Hole Punches
Created | Updated Feb 3, 2002
Hole punches are simply large levers that are made with only one use in mind - to punch holes, almost always in paper.
The basic model for a hole punch is a large handle, sat on a flat base, with a removable tray underneath and often a guide arm that can be fixed or extendable. Once the handle is depressed, a simple lever is activated and two metal rams or spikes are pushed down through corresponding holes in the top of the base. A spring pushes the handle back up once it has been released.
If a piece of paper has been placed in the gap under the rams (guided by the arm so that it is aligned properly), then two small circles of paper will be punched out and will drop into the base. The piece of paper can then be threaded onto the rings of a binder, so that it is held securely and is easy to find again (unless you have a lot of them in random order in the binder).
Once you have collected a large number of small circular punches in the base, you can empty it. The amount of paper wasted by disposing of the punches is vast. If all the punches created in the world each year were laid end-to-end, they would blow away in the wind. Many people now use them as confetti for weddings or to stuff sagging bean bags.
The basic model for a hole punch is a large handle, sat on a flat base, with a removable tray underneath and often a guide arm that can be fixed or extendable. Once the handle is depressed, a simple lever is activated and two metal rams or spikes are pushed down through corresponding holes in the top of the base. A spring pushes the handle back up once it has been released.
If a piece of paper has been placed in the gap under the rams (guided by the arm so that it is aligned properly), then two small circles of paper will be punched out and will drop into the base. The piece of paper can then be threaded onto the rings of a binder, so that it is held securely and is easy to find again (unless you have a lot of them in random order in the binder).
Once you have collected a large number of small circular punches in the base, you can empty it. The amount of paper wasted by disposing of the punches is vast. If all the punches created in the world each year were laid end-to-end, they would blow away in the wind. Many people now use them as confetti for weddings or to stuff sagging bean bags.
