pick

tool

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

A pickax, also known as a pickaxe, is a tool with a heavy iron or steel head, typically pointed at one or both ends, attached to a long handle. It is used for digging and breaking up hard ground or rock. A pickman is a laborer who uses such a tool, or someone in charge of picks in a mine. The term "pick" itself can refer to various items, including a toothpick, a plectrum for a stringed instrument, or a point on a figure skate. The pickax has been in use since the 15th century.1234

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hand tool
Neolithic tools
It is estimated that 50,000 picks made of red-deer antlers were used during the 600 years of activity in the mine, which began about 2300 bce.
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It is estimated that 50,000 picks made of red-deer antlers were used during the 600 years of activity in the mine, which began about 2300 bce.
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construction
Stone construction in Egypt
…chief tool was the mason’s pick with a 2.5-kilogram metal head and a 45-centimeter haft. With these picks vertical channels as wide as a man were cut around rectangular blocks, exposing five faces. The final separation of the sixth face was accomplished by drilling rows of holes into the rock…
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…chief tool was the mason’s pick with a 2.5-kilogram metal head and a 45-centimeter haft. With these picks vertical channels as wide as a man were cut around rectangular blocks, exposing five faces. The final separation of the sixth face was accomplished by drilling rows of holes into the rock…
Read More