tools, metal was worked manually using the basic hand tools of hammers, files, scrapers, saws, and chisels. Consequently, the use of metal machine parts was kept to a minimum. Hand methods of production were very laborious and costly and precision was difficult to achieve. With their inherent precision, machine tools enabled the economical production of interchangeable parts. Examples of machine tools include: Broaching machine Drill press Gear shaper Hobbing machine Hone Lathe Screw machines Milling machine Shear (sheet metal) Shaper Bandsaw Planer Stewart platform mills Grinding machines Advocates of nanotechnology expect a similar surge as tools become microscopic in size. Types One can classify tools according to their basic functions: Cutting and edge tools, such as the knife, sickle, scythe, hatchet, and axe, are wedge-shaped implements that produce a shearing force along a narrow face. Ideally, the edge of the tool needs to be harder than the material being cut or the blade will become dulled with repeated use. But even resilient tools will require periodic sharpening, which is the process of removing deformation wear from the edge. Other examples of cutting tools include gouges and drill bits. Moving tools move large and tiny items. Many are levers which give the user a mechanical advantage. Examples of force-concentrating tools include the hammer which moves a nail or the maul which moves a stake. These operate by applying physical compression to a surface. In the case of the screwdriver, the force is rotational and called torque. By contrast, an anvil concentrates force on an object being hammered by preventing it from moving away when struck. Writing implements deliver a fluid to a surface via compression to activate the ink cartridge. Grabbing and twisting nuts and bolts with pliers, a glove, a wrench, etc. likewise move items by applying torque (rotational force). Tools that enact chemical changes, including temperature and ignition, such as lighters and blowtorches. Guiding, measuring and perception tools include the ruler, glasses, square, sensors, straightedge, theodolite, microscope, monitor, clock, phone, printer Shaping tools, such as molds, jigs, trowels. Fastening tools, such as welders, soldering irons, rivet guns, nail guns, or glue guns. Information and data manipulation tools, such as computers, IDE, spreadsheets Some tools may be combinations of other tools. An alarm-clock is for example a combination of a measuring tool (the clock) and a perception tool (the alarm). This enables the alarm-clock to be a tool that falls