Hand and Power Tools

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 1 of 7 — Shop Information on the ASVAB

What the Shop Information subtest is

Shop Information (SI) checks whether you know tools, shop terms and shop practices: which tool does which job, how a tool is used safely and correctly, and what common shop materials and fasteners are for. You do not need to be a carpenter or a welder. Most questions reward knowing the job each tool was built for.

On the paper version of the test (a few MET sites) and on the high-school CEP paper test, Auto and Shop are combined into one Auto & Shop (AS) subtest of $25$ questions. Same content, one section.

Why SI matters if it is not in the AFQT

Your AFQT (the enlistment score) uses only Arithmetic Reasoning, Math Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. SI matters for job qualification. Your Auto and Shop results are combined into the AS score, and AS shows up in many mechanical line scores:

• Air Force M (Mechanical) $= \text{AR} + \text{MC} + \text{AS} + 2 \cdot \text{VE}$
• Marine Corps MM (Mechanical Maintenance) $= \text{AR} + \text{MC} + \text{EI} + \text{AS}$
• Navy MEC $= \text{AR} + \text{MC} + \text{AS}$ and Navy ENG $= \text{MK} + \text{AS}$
• Army MM (Mechanical Maintenance) is a weighted blend driven mostly by AS, MC and EI

If you want a job turning wrenches, fixing aircraft, running engines or building things, SI points are worth chasing. Cutoffs vary by job and change often, so ask your recruiter about the jobs you want.

Think in tool families

The fastest way to answer a tool question in $36$ seconds is to ask: what job is being done? Every hand tool belongs to a family named for its job.

Power tools do the same jobs faster: a circular saw cuts like a handsaw, a drill/driver bores holes and turns screws, a belt sander finishes like sandpaper.

What the questions look like

• Picture items: a drawing of a tool, and you name it or name its use.
• Best tool for the job: "Which saw cuts curves in thin wood?"
• Correct use: which way hacksaw teeth point, which hammer drives nails, how to read a tape.
• Safety and practice: why you unplug a saw before changing a blade.

The plan for this lesson

Materials, fasteners, wood, metal, welding and soldering get their own lesson, Materials, Fasteners and Shop Processes.

Warm-up 1. Use the figure. 🎯

Warm-up 2 and 3. No pictures this time. 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 1

• SI on the CAT-ASVAB: 10 questions in 6 minutes, about 36 seconds each
• On paper tests, Auto and Shop are one combined AS section
• SI is not in the AFQT, but the AS score feeds mechanical line scores (Air Force M, Marine MM, Navy MEC and ENG, Army MM)
• Sort every tool by its job: striking, turning, cutting, gripping, boring, finishing, measuring

Up Next: Part 2 — striking and turning tools: hammers, screwdrivers and wrenches.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 2 of 7 — Striking and Turning Tools

Hammers: match the hammer to what you are hitting

Every hammer has a face (the striking end) and something on the other end that tells you its job.

Worked example. A soldier is assembling a wooden frame with snug joints and does not want to dent the wood. The best choice is a mallet: its soft head spreads the blow.

Worked example. A metal-shop student needs to round over the end of a rivet. The rounded end of a ball-peen hammer is made for that.

Safety: Hammer faces are hardened steel. Never strike one hammer against another hammer or a hardened surface: chips of steel can fly off like shrapnel.

Name the hammer. Use the figure. 🎯

Screwdrivers: match the tip to the recess

Two rules the test likes:

1. Use the right size tip. A tip that is too small strips the screw head; too big and it will not seat.
2. A screwdriver is not a chisel or a pry bar. Hammering or prying on it bends the shank and chips the tip.

Read the screw heads. Use the figure. 🎯

Wrenches: grip the flats of a nut or bolt head

Worked example. A nut on a truck is rusted tight and its corners are already slightly rounded. A box-end wrench (or a six-point socket) is the best first try: it touches all six sides, so it is least likely to slip and round the nut further.

Worked example. A plumber needs to turn a length of threaded steel pipe. That round surface gives a regular wrench nothing to grip, so the job calls for a pipe wrench.

