The final cause of a tool is whatever the tool is intended to be used for. Hammers are for pounding. Screwdrivers are for driving screws. Wrenches are for tightening and loosening bolts. Every tool has a certain range of uses for which it is well-suited; and a rather wider range of uses for which it is poorly suited.

For example, you could use a hammer to mix cake batter. It’s not well-suited to the job; a spoon would be better, and a mixer better still. You could use a Phillips screwdriver to poke holes in a piece of paper so that you could insert it into a 3-ring binder; but a hole punch would work much better.

Abuse of a tool can fail in two ways: it can fail to do the job well, or in some cases at all; and it can damage the tool so that it’s no longer useful even for its real purpose. You can use a screwdriver for prying, to some extent; it’s the easiest way to open a can of paint. Anything more than that, and you’re going to bend the screwdriver. Then you can’t use it to drive screws. You can use a paintbrush to smooth concrete; but not more than once.

It’s a poor craftsman who abuses his tools.