Regardless of the type, virtually all
hammers are similar in construction. This simple tool consists of a handle and
head, and depending on the type of handle, one or more wedges to keep the head
secured. Wood handles typically have three wedges: one wood and two metals. The
wood wedge spreads the sides of the tenon to grip the head, and the metal
wedges help distribute the pressure evenly. FORGE
Metal handles are often forged along with
the head and therefore will never loosen. Composite handles (fiberglass or
other plastic composition) are usually secured to the head with high-grade
epoxy. Although these have much less chance of loosening compared to a wood
handle, they can break free from the head under heavy use. Dry
Wall Hammer
Claw Hammers
When most folks envision a hammer, they
think of a claw hammer. And many believe a claw hammer is a claw hammer, right?
Not true. There many different kinds of claws hammers available. For the most
part, they can be divided into two types: those with curved claws, and those
with straight claws. Curved-claw hammers are by far the most common, and they
are particularly adept at removing nails. Straight-claw hammers are more common
in construction work, where the straighter claws are commonly used to pry parts
apart. What a straight-claw hammer gains in demolition work, it loses in
nail-pulling efficiency. Machinist's Hammer
But there's more to claw hammers than the
curve of the claw. The weight and handle will also have a huge impact on how
well the hammer performs. Weights range from a delicate 7 ounces up to a beefy
28 ounces; the most common is 16 ounces. Heavier hammers are mostly used in
construction by experienced framers, who can drive a 16d nail into a 2-by in
two or three strokes. A heavy hammer will drive nails faster, but it will also
wear you out faster; these industrial-strength tools are best left to
professionals.
Even experienced woodworkers tend to hold a
hammer with a weak grip. The most common mistake is to choke up on the handle
as if it were a baseball bat. And just as with a baseball bat, this will rob
the hammer of any power, greatly reducing its ability to drive a nail. Some
might say that this affords better control; but without power, the hammer is
useless. It's better to learn to control the hammer with the proper grip. Stubby Claw
Hammer
Ball-Peen Hammers
Even though most of the work I do is in
wood, I often find use for a ball-peen hammer. A ball-peen hammer is handy when
I do need to work with metal - a material I often incorporates into jigs and
fixtures. I also use a ball-peen hammer - when I work with the metal hardware I
install in many projects. A ball-peen hammer (sometimes called an engineer's
hammer) has a standard flat face on one end and some type of peen on the other.
Chisel hammers
Chisel hammers may have one of two head
styles: barrel or flat. The flat type are more common and are usually made of
high-quality tool steel and then tempered to produce a tough, durable head.
Since both faces are identical, the balance is near perfect. Some woodworkers
prefer the barrel head-style chisel hammer; they feel that this more-compact
design centers the weight closer to the handle, so they have greater control.
These stubby heads are usually tempered so
they're soft on the inside and hard on the inside. The theory is that this type
of tempering reduces head "bounce."