Good practice: Pull a wrench toward you instead of pushing it. If it slips, you lose balance less and keep your knuckles off the metal.

Two wrench ends. Use the figure. 🎯

Pick the tool for each job. 🔽

Correct use. 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 2

• Claw = nails; ball-peen = metalwork and rivets; sledge = heavy blows; mallet = no dents
• Match the screwdriver to the recess: slotted, Phillips (cross), Torx (star), square, hex key
• Box-end grips all six sides; open-end slides on from the side; combination = one of each, same size
• Torque wrench = exact tightness; pipe wrench = round pipe, not nuts; ratchet = speed
• Never strike hardened steel on hardened steel; pull wrenches toward you

Up Next: Part 3 — cutting tools: which saw, chisel, file or plane fits the job.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 3 of 7 — Cutting Tools: Saws, Chisels, Files and Planes

Handsaws: which way is the grain, and what shape is the cut?

Wood has a grain: the long fibers that run the length of a board. Cutting across the grain and cutting along it are different jobs, so they get different saws.

Memory hook: you rip a sheet of paper the long way. The rip saw cuts the long way, with the grain.

Using a hacksaw

• The blade's teeth point away from the handle, so the saw cuts on the push stroke. Ease up on the return.
• Use a finer blade (more teeth per inch) for thin metal and tubing, so at least two or three teeth touch the metal at once and the teeth do not snag.

Worked example. You must shorten a $2 \times 4$ by cutting it across its width. The cut runs across the grain, so a crosscut saw is correct. If you were cutting a $1 \times 8$ board lengthwise into two narrower strips, you would rip it.

Four saws. Use the figure. 🎯

Grain and teeth. 🎯

Chisels, files, rasps, snips and planes

Worked example. A rusted rivet head must be cut off a steel trailer. A wood chisel would chip and dull. The right tools are a cold chisel driven by a ball-peen hammer.

Worked example. A door sticks because it is a little too wide along one long edge. You would shave that edge with a hand plane, working with the grain.

Why a handle on a file matters: the tang is pointed. Without a handle, a slip can drive it into your palm.

Chisels, files and planes. 🎯

Power saws: same jobs, faster

Matching tip: a power saw usually copies a hand saw. Circular, table and miter saws make straight cuts like a crosscut or rip saw. A jigsaw and a band saw cut curves like a coping saw.

Kickback: a spinning blade can grab the wood and throw it back at you. Keep the blade guard working, use the rip fence and a push stick on a table saw, and never stand directly behind the blade.

Choose the power saw. 🔽

Key Takeaways — Part 3

• Crosscut = across the grain (knife teeth); rip = with the grain (chisel teeth)
• Coping saw = curves in thin wood; keyhole saw = start in a drilled hole; back saw + miter box = accurate angles; hacksaw = metal
• Hacksaw teeth point away from the handle and cut on the push
• Cold chisel = metal (with a ball-peen hammer); wood chisel = wood (with a mallet)
• Rasp = coarse wood shaping; file = fine teeth, push stroke, always with a handle
• Power saws copy hand saws: table saw rips, miter saw angles, jigsaw curves, reciprocating saw demolition

Up Next: Part 4 — gripping, clamping, drilling and finishing tools.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 4 of 7 — Gripping, Clamping, Drilling and Finishing Tools

Pliers: grip, bend and cut

Not a wrench: pliers squeeze a nut on its corners and round them off. Use a wrench on nuts and bolts whenever one fits.

Clamps and vises: hold the work so both hands are free

Worked example. Two boards have just been glued face to face. To hold them tight while the glue dries, use C-clamps (or bar clamps for wide panels), with scrap pads so the clamp does not dent the wood.

Identify the tool. Use the figure. 🎯

Pliers and clamps. 🎯

Drilling (boring) tools

Two small tools that come before or after a drill:

• Center punch: struck with a hammer to make a small dimple in metal, so the drill bit starts exactly there and does not "walk."
• Nail set: a blunt punch that sinks the head of a finishing nail just below the wood surface so the hole can be filled.

