15 Types of Tools Craftspeople Relied On

The evolution of human civilization is mirrored in the evolution of its tools. For the traditional craftsperson, a tool was more than a mere instrument; it was an extension of their physical body and a repository of specialized knowledge. These 15 types of tools represent the fundamental mechanical principles that allowed ancestors to master materials like wood, stone, metal, and leather. Often hand-forged by a local blacksmith and customized with handles shaped to the individual’s grip, these implements were designed for a lifetime of use and were frequently passed down through generations as “journeyman” legacies. This survey examines how these tools facilitated the transition from raw resource to finished product, illustrating the sophisticated engineering and ergonomic design that predated modern power equipment.

1. Striking Tools (Hammers and Mallets)

The hammer is the most primal of tools, providing the percussive force necessary to drive nails, shape glowing iron, or move a chisel through stone. Craftspeople relied on a vast array of specialized heads: the blacksmith’s heavy sledge for mass, the jeweler’s tiny planishing hammer for detail, and the carpenter’s claw hammer for leverage. Equally important were mallets made of wood, rawhide, or lead. These “soft” striking tools were used when the artisan needed to apply force without marring the workpiece or the chisel handle. The balance of a hammer was a matter of personal preference and extreme precision, as a poorly balanced tool could lead to fatigue or inaccurate strikes over a ten-hour workday.

2. Measuring and Marking Tools

In an era before standardized factory parts, accuracy was maintained through marking tools such as the “scribe,” “compass,” and “square.” The scribe, a hardened steel point, was used to scratch precise lines onto wood or metal, providing a permanent guide that wouldn’t smudge like charcoal. The square ensured that corners were perfectly ninety degrees, a prerequisite for structural integrity. For repeating dimensions, the “story pole” or “marking gauge” allowed a craftsman to transfer measurements across multiple pieces without a ruler. These tools represented the “intellectual” side of the craft, ensuring that the raw physical labor of cutting and shaping resulted in a cohesive, functional whole. A master’s marking tools were often their most guarded possessions, as they held the “geometry” of their trade.

3. Edge-Cutting Tools (Chisels and Gouges)

Chisels and gouges were the primary tools for removing material with surgical precision. A flat chisel allowed a carpenter to create clean mortise joints, while a curved gouge enabled a bowl-turner or woodcarver to create organic, hollow shapes. These tools required a razor-sharp edge, maintained through constant whetting on oilstones. The physics of the chisel relied on the “bevel” angle; a steep angle was used for heavy chopping in hardwood, while a shallow, “paring” angle was used for delicate shavings. For the stonemason, heavier steel chisels were used to “dress” rough blocks into smooth ashlar. The ability to read the grain of the material and select the correct chisel for the task was the hallmark of a seasoned professional, preventing the splitting or shattering of the workpiece.

4. Boring Tools (Braces, Bits, and Augers)

Creating clean, circular holes was essential for joinery, and the “brace and bit” was the pre-industrial solution for drilling. The brace provided a crank-like handle that gave the craftsman immense torque, allowing them to drive a “spoon bit” or “auger” deep into thick timber. For smaller tasks, the “gimlet” or “awl” was used to create pilot holes for screws or stitching in leather. Shipbuilders relied on massive “T-handle augers” that required two men to turn, boring holes through ship ribs for wooden trunnels. These tools utilized the principle of the Archimedes screw to pull the cutting edge into the wood while simultaneously ejecting the waste shavings. The precision of these holes determined the strength of the home or vessel, as a loose-fitting peg could lead to structural failure under stress.

