In its totality, a power tool is a type of hand tool that has a mechanism and a source of power instead of manually exerting energy and effort by a person. The most common power source for these kinds of tools would be an electric motor because this is the most usual source of energy in any household. The use of power tools greatly speeds up any building or construction process because they provide efficiency in terms of energy, time, and effort. Even in the Philippines, power tools are used by most construction companies to save up time and energy of their workers. This also allows them to work on multiple projects at the same time because the time and energy they save can be used on other projects rather than one individual project.
There are two classifications of power tools, mainly stationary and portable. Portable power tools, as the name suggests, would involve it being handheld. Obviously, portable power tools have an advantage in terms of mobility. However, stationary power tools distinguish themselves through giving the user an advantage in speed of work and accuracy. Plus, stationary power tools are necessary to create certain objects that cannot be made through other means. Aside from this classification, there are more things you need to know about the power tools in the Philippines.
The oldest known use of a power tool dates back to the ancient Egyptians. The power tool was known as the lathe. Primarily used for woodturning, metal spinning, thermal spraying, glass working, metal working, and parts reclamation, the lathe was definitely a tool that had many uses. Although it did not have a motor that ran on any power source, it was still, nonetheless, the first ever power tool. The primary power source of the lathe was through the exertion of a person pulling a rope to turn the mechanisms of the lathe. Through the years, the lathe became known as the mother of all machine tools as it was the first ever tool that used some sort of mechanism to lessen a person’s workload.
When the industrial revolution took place, factories were riddled with power tools that were primarily run by belts on overhead shafts, and eventually, even a faraway place like the Philippines, power tools were all the rage when they arrived. This maintained a steady pace inside the factories, and allowed the workers to do much more because they only needed to supervise the processes of the power tools. The primary power source for these tools were from either a water wheel or, some years later, the steam engine.
The creation of the electric motor took the world by storm, and the power tools industry was not an exception. The possibility to distribute electricity through networks enabled the creation of stationary and portable power tools that most people take for granted today. Just in 2016, the global market for all of the power tools in the world reached $33 billion and is expected to reach $46 billion on 2025.
The current popular motor for the world’s power stationary tools would still be electricity. This could only be a testament to how far the world has reached in terms of energy sources because in the past, windmills, steam, and water wheels were the primary sources of energy for the tools. Although it is important to mention that some museums and enthusiasts in the world still maintain and use power tools that are run by these olden sources.
Meanwhile, compressed air is the traditional power source for power tools, such as nailers and paint sprayers. There are also tools that are, surprisingly, powered by explosive cartridges. Additionally, power tools that use gasoline or gasoline-oil as their primary power source can only be used outdoors; some examples of these kinds of tools would be chainsaws and string trimmers.
There is also a major distinction in the portable power tool industry. It is between the corded portable power tool or the battery powered portable power tool – which will be discussed further in the succeeding parts.
Even though the whole essence of power tools is to provide efficiency in numerous aspects – and they offer massive help – they also have negative side-effects. Obviously, power tools, with their capability to make construction and other modes of work easier, can produce large amount of vibration and noise. And, unknowingly, exposure to large amounts of noise and vibration over a long period of time (without the use of hearing protection) can potentially lead to hearing loss. As a matter of fact, the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) strongly recommend that a person should never be exposed to noise that is over 85dB (decibels) to prevent hearing loss.
Unfortunately, power tools such as drills, circular saws, chainsaws, and belt sanders, when used, are able to produce a noise of over 85dB, while some of them even reach an upwards of 100 dB. The experts from NIOSH strongly recommend that the people, who are constantly using power tools and are exposed to the noise they create, wear some form of hearing protection.
Historically, before the 1930’s, power tools were normally encased in cast metal. This lead to the power tools possessing a weight that is heavy for a human being to handle. This also leads to multiple and regular injuries to the people that regularly used these outdated power tools. Fortunately, through necessity, power tools eventually overcame their hard to carry forms, and were able to veer away from the use of cast metal housings, and were primarily made of glass filled nylon.