Good drilling practice: clamp the work (never hold small parts by hand), use slower speeds for large bits and for metal, and drill a pilot hole before driving a big screw so the wood does not split.

Worked example. You will drill a hole in a steel bracket. First mark the spot with a center punch, clamp the bracket, then drill with a twist bit at a slow speed.

Four bits. Use the figure. 🎯

Punches and drilling practice. 🎯

Finishing tools: smooth, shape and clean

Sandpaper grades (grit numbers) and finishes such as stain and varnish are covered in the Materials, Fasteners and Shop Processes lesson.

Worked example. You want the sharp edge of a tabletop rounded over in a smooth, even curve. A router with a round-over bit does that. A belt sander would remove wood fast but unevenly at an edge.

Choose the finishing tool. 🔽

Key Takeaways — Part 4

• Needle-nose = small parts and tight spaces; locking = clamps on and stays; diagonal cutters = snip wire; pliers are not wrenches
• C-clamp = screw-and-pad clamp; bar clamp = wide glue-ups; vise = holds work on the bench
• Hole saw = large round holes; countersink = flush flat-head screws; spade bit = fast rough wood holes; twist bit = general
• Center punch before drilling metal; nail set sinks finishing nails
• Sanding block keeps sanding flat; router shapes edges; bench grinder sharpens metal tools

Up Next: Part 5 — measuring, layout and shop safety, including reading a tape to $\frac{1}{16}$ inch.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 5 of 7 — Measuring, Layout and Shop Safety

Reading a tape measure or rule to $\frac{1}{16}$ inch

Each inch on a shop rule is split into $16$ equal spaces. The length of each tick mark tells you which fraction it is:

The counting method (never fails): start at the last whole inch, count the sixteenth spaces to your mark, then reduce the fraction.

Worked example. A mark is $10$ sixteenth-spaces past the $3$-inch line. That is $3\frac{10}{16}$ inches, which reduces to $3\frac{5}{8}$ inches.

Worked example. One mark is at $2\frac{3}{8}$ in. and another at $2\frac{15}{16}$ in. How far apart are they? Convert to sixteenths: $2\frac{6}{16}$ and $2\frac{15}{16}$, so the gap is $\frac{9}{16}$ inch.

Tape tip: the hook on the end of a tape slides in and out by its own thickness, so the reading is correct whether you hook it on an edge or push it against a surface. Do not "fix" a loose hook.

Read the rule. ✍️

The figure shows the first $2$ inches of a shop rule marked in sixteenths. Arrow A points to a mark $5$ sixteenth-spaces past the $1$-inch line, and arrow B points to the medium tick between $\frac{1}{2}$ and $1$ inch.

1) The reading at A, in inches (a mixed number like 1 1/2, or a decimal):

2) The reading at B, in inches (fraction or decimal):

3) The distance from B to A, in inches (fraction or decimal):

Layout tools: square, level and straight

Reading a level: the bubble is lighter than the liquid, so it floats to the high end. If the bubble drifts left, the left end is high.

Worked example. A fence post must stand perfectly vertical. Hold a level against two adjacent sides (or hang a plumb bob beside it) until the post is plumb.

Worked example. A machinist needs the outside diameter of a small shaft to within a thousandth of an inch. The tool is a micrometer (or a dial caliper for slightly less precision). A tape measure is far too coarse.

Read the level. Use the figure. 🎯

Layout and precision tools. 🎯

Shop safety the test expects you to know

Worked example. A student wants to swap a dull blade on a jigsaw. The correct first step is to unplug the saw, not just switch it off. The trigger can be bumped while your fingers are on the blade.

