Hardware Trivia Quiz

Answer: Staple gun

A staple gun is a very handy tool if you have the need to quickly fasten a thin sheet or netting to a wooden base. Instead of spending time to adjust nails or tighten screws, I can simply push a lever and a staple will forcefully shoot out of the tool. Unfortunately this handy time-saver only works on soft enough surfaces and only if the material I want to affix is thin enough for the spring-loaded tool to push the staple all the way through.

Answer: Adjustable wrench

While an adjustable wrench is not as precise or strong as a fixed one, it can come in very handy when you want to just avoid trying out several sizes or can't carry your complete toolbox with you on the way to the screw. One size fits (almost) all, so with an adjustable wrench, I will only have to make one trip up the ladder.

Answer: Sledgehammer

Hammering a fence post into the ground requires considerable force, even if the post has a metal spike at the bottom to make this task somewhat easier. I want it to survive the next storm after all. A sledgehammer will give me the needed brute power, but I shouldn't forget to put a piece of wood I won't need any more onto the post first to distribute the impact, because otherwise I will likely leave very unsightly marks on the post - if I don't even outright break it.

Answer: Claw hammer

While I could use a pair of pliers to do the pulling and almost any carpenter's hammer to drive in the new nails, a claw hammer will let me do both of the tasks with a single tool. I just need to be careful to not damage the surface I am pulling the nails from - a claw hammer can easily leave marks or scratches. To avoid this, I could of course put a thin sheet of metal or plastic under the hammer.

Answer: Paint roller

If I mostly want speed during painting large surfaces, no tool will beat a decent-sized paint roller. Its large surface and paint capacity allow me to cover area quickly and evenly - however I should make sure I cover any nearby surfaces I do not want painted: Not only is the accuracy of this tool very limited to say the least, but working in a hurry can also cause paint to spray a considerable distance.

Answer: Wire stripper

Most electrical outlets and switches have contacts where the wires simply slide in and are held in place by spring-loaded clamps, so I won't need to worry about that part, but after shortening the wire, I'll need to properly remove the insulation and a wire stripper just makes that job a lot easier.

Before doing any electrical work, however, make double sure you switched off the power (pull the circuit breaker and verify with a voltage checker) and be aware that, in some jurisdictions, only licensed electricians are allowed to make any repairs or changes on electrical installations.

Answer: Torque wrench

Many mechanical devices depend on screws being tightened enough to be secure but not so much that they would exert undue pressure on a hinge, preventing it from moving. In these cases, the manufacturers will usually specify the torque to be put on the screw, so that number is what I will set my torque wrench to and then I can be sure that I will do it just perfectly.

(As a side note - a torque wrench will only prevent you from going above the torque you want. If you don't pull hard enough, that tool won't provide you with any extra strength. This is rather important to remember if you want to change the wheels on your car...)

Answer: Felling axe

Of course I could use a handsaw or chainsaw, but among the listed choices, only a felling axe will do the job. With the branch hanging low, I don't have to worry about falling off a ladder while I swing away, so the axe will likely be my quickest option.

Answer: Splitting axe

The difference between a felling axe and a splitting or cleaving axe is that the former is optimized for cutting across the wood grain while the latter is meant to cut along the grain. The blade shape is rather different between the two tools and the weight and length might also be considerably different as the greater resistance of wood to crosswise cuts means I will need more force, thus usually either the weight or length, if not both, will be considerably larger for the felling variant.

Answer: Bolt cutter

A bolt cutter is effectively a special, oversized pair of scissors with a built-in lever mechanism that will greatly increase the force I can exert on a small area, thus being able to cut metal rods and chains that would be far too sturdy to affect with more conventional tool. Even with a big bolt cutter (they come in lengths of up to about a meter, providing almost 100 to 1 leverage), however, I should hope that the lock isn't of too good quality since against a properly tempered lock, even this massive tool won't make a dent.