cast steel body, tapped in one end to receive the adjusting screw or handle which also serves to rotate the tool when applied to a pipe. The cutting is generally effected by a hardened cast steel cutter with cutting edges having angles of about 60° like a V thread; an enlarged form of this cutter is shown in the engraving.

Fig. 611.

Fig.611showsa ratchet drill; this is a tool in which the rotary motion of the drill is derived from a ratchet and pawl actuated by a lever or handle. There are various forms of this class of tools. This one is the “Packer ratchet.” The thread for adjusting or feeding the drill is protected from chips and dirt by a sleeve which covers the shank.

The center is of tempered tool steel as well as the ratchet and pawl. The socket is usually made square.

In cutting larger sizes of pipessometimes a special cutting-tool is introduced in place of the circular cutter to accomplish the more difficult work; in shop practice it is customary to cut the large sizes of pipe in a lathe or screwing machine.

Fig. 612.

Fig. 613.

Fig. 614.

The three tools shown on this page are designed to prepare the pipe for the reception of the threaded end of the pipe to be joined. The upper one, Fig.612, isa reamerused to enlarge a hole, or to round up one that has been drilled or cut with a chisel, to prepare it for tapping. The lower, Fig.614, isthe tapwhich cuts the thread. The middle, Fig.613, is acombined drill and tapwhich is operated by a ratchet and is used to drill and tap a holein water pipe, etc., at one operation.

“Tapping” is the process by which the thread is formed in the interior of a hole, and is done with a tap;screwingis the reverse process by which the thread is formed on the outside of a cylindrical surface, as a pipe or round bar of iron.

A tap consists of an external screwof the required size, formed of steel and more or less tapered, part of the thread being cut away by longitudinal grooves in order to present a series of cutting edges. By screwing into a nut in the manner of an ordinary bolt this tap forms the thread required.

Plug-tapsare usually made in sets of three. The first, calledthe entering tapor taper tap, generally tapers regularly throughout its length; the second, orintermediate tap, sometimes tapers, but is usually cylindrical with two or three tapering threads at the end; the third, called the plug-tap orbottoming-tap, is always parallel, with the full thread carried to the end.

Fig. 615.

Fig. 616.

Fig.615showsa crow. This is used to hook underneath a pipe and to support and feed a ratchet drill in cutting a hole. The sliding head is fastened by a double ended gib key which secures it in any desired position.A swivel bench viseis shown in Fig.616. This tool has cast steel jaws with a wrought iron slide and is attached to the bench with a screw so that it may be turned in any position.

A pipe viseis shown in Fig.617. This is mounted on a journal bearing so that it may be clamped in any position from a horizontal to a perpendicular.

Fig. 617.

The pipe vise is especially a bench tool; it is designed to “grip” pipes of various sizes while they are being threaded, cut off or otherwise operated upon.

A parallelor ordinary bench vise will only grip a pipe on two opposite sides, and, if tightened, the strain will easily collapse it, owing to its hollow form; but a pipe vise is so made that it presses upon four points, as the jaws or holding portions are formed V shaped, instead of parallel.

Some pipe vises are formed of two pivoted discs instead of jaws, having semicircles or recesses, which fit all diameters of pipes up to two inches, and bear on the outside of the pipe all around.

It is an improvement to have the upper portion of the vise hinged at one side, and fixed with a pin or collar at the other, as by opening the jaws it renders more convenient the removal or insertion of the pipe to be operated upon.

The upper Fig.618on page 342 represents an indispensable tool for cutting pipe threads by hand; one handle—of which there are two—is shown in the figure immediately beneaththe pipe stock and die, which is the familiar name of the combination. Theguardin the illustration is thrown open to allow thedieto be removed or exchanged. Fig.620represents the latter; solid steel dies are commonly used, butadjustable diesare made. Figs.621and622arebushingsto fit in the end of the stock to guide the pipe; there is one bushing for each size of pipe.

Fig.623shows anipple-holderwhich is used to hold short pieces of pipe by the thread upon one end, while the die is applied to cut a thread upon the other end. This tool is generally used in a pipe cutting machine, which is operated by power, but it can also be held in a common vise.

