Working with Common Hand Tools
Many people starting out in woodworking are bewildered by the amount of tools available both power and hand operated. The intension of this series is to concentrate on human powered hand tools and show their variations and differences. I’ll start off with the basic hand tools and move on to the more exotic. This month I’ll talk about two of the most basic hand tools, hammers and files.
Hammers
You would think that a hammer is a hammer is a hammer, but there seems to be almost as many types as there are jobs requiring one. For woodworking there are two main types of hammers, framing and claw. In metalworking and mechanics there are also two main types, ball pein and machinist or cross pein. Finally there are the specialty hammers, drilling, masonry, shingling, dead blow, rubber, etc. There are even more hammers out there, but this gives you an idea of what is available, their differences and what they are used for.
Woodworking Hammers
- The claw hammer is the most well known of any hammer. They commonly range in weight from 8oz up to 28oz. They have a standard driving head, which is either round or octagon and the claws have a sharp radius. The sharp radius of the claw hammer gives you higher leverage and allows you to pull nails easier. Claw hammers always have a smooth striking face, so they can be used for finishing work. If you only have one hammer, this should be the one.
- Framing hammers tend to be longer, heavier and the claw radius is shallower often called a ripping claw. Weight ranges usually from 16oz to 32oz. Framing hammers come with either a smooth or a milled striking face. The milled face digs into the head of the nail preventing the hammer from slipping off the nail. The straighter radius claw is heavier built for pulling larger framing nails. Many manufacturers are now designing their hammers with some form of shock absorption, to reduce the fatigue and injury caused by the repetitive blows.
Metal Working Hammers
- The most common metal working hammer is the ball pein. This hammer has a standard flat face and a semi-circular concave face called the pein. These hammers were designed for shaping metal and for setting iron rivets by peining over the edge.
- A cross pein or machinists hammer has a flat face, which is either square or octagon and a wedged shaped face. They are often used in blacksmithing where the wedge or cross pein face is used in shaping, cutting or folding the metal.
Specialty Hammers
- A drilling hammer is a single-handed sledgehammer usually with a shortened handle. These hammers are used to drill into rock and stone. The short handle makes it easier to swing and control the heavy head, up to 5 lbs, often in cramped quarters. They have two flat faces and are usually square.
- Prospector and bricklayer’s hammers are very similar to each other. Both have an elongated head with a square face on one side. The prospector’s hammer has a pick on the opposite end for digging and prying. The bricklayer’s hammer has a chisel edge for scoring and breaking bricks and masonry.
- Shingling hammers or hatchets have a square head with a milled face to make sure it doesn’t slip off the nail heads just as a framing hammer has. On the other end is a hatchet for splitting wooden shakes or shingles. Some have a basic hatchet face and others have a hatchet face with a series of holes and a bolt to set your reveal spacing.
- Dead blow hammers are made from a medium soft plastic and filled with lead. Instead of bouncing as a rubber hammer does, the movement of the lead causes the full force of the blow to be transferred to the material being struck. The plastic housing does not damage the material, but it is too soft for use on sharp metal. They can leave a mark on wood as the plastic rubs off. Weights range from 16oz to 48oz.
- Rubber hammers will have either a white or black rubber head and can be used as a dead blow with the addition of use on metal. They can leave a rubber mark, especially the black ones. Common weight range from 8oz to 32oz.
- Double-faced hammers have two faces usually of different softness’ of plastic or rubber combination. The caps can leave a mark from the plastic or rubber as it rubs off. Double faced are measured by the diameter of the face instