Craftsman Torque Wrench

This is a tool you get when you are a little above the general handyman stage but it's still a reasonable price that won't get you too far off budget. 

A torque wrench is used to tighten fasteners - nuts and bolts - to prescribed readings of torque, which is a measurement of twisting force.  You may be more familiar with torque as expressed in ratings of motor vehicle engines.  Torque is the turning force imparted to the crankshaft by the reciprocating pistons through the connecting rods.  There is no horsepower unless there is torque but people seem to like the idea of horsepower, maybe because it is easier to visualize a horse pulling a wagon than an arbitrary twisting force?

Anyway, when you work on engines you begin to learn that too tight can be just as bad as too loose so torque wrenches allow you to duplicate the same force on each fastener holding your parts together, for example the cylinder head on your lawnmower engine. 

The ratings are usually in foot-pounds or inch-pounds for Americans and they also have Newton Meters, which is another measurement of torque used internationally and this wrench has both scales so you can read it either way you need to.

Torque wrenches come in a couple of varieties, mechanical and, more recently, digital so as long as you have batteries you can get a digital readout on a digital torque wrench.  There is also a click-type torque wrench that slips when you reach the proper torque that is a little more expensive than this wrench.

This wrench has a deflector beam with a separate pointer that points to the torque rating so it is called a beam-type torque wrench.  This is about the simplest type and was the prototype that first appeared around WWII era when mechanical engineers first began thinking about torque.  The wrench has a main beam that actually deflects under the turning tension while the pointer rod stays straight and points to the torque rating on the horizontal scale.  The scale reads from 0 - 75 ft/lbs and 0 - 100 Newton meters (Nm).

The torque wrench is in 3/8 inch square drive and comes with a 1/2 inch square drive adapter so you can use either 3/8 or ½ inch drive sockets to torque your fasteners. This is a light duty wrench suitable for bicycles, lawn equipment, and general household use while if you want more capacity, like for torquing the mag wheels on your sports car, you will need to get a larger capacity wrench that will be in ½ inch drive and capable of higher torque readings.  

When you work around mechanical things like motors and motorcycles, torque readings for each fastener are available and can be found in most repair manuals.  Properly torqued fasteners help the mechanical device function properly and add to the working life by balancing the stresses evenly rather than having parts loose or too tight.

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