The phrase "a tool for shaping" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to an instrument or method that is used to mold or influence something, whether it be physical objects, ideas, or processes.
Example: "The new software serves as a tool for shaping the design of our product, allowing for greater customization."
Alternatives: "an instrument for molding" or "a means of forming".
A hologram is a tool for shaping the amplitude and the phase of a light wave.
As a tool for shaping public perception and solidifying public support, it has proved highly effective, if deeply controversial.
The problem, however, is that the "debt-limit" resolution purports to be something that it clearly is not -- a tool for shaping and redefining the nation's fiscal policy -- and, in reality, plays a totally nonsensical role.
In this paper, we examine the efficacy of the 3DZD as a tool for shape similarity based virtual screening.
These observations suggest that catalytic combustion could be used as a tool for shape control or micropattern formation in carbon materials, in which molecular oxygen serves as a "dry" etchant acting selectively on catalyst particles positioned by controlled metal deposition.
If you decide to repoint, you will need a few tools: a cold chisel (it should be narrower than the mortar joint), a two-pound sledgehammer, a mason's trowel (for mixing and holding mortar), a pointing tool (for pushing the mortar into the joint), a jointing tool (for shaping the contour of the joint) and a stiff-bristle brush to remove residual mortar.
The survey is a vital tool for shaping public policy.
It is a powerful tool for shaping the future of agriculture along environmentally sound lines.
It is a powerful tool for shaping information architecture in Web sites and software applications.
What both sides miss is that zoning — the focus of planning for the last 100 years — is an inadequate tool for shaping the future of an evolving city.
Health economics has evolved into an essential tool for shaping health policy in the Canadian health care environment; it helps achieve and maintain public access to proven medications, by demonstrating that they provide added value, are effective, and are appropriately used.