As mentioned above, there are two primary types of portable power tool. Mainly, the corded power tool and the battery-powered power tool (cordless). Since the corded power tool is self-explanatory – they are power tools that need to be plugged in for them to work their magic. So, we’ll focus on the cordless power tools because you have to know a few things about them before you buy them:
Historically, cordless power tools used to be heavy to carry and hard to wield object that used fat nickel-cadmium batteries as a power source. Fortunately, power tool companies heard the cries of the masses, and were able to trim down their products to lighter, longer lasting lithium-ion cells. However, the Li-ion tools are more expensive compared to the old NiCad batteries, which is why there are still tools out in the market that make use of NiCad batteries even if they are considerably heavier.
If you’re just going to use your power tools for the occasional housework, woodcutting, repairs, then you can opt to go for the NiCad battery-powered power tool. However, if your profession makes use of power tools on a daily basis, then it is much better for you to choose a power tool that is Li-ion battery powered because they weigh less and are longer lasting, but are more expensive.
This is simple enough to understand, the higher the volt requirement for the power tool, the more powerful they are, and are usually bigger. This means that there will be much more torque for activities, such as driving screw or miter sawing, more speed for sanding and jigsawing, more force for impact driving.
If you’re not a professional that needs to use a high voltage power tool, then it would be advisable for you to not own anything higher than an 18-volt tool. A great 18 volt tool will be able to help you get the job done. An 18-volt drill can get you through hard jobs, such as framing and deck building, while an 18-volt circular saw can help you cut through so many plywood. However, this does not imply that tools with lesser volts cannot get the job done. Apart from circular saws, every tool has a 12-volt version. The tools may look small and weak, but do not be deceived, they work perfectly fine. Some of them are even capable of screwing on drywall screws into framing.
However, it is important for you to keep in mind that there are still some power tools that you should buy with a power cord. If you need to cut a thick pile of lumber, the best way to go about it is to use a corded circular saw because a job like this needs consistent power from the plug.
Be prepared to do any task or project by having these Philippine power tools listed below.
If you’re wondering why you should have a corded power drill instead of a portable cordless drill, then here’s why: even though a cordless drill is more portable, corded power drills are more capable in terms of power. Also, a corded power drill is much more versatile than a cordless power drill, and corded power drills are a lot cheaper than the cordless ones.
This is a must-have power tool for beginners that have a passion for woodworking, or any other activities that entail a repair or creation of an object. This is because a jigsaw is able to cut curved and circular patterns indefinitely. Of course, a band saw can do the same and can cut much more accurately and can cut thicker objects, however, a jigsaw is still the perfect power tool for beginners.
Another important basic power tool that every beginner should have is the random orbital sander. Even though palm sanders are cheaper and are able to use plain sandpaper as the surface, the random orbital version is much better because it uses a hook and loop fastened sanding disk, and the surface it sands is will not have a pattern after sanding because it has a random sanding motion. This particular motion will greatly reduce the chance of having any sanding marks on any surface you use the random orbital sander on.
Even though most people consider the circular saw as more of a carpentry tool, some would often disagree. Why? Because there can never be a more versatile hand held power tool other than the circular saw. When used with a clamp-on straightedge, the circular saw can be as accurate in cutting as a table saw.
Also known as the rotary hammer, the hammer drill is a rotary drill that is capable of a hammering action that enables it to continually hammer on brittle surfaces and pulverize the corresponding materials to give the user a much easier and quicker time in drilling certain materials. This is usually electrically powered, so you can expect that they have a cord to go along with them. Portability wise, this is not a great tool, but it sure does save up on time, energy, and effort. This is a revolutionary power tool that mixes both the impacting capability of a hammer and pinpoints accuracy of a drill. This is a must-have for all power tool enthusiasts.
With all the power tools in the Philippines, and even in the world, it may overwhelm you as there are many kinds for you to buy. So, keep the information provided in this article close to your mind, so that the next time you are planning to buy a power tool for your home or work, you’ll be knowledgeable enough to know what you’re buying.
Additionally, KYK Tools is the Philippines’ premier tool provider. We are an established tool provider and distributor in the Philippines, and we have been present in the market for over 30 years now. Even though we have been in the business for 30 years, we still strive to innovate, produce, and distribute products that make all our customers’ lives easier and better. We have a wide range of tools to choose from. Gardening tools, power tools, house tools, construction tools, etc. Here at KYK Tools, we have it all for you! If you have any inquiries, orders, or plans to order, you may contact us here!