Did you know that early humans first used tools around 2.6 million years ago? It’s hard to gauge fully, but tool use definitely kickstarted our evolution into the intelligent and scientifically advanced beings we are today. From hammers, knives, saws and cooking utensils, humans have relied on tools for millennia. In modern life, tools make our lives so much easier. Whether it’s building a road, or a house, or doing a simple DIY project at home, tools enable humans to achieve so much. We definitely wouldn’t be capable of achieving so much without tools.

And one extremely versatile tool is the humble pair of pliers. This essential tool can be used in a massive variety of ways. This informative article will share about the perfect pair of pliers and we’ll discuss 10 uses for this tool that you definitely need to know. Read on to discover more.

Cutting Wires

Most pliers, especially side-cutting or diagonal pliers (also known as wire cutters), can be used to cut through various types of wires and cables. This is useful for home electronics solder kits, rigging passive speakers for a home hi-fi system, or wire cutting. It’s important to note that unless you’re a qualified and licensed electrician, you shouldn’t perform DIY electrical work as this is extremely risky. However, all other wires are fair game for your pliers.

Bending Wires

Pliers can bend wires or other thick or thin metals into desired shapes. This is useful for tasks like hobby electrical work, jewellery making, and other arts and crafts uses. You could also use them to bend champagne cork wire holders to make cute little ornaments to decorate your home or office. A fun activity with the kids could be using wire frames to make paper mache, for instance.

Gripping and Turning

Did you know pliers can securely grip and turn bolts, nuts, pipes, and other objects that may be too small, slippery, or difficult to turn by hand? You can use them to get an excellent purchase on the object, which should then turn with some elbow grease. Different types of pliers may be helpful here; for instance, needle-nosed pliers are great for gripping small, fiddly objects, whereas lineman’s pliers have a flatter grip and are better suited for larger objects.

Removing Nails

Pliers can pull out nails or other fasteners from objects such as timber, metal or other surfaces with the proper leverage. This can be useful if you need to deconstruct some furniture for disposal or removal or for removing nails from timber to remove the potential hazard of someone stepping on them.

Holding Objects

Pliers can hold small objects firmly in place, especially when using fingers may not be safe or practical. For instance, you could use pliers for a minor DIY task such as repairing a drawer or cabinet. Suppose you’re into a hobby like war vehicle modelling or tabletop miniatures. In that case, you can use pliers to hold bits of plastic to be glued together.

Crimping

Some specialised pliers can be used to crimp connectors onto cables in electrical work. As mentioned above, this should be restricted to qualified and licensed electricians for residential or commercial electric work. However, if you’re into hobby electronics or vehicles, you may use pliers for crimping for this purpose without any issues.

Stripping Wires

Particular pliers are equipped with wire stripping notches that can remove the insulation from electrical wires or other types of cables. Preparing speaker wires for fitting to a passive speaker is a classic use of wire stripping pliers that some people may do at home.

Fishing Out Objects from Hard to Reach Places

Pliers can be used to retrieve small items from narrow or awkward spaces. For instance, if you’ve dropped a piece of jewellery or another small item down a crevice in your home or vehicle, a long pair of needle-nosed pliers is the perfect tool.

Straightening Metal

Pliers can straighten out bent items or objects, such as metal rods or hooks. For instance, if a curtain hook has become bent, you can use a pair of pliers to repair it. If any other metal item is bent, pliers can easily and quickly bend them back into a straight shape.

Jewellery Making

Pliers, especially needle-nose pliers, are often used in jewellery making to create intricate bends, loops, and clasps. They are also used to open, and close jump rings too. Professional jewellery makers and repairers will often use pliers, as well hobby jewellery makers at home.

A Handy Conclusion

This informative article has shared ten uses for pliers and what these versatile tools can achieve in the workplace and at home. No home tool kit is complete without a few pairs of pliers, so if you’re lacking this essential tool, now is the perfect time to invest in a few sets.