Editing Tool (section)

=== Tool substitution ===
Often, by design or coincidence, a tool may share key functional attributes with one or more other tools. In this case, some tools can substitute for other tools, either as a makeshift solution or as a matter of practical efficiency. "One tool does it all" is a motto of some importance for workers who cannot practically carry every specialized tool to the location of every work task, such as a carpenter who does not necessarily work in a shop all day and needs to do jobs in a customer's house. Tool substitution may be divided broadly into two classes: substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose", and substitution as makeshift. Substitution "by-design" would be tools that are designed specifically to accomplish multiple tasks using only that one tool.

Substitution is "makeshift" when human ingenuity comes into play and a tool is used for an unintended purpose, such as using a long screwdriver to separate a cars control arm from a ball joint, instead of using a tuning fork. In many cases, the designed secondary functions of tools are not widely known. For example, many wood-cutting [[hand saws]] integrate a [[Square (tool)|square]] by incorporating a specially-shaped handle, that allows 90° and 45° angles to be marked by aligning the appropriate part of the handle with an edge, and scribing along the back edge of the saw. The latter is illustrated by the saying "All tools can be used as hammers". Nearly all tools can be used to function as a hammer,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://toolstale.com/what-to-use-instead-of-a-hammer/|title=What to Use Instead of a Hammer: A Comprehensive Guide|date=September 19, 2023|website=toolstale.com}}</ref> even though few tools are intentionally designed for it and even fewer work as well as the original.
[[File:Bicycle multi-tool.JPG|thumb|Bicycle multi-tool]]
Tools are often used to substitute for many mechanical apparatuses, especially in older mechanical devices. In many cases a cheap tool could be used to occupy the place of a missing mechanical part. A window roller in a car could be replaced with [[pliers]]. A transmission shifter or ignition switch would be able to be replaced with a screwdriver. Again, these would be considered tools that are being used for their unintended purposes, substitution as makeshift. Tools such as a [[rotary tool]] would be considered the substitution "by-design", or "multi-purpose". This class of tools allows the use of one tool that has at least two different capabilities. "Multi-purpose" tools are basically multiple tools in one device/tool. Tools such as this are often power tools that come with many different attachments like a rotary tool does, so one could say that a power drill is a "multi-purpose" tool.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://powertools.reviews/what-are-the-best-accessories-and-attachments-to-enhance-the-functionality-of-a-power-drill/|title=What are the best accessories and attachments to enhance the functionality of a power drill? |work=PowerTools.reviews|date=August 20, 2023}}</ref>