Tools, Equipment, Materials and Maintenance
Tools, Equipment, Materials and Maintenance
This domain checks that you can identify hand tools, power tools and machines, choose the right one, use it safely, keep it in condition and store consumables correctly. Examiners like questions on maintenance intervals and on the cost of wear, because both separate a craftsman from a machine operator.
Core rules
- Right tool, right size: a spanner must fit the nut flat-to-flat; a screwdriver tip must match both the width and the thickness of the slot, otherwise it cams out and chews the head.
- Sharp is safe: a blunt blade needs more force, slips and burns the work. A blunt drill bit work-hardens metal and overheats.
- Maintenance is scheduled: daily (clean, oil, check cable and plug, drain compressor), weekly (lubricate slides, tighten belts, check guards), periodic (replace carbon brushes, insulation test, calibration).
- Storage: files stored separately and never oiled, edge tools in a rack or roll, wooden tools off a concrete floor, batteries at 40–60 % charge, gas cylinders upright and chained.
- Traceability: keep a machine log book with dates, faults and interventions.
Worked example
A chisel is 4.2 mm thick and its ground bevel measures 10 mm along the face. Is the grinding angle close to the 25° target?
The bevel forms a right triangle: sin θ = opposite ÷ hypotenuse = 4.2 ÷ 10 = 0.42. θ = 24.8°, effectively 25° - acceptable; hone a 30° micro-bevel by hand and the edge holds longer. If the bevel measured only 8 mm, sin θ = 4.2 ÷ 8 = 0.525, giving 31.7°: too steep, the tool will be slow and will bruise the wood, so it must be reground. The reasoning converts a measurable length into the angle the eye cannot judge.
Traps that cost marks
- Using an adjustable wrench or a hammer where a correct spanner or drift is needed.
- Oiling wooden handles, leather belts or file teeth.
- Storing chisels edge-down in a drawer with other tools.
- Running a machine with a cracked plug or a missing guard "for one cut".
- Using a portable tool whose earth pin has been cut off.
- Confusing consumable cost with tool cost when quoting a job.