5. Smoothing and Shaping Tools (Planes)

The hand plane was the sophisticated evolution of the chisel, used to create perfectly flat surfaces or complex decorative moldings. A “bench plane” featured a sharp blade held at a fixed angle within a wooden or iron body, allowing the user to shave off paper-thin ribbons of wood. The “jointer plane,” often several feet long, was used to straighten the edges of long boards so they could be glued together seamlessly. “Molding planes” featured blades and soles shaped in specific profiles—like the “ogee” or “bead”—to add architectural detail to furniture and doorways. The adjustability of the “frog” (the mechanism holding the blade) allowed the craftsman to account for different wood densities and grain directions. A well-tuned plane left a surface so smooth it required no sanding, showcasing the true beauty of the timber.

6. Saws (Frame, Rip, and Crosscut)

Saws allowed craftspeople to divide large pieces of material into usable dimensions. The “rip saw” was designed with chisel-like teeth to cut along the grain, while the “crosscut saw” had knife-like teeth to sever the fibers across the grain. For delicate work, “back saws” with a stiffening rib of brass or steel along the top were used to cut precise joinery, such as dovetails. The “frame saw” or “bow saw” featured a thin blade held in tension by a wooden frame, allowing the artisan to cut curves and intricate shapes. The “set” of the saw created a “kerf” or gap wider than the blade itself, preventing the tool from binding in the wood. Keeping a saw sharp and properly set was a specialized skill in itself, often requiring a dedicated “saw-doctor” in larger workshops.

7. Gripping and Holding Tools (Vises and Clamps)

A craftsman’s work was only as good as their ability to hold the material still. The “bench vise,” often made of heavy hardwood with a large wooden screw, was the centerpiece of the workshop. For specialized tasks like wheel-making or coopering, “shaving horses” used foot-pedal pressure to grip a workpiece, leaving both of the artisan’s hands free to use a drawknife. Portable “C-clamps” and “hand screws” allowed for the assembly of complex furniture, holding glued joints under high pressure until they set. These holding tools acted as a “third hand,” providing the stability necessary for high-force operations like sawing or heavy chiseling. Without these mechanical restraints, the precision required for fine cabinetry or instrument making would have been impossible to achieve.

8. Abrading Tools (Files and Rasps)

When blades were too aggressive, craftspeople turned to files and rasps to refine shapes and smooth surfaces. A “rasp” featured individual raised teeth and was used for the rapid removal of wood or soft stone, while a “file” had rows of parallel ridges for fine-tuning metal or hardwood. These tools were essential for the “fitter” who had to ensure that two metal parts, such as the components of a lock, moved together without friction. In the workshop of a luthier or a gunsmith, tiny “needle files” were used to create intricate engravings and delicate mechanical tolerances. Because files were made of extremely hard, brittle steel, they were among the few tools that a craftsman could not easily sharpen themselves, making them a high-value consumable that had to be treated with care and kept free of rust.

9. Levering and Prying Tools

For heavy trades like masonry and ship carpentry, tools that employed the principle of leverage were indispensable. The “crowbar” or “pinch bar” allowed a single person to lift and shift multi-ton stones or heavy oak beams. In the blacksmith’s shop, “tongs” served as extended levers, allowing the smith to grip white-hot iron from a safe distance; the length of the handles provided a mechanical advantage that multiplied the strength of the hand. Even the humble “screwdriver” (originally called a turn-screw) was a lever that converted rotational force into linear motion to drive a threaded fastener. These tools allowed human labor to interact with forces far beyond the capacity of raw muscle, enabling the construction of the massive infrastructure of the pre-industrial world.

10. Leveling and Plumbing Tools

To ensure that buildings stood upright and floors remained flat, artisans relied on the “plumb bob” and the “A-frame level.” The plumb bob was a simple weight, often made of lead (plumbum), suspended from a string; gravity ensured the string was perfectly vertical. The A-frame level used a similar weighted string suspended from the apex of a wooden triangle; when the string aligned with a center mark on the crossbar, the surface below was perfectly horizontal. These tools were the “ground truth” of the construction site, used by everyone from the lowliest bricklayer to the master cathedral architect. Even a slight error in “plumb” could lead to a catastrophic collapse of a stone arch or tower. These tools represent the ancient application of physics to create permanent, stable structures that defied the unevenness of the natural terrain.

