Trowel

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Trowel

A trowel is one of several similar hand tool

Hand tool

A hand tool is a device for performing work on a material or a physical system using only hands. The hand tools can be manually used employing mechanical force, or electrically powered, using electrical current....
s used for digging, smoothing, or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material.

a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2045349",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2045349")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gardening">gardening

Gardening

Gardening is the practice of growing ornamental or useful plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance....
, a trowel is a tool with a pointed, scoop-shaped metal blade

Blade

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Trowel'

Start a new discussion about 'Trowel'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

A trowel is one of several similar hand tool

Hand tool

Hand tools

In gardening

Gardening

Blade

A blade is the flat part of a tool, weapon, or machine that normally has a cutting edge and/or pointed end typically made of a flaking stone, such as flint, or metal, most recently steel....
and a handle. It is used for breaking up earth, digging small holes, especially for planting and weeding, mixing in fertilizer

Fertilizer

Fertilizers are chemical compounds given to plants to promote growth; they are usually applied either through the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar feeding, for uptake through leaves....
or other additives, and transferring plants to pots.

A bricklayer's trowel (also known as a pointing trowel) is a flat-bladed tool with a handle and flat metal blade, used by masons for leveling, spreading, or shaping substances such as cement

Cement

In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together....
, plaster

Plaster

The term plaster can refer to plaster of Paris, lime plaster, or cement plaster. This article deals mainly with plaster of Paris.Plaster of Paris is a type of building material based on calcium sulfate Hydrate, nominally CaSO4?0.5H2O....
, or mortar

Mortar (masonry)

Mortar is a workable paste formed by mixture of cement, water and fine aggregate masonry to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them....
, as well as for breaking brick

Brick

A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using mortar ....
s to shape them or smoothing a mold. A tuck pointing trowel is longer and thinner, designed for packing mortar between bricks. Brick trowels are traditionally made of carbon steel, but some newer versions are made of cast stainless steel

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel , but it is not stain-proof....
, which has longer wear and is rust-free.

In archaeology
Archaeology

Archaeology, archeology, or arch?ology is the science that studies Homo cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, Artifact , features, Biofact s, and cultural landscape....
brick or pointing trowels (usually 4" steel trowels) are used to scratch the strata in an excavation

Excavation

The term archaeological excavation has a double meaning.# Excavation is the best known and most commonly used within the science of archaeology....
and allow the colours of the soil to be clear, so that the different strata can be identified, processed and excavated. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, there are several preferred brands of pointing trowels, but in the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
the WHS 4" pointing trowel

William Hunt and Sons

William Hunt and Sons or WHS is a United Kingdom brand of masonry tools.Originally, William Hunt was a tool manufacturing firm from Sheffield in England....
is the traditional tool.

Several types of trowel are used in concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, construction aggregate , water , and Chemistry admixtures....
construction. The float trowel or finishing trowel is usually rectangular, used to smooth, level, or texture the top layer of hardening concrete. A flooring trowel has one rectangular end and one pointed end, made to fit corners.

A gauging trowel has a rounded tip, used to mix measured proportions of the ingredients for quick set plaster

Plaster

Concrete

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation....
decks.

Margin trowels and notched trowels are used to apply adhesive and grout

Grout

Grout is a construction material used to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints . Grout is generally composed of a mixture of water, cement, sand and sometimes fine gravel ....
when applying ceramic or stone tile

Tile

A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock , metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, and walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops....
to a surface.

A smaller but similarly shaped tool called the palette knife
Palette knife

A palette knife is a blunt knife with an extremely flexible steel blade and no sharpened cutting edge. It is primarily used for mixing paint colors, paste, etc., or for Paper marbling, decorative endpapers, etc....
is used in oil painting

Oil painting

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil ? especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil....
.

Power tools

A power trowel

Power trowel

A Power Trowel [AKA 'Power Float' or 'Trowel machine'] is a Light Construction Equipment, used by construction companies and contractors, serving as a finishing equipment for concrete slabs....
is a type of Light Construction Equipment, used by construction companies and contractors, serving as a finishing equipment for concrete works.

Significance

The trowel is an important symbol in Freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal and service organizations that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around 5 million ....
.

In 1978, Mr Edward Welfare, himself a freemason and scout-master, opened what was believed to be the UK's first dedicated trowel museum in Norfolk.

The trowel is the nearest that the archaeological profession has to a uniform symbol. It is incorporated into the designs of many archaeological association logos and publications.

Trowel

Hand tools

Power tools

Significance

External links