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."