A power tool is technically a power-driven hand tool or portable power tool; these names distinguish it from a stationary power tool such as the drill press. While power tools are generally driven by electricity, the category also includes small pneumatic tools driven by compressed air, such as air impact wrenches and hammers. Gasoline-engine-driven tools (chain saws, gas-powered drills, and so on) are not included.

The most popular power tools are the electric drill and the electric circular saw. Like its manual counterpart, the electric drill rotates a tool bit, but the circular saw has no manual prototype. Jigsaws, sabers, and reciprocating saws have familiar blades, as do electric screwdrivers, but many power tools are contemporary creations built around the ubiquitous electric motor. Among modern power tools are polishers, several kinds of sanders (circular, belt, oscillating, and reciprocating), shears, and nibblers. Power tools, in limited commercial and industrial use before World War II, are now produced by the millions, largely for the home workshop. Read more