Employee
An awl is a tool used to make marks on solid objects. These punches are often used to mark a line on a wood or metal surface to indicate the location for further work. An awl is a very simple tool, basically a metal spike with a handle on one end. These tools are similar in appearance to a seam hole punch or bradawl, but have a slightly different construction.
The common punch design has not changed for a long time. The workpiece is a metal point that is sharpened to a fine point. This point is usually made of hardened steel to maintain a better point. When the point begins to dull, it can be sharpened with a metal file. At the end opposite the tip is a handle, usually made of wood. This handle is usually ball-shaped so that the user can hold the tool in a wide variety of orientations.
The general purpose of an awl is to make visible marks on a hard surface, usually metal, wood, or stone. These marks usually show where work will be done later, such as making a hole for a screw or cutting. Since the marked area is likely to be further deformed during the working process, marks made with an awl are often very rough.
On grainless materials, such as most metals, an awl is the preferred method of marking areas. On grained materials, they are only used to make small marks or lines that run along the grain. When going against the grain, most workers use a marking knife. This chisel-shaped knife easily cuts through surface fibers that get in the way of the hole punch. On the other hand, when going with the grain, the knife often gets stuck in valleys of grain that are easily avoided by the awl.
While all types of punches are very similar, there are slight variations to differentiate one type from another. For example, a bradawl looks almost exactly like a scraping awl, except for a slight variation in the tip of the tool. The tip of a bradawl is flattened slightly to allow it to bite into the wood, then with a twisting motion a small cavity is made to use as a screw hole. A seam hole punch has a modified tip that allows you to easily pierce fabric or leather while passing the thread through the hole at the same time.