11. Scrapers and Burnishers

In the final stages of woodworking, the “cabinet scraper” was used to remove the last vestiges of tool marks. This was simply a flat piece of high-carbon steel with a microscopic “hook” or “burr” turned onto its edge using a hardened “burnisher.” When pushed across the wood, it acted like a miniature plane, taking off shavings so thin they felt like silk. This tool was essential for working with “figured” woods like bird’s-eye maple or mahogany, where a traditional plane might cause “tear-out.” Burnishers were also used by jewelers to compress and polish the surface of soft metals like gold and silver, hardening the material while giving it a mirror-like finish. These tools were the “finishers” of the craft world, providing the final tactile and visual perfection that distinguished a masterwork from a common utility item.

12. Puncturing and Stitching Tools (Awls and Needles)

For those working with leather, canvas, or upholstery, the “awl” was the primary tool for creating the holes necessary for stitching. Unlike a drill, which removes material, an awl simply pushes the fibers aside, ensuring the hole closes back up around the thread for a waterproof seal. “Diamond-point awls” were used by cobblers to pierce heavy boot soles, while “scratch awls” were used by joiners to mark center points for hinges. Alongside the awl were specialized needles, often curved for upholstery or heavy-duty for sail-making. This tool category was essential to the “soft” infrastructure of the community—the shoes, harnesses, and bags that protected people and their goods during travel. The speed and regularity of a craftsman’s “stitch-work” were a point of professional pride and a marker of high-quality durability.

13. Forging and Shaping Tools (Tongs and Anvils)

The blacksmith’s toolkit was unique because it was used to create the tools for all other trades. The “anvil” was the massive, stationary partner of the hammer, providing a hardened steel face to strike against and a “horn” for creating curves. “Tongs” of various shapes—flat, bolt, or hollow-bit—allowed the smith to securely hold iron of different profiles while it was being hammered. “Hardies” and “fullers” were tools that fit into a square hole in the anvil (the “hardy hole”), allowing the smith to cut or groove the metal with a single blow. This system allowed the blacksmith to act as a “manual factory,” able to switch between heavy structural work and delicate tool-making with only a few simple implements. The forge tools were the “meta-tools” of history, the machines that built the machines.

14. Turning Tools (Lathe Chisels)

In the wood-turning or metal-spinning shop, the “lathe” rotated the workpiece while the craftsman held specialized “turning chisels” against it. These tools, such as the “roughing gouge,” the “skew chisel,” and the “parting tool,” featured very long handles that the artisan tucked under their arm for maximum leverage against the spinning wood. This allowed for the creation of perfectly symmetrical, cylindrical objects like chair legs, tool handles, and bowls. Turning was one of the fastest ways to produce finished goods, but it required a high degree of “feel”—the craftsman had to sense the vibration of the wood through the tool to prevent “catches” that could shatter the workpiece. These tools enabled the mass production of standardized domestic items long before the era of computer-controlled machinery.

15. Sharpening and Honing Tools (Grindstones and Whetstones)

No craft could exist without the tools to maintain the tools. The “grindstone,” a large circular stone turned by a hand crank or foot pedal, was used for “primary grinding”—shaping the initial bevel of a tool or removing nicks from a blade. After the grindstone came the “whetstone” or “oilstone,” used for “honing” a razor-sharp edge. These were often natural stones like Arkansas novaculite or Belgian coticule, prized for their fine grit. The final stage was the “leather strop,” used with a polishing paste to remove the microscopic “wire edge” left by the stone. A craftsman might spend up to ten percent of their workday sharpening, as a dull tool was not only inefficient but dangerous, requiring more force and offering less control. The sharpening kit was the “life support system” for every other tool in the artisan’s chest.

• Tags:
• Craftsmanship
• Tool History
• Traditional Trades
• Woodworking Tools
• Metalworking
• hand tools