Safety checks. 🎯

Key Takeaways — Part 5

• Rules split each inch into 16: count sixteenth-spaces past the last inch, then reduce
• Combination square ($90^\circ$ and $45^\circ$), try square (check a corner), framing square (rafters and stairs)
• The bubble floats to the high end; plumb = vertical; plumb bob finds vertical; chalk line = long straight lines
• Calipers and micrometers measure small parts to thousandths of an inch
• Eye protection, unplug before changes, guards on, clamp the work, nothing loose near spinning parts, keep tools sharp

Up Next: Part 6 — how to work Shop Information questions in about 36 seconds each, and the traps to avoid.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 6 of 7 — Shop Information Test Strategy and Traps

Your clock: about 36 seconds a question

Shop Information on the CAT-ASVAB gives you $10$ questions in $6$ minutes. That is the tightest clock per question on the whole test, but most SI questions are recognition: you either know the tool or you can reason to it fast.

• Aim to answer a picture or "which tool" question in 10 to 20 seconds. That banks time for the occasional reading-heavy question.
• The timer and the number of questions left show in the lower-right corner of the screen.
• You cannot skip ahead or go back. You must answer each question to move on, so decide and commit.
• Some questions may be unscored tryout items, and you cannot tell which. Treat every question as if it counts.
• If time is running out, keep reading and answering for real. The CAT penalizes a string of wrong answers at the end of a subtest heavily, so random clicking hurts more than it helps.

A three-step routine for "which tool" questions

1. Find the verb. Is the job to drive, turn, cut, hold, bore, smooth or measure? That names the family.
2. Find the material and shape. Wood or metal? Straight cut or curve? Round pipe or a hex nut? With or across the grain?
3. Pick the tool built for it. Several tools could do the job badly. The answer is the one designed for it.

Worked example. "Which tool is best for cutting a curve in a piece of $\frac{1}{4}$-inch plywood?" Verb: cut. Material and shape: thin wood, curve. Built for it: coping saw (or a jigsaw if power tools are listed). A hacksaw could scratch its way through, but it is designed for metal.

The traps test writers like

Picture questions: look for the one feature that names the tool

• The other end of a hammer head (claw, ball, second face, soft head).
• The frame of a saw (deep U = coping, shallow frame with pistol grip = hacksaw, no frame and pointed = keyhole).
• The jaws of pliers (long and thin, locking screw, cutting edges only).
• The ends of a wrench (U-shaped open end, closed ring, movable jaw, toothed jaws).

Spot the trap. Each question hides one of the traps above. 🎯

Speed drill. Answer each in under 15 seconds. ⏱️

Key Takeaways — Part 6

• SI: 10 questions, 6 minutes, about 36 seconds each. Recognition questions should take 10 to 20 seconds
• Routine: verb (family) → material and shape → the tool designed for it
• Watch the classic swaps: rip/crosscut, cold/wood chisel, claw/ball-peen, coping/keyhole, file/rasp
• "Correct practice" answers never abuse a tool: no pliers on nuts, no screwdriver prying, no pipe wrench on finished nuts
• No going back on the CAT: commit, and keep answering for real if time runs short

Up Next: Part 7 — a mixed mastery set across every tool family.

🔧 Hand and Power Tools

Part 7 of 7 — Hand and Power Tools Mastery Set

This set mixes every tool family the way the real subtest does: some picture questions, some "best tool for the job," some correct-practice and safety questions, and one measuring question.

Pace yourself like test day: about 36 seconds per question. Use the routine from Part 6: verb → material and shape → the tool designed for it.

Question 1. Use the figure. 🎯

Question 2. Read the rule. ✍️

Arrow P points to a mark $14$ sixteenth-spaces past $0$. Arrow Q points to a mark $11$ sixteenth-spaces past the $1$-inch line.

1) The reading at P, in inches (fraction or decimal):

2) The reading at Q, in inches (a mixed number like 1 1/2, or a decimal):

3) The distance from P to Q, in inches (fraction or decimal):

Question 3. Use the figure. 🎯

Questions 4 to 7. 🎯

Questions 8 to 11. 🎯

Lesson Wrap-Up

You now have the whole tool map the Shop Information subtest draws from:

Next steps: take the exit quiz for this topic, then move on to Materials, Fasteners and Shop Processes to finish Shop Information.