Note.—The die may be centered on the nipple described above byplacing in the die stocka guide bushing that will easily ride over the nipple holder. The thread can now be cut until the die just touches the nipple holder, and there will be practically no blank space between the threads on the ends. After the die has been backed off the nipple can be removed from the holder by unscrewing the center with a monkey wrench.A nipple holder should be made for each size of pipe that is cut and threaded by hand.A piece of pipe with a coupling on its end may be used as an improvised nipple holder.

Fig. 618.

Fig. 619.

Figs. 620-622.

Fig. 623.

Fig.624shows an extensionpipe tongs; this tool may be adjusted to fit a number of different sizes by manipulating the thumb screw, shown in the cut.

Fig. 624.

Fig. 625.

Fig.625represents theTrimo pipe wrench. This name is an abbreviation of the word Tremont from the street in Boston of that name. It is adjusted to its work by a milled nut in the pivoted jaw; the latter is brought into position at each stroke by a leaf spring attached to the main lever. In the larger sizes the steel jaws are removable or can be detached and replaced after being repaired. The lower engraving, Fig.626, is achain tongswith removable, tool-steel jaws. The hard scale on the piping rapidly destroys the sharp edges on these jaws so that they require frequent sharpening. The links of the chain have a peculiar hook form so that they cannot slip.

Fig. 626.

A spanner, shown in Fig.627, is a special form of wrench, which circles or spans around; generally used for twisting a circular-shaped portion, provided with holes in its circumference.

Fig. 627.

Fig. 628.

Screw or monkey-wrenchesare those which have a movable jaw, so that the tool may be adjusted to fit any sized nut within its compass; as shown in Fig.628. There are many designs of monkey-wrenches. The one here represented is known as the “knife-handle” on account of the identical construction of the handle of this wrench and that of a pocket knife. It is strong and the shank is extra heavy so that it is hardly possible to spring the jaws in fair use.

Fig. 629.

An interchangeable socket wrenchis shown in Fig.629. The handle is much like a ratchet drill, having a pawl and ratchet wheel attached to the sockets; these are for use upon varioussizes of hexagon or square heads, as represented by figures underneath the handle. Some of these socket wrenches have forms of steel for insertion into the hole in the ratchet by which different shaped and sized bolt heads and nuts may be turned without changing the main socket.

The word wrenchwhich gives this term to the tools here described is one of the strong words of the English language; wrench means, primarily, “a violent twist or turn given to something,” hence, as derived, almost any instrument that causes a twist or torsional strain comes under this heading. A wrench is a tool used by hand to turn or rotate other tools, nuts or bolts.

A wrench is specially designated according to its shape and of the jaws or openings, as an open-end box-wrench, etc. If the opening is through one end, it is termeda single-ended wrench; if it is in the middle,a double-endedor tap-wrench. If the recess is open, it is termedan open-ended wrench; if closed, forming a square or hexagon opening through the metal,a box-wrench. A solid wrench having a notched angular recess in its end, so that any nut or bolt which will enter the jaws can be grasped, is calledan alligator-wrench.

The hammerwas probably the first tool used by mankind; hammers of stone are found among the remains of antiquity, and these are still in common use among barbarous races. The hammer is made in such a variety of forms that it is almost impossible to classify it; it is named not only for the use to which it is put, but after the trade-class which uses it, as the machinist hammer, the blacksmith-hammer, etc.

The hammer is made of high-grade steel, carefully tempered head and peen; the head is usually made cylindrical with slightly rounding face; the eye of the hammer is the center opening through which the handle is inserted. The peen of a hammer is the opposite end to the face, and terminates in a rounded or wedge-shaped point.

Note.—In its usethe hammer should be grasped near the end of the handle, giving it a free arm swing, and carrying the head through a nearly vertical plane. If the plane of the swing approaches a horizontal the weight of the hammer will produce a twisting effort on the fore-arm, which will be very tiresome.The handle should be grasped with only sufficient force to safely control the blow.

Fig. 630.

Fig. 631.

Fig. 632.

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