A power tool is a tool that is powered by an additional source of energy and a mechanism other than the purely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also widely used. Other energy sources include steam engines, direct combustion of fuels and propellants, for example, in gunpowder tools, or even natural energy sources such as wind or moving water. Tools propelled by animal power are generally not considered power tools.
Power tools are used in industry, construction, gardening, household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and around the house for driving (fasteners), drilling, cutting, shaping, sanding, grinding, milling, polishing, painting. , heating and more.
Power tools are divided into stationary and portable, where portable are hand-held. Portable power tools have clear mobility advantages. However, stationary power tools often offer advantages in speed and accuracy. A typical table saw, for example, not only cuts faster than a conventional hand saw, but the cuts are smoother, straighter, and more square than what can usually be done with a hand saw. Some stationary power tools can produce items that cannot be manufactured otherwise. Lathes, for example, produce really round objects.
Stationary power tools for metalworking are commonly referred to as machine tools. The term “machine tool” is usually not applied to stationary power tools for woodworking, although such use is sometimes found, and in some cases, such as drills and grinding machines, the exact same tool is used for both woodworking and metalworking.
