May 2011 (UTC)
It would be difficult to classify tools based on both their intended and unintended purpose, but at the same time screw drivers are very frequently misused to pry open containers of paint.
I haven't found any source classifying (or even defining well enough to make a category) tools either. I think we might be best off creating our own definitionnot in the sense of original research, but purely for the purpose of better organizing the encyclopedia. Here's a thought (just a rudimentary idea): let's say there are passive and active tools. Passive tools create no tangible effectthese are measuring devices, ladders, flashlights, stools, clamps (unless they are used for crushing), jacks, beakers, tape recorders(?). Active tools have a tangible effect: drills, pencils, hammers, nail clippers, spatulas, shovels. In general tools act on a material (although not necessarily a specific material, like a flashlight will act on most things): pencils act on paper, egg beaters act on eggs, saws on wood or metal, caulk guns on caulk, paint brushes on paint, beakers on chemicals. So consider a container of correction fluid: the little brush on the inside of the lid is the active tool, the container is the passive tool and the whiteout is the material. These are just some philosophical thoughts I worked and might give us somewhere to start.   01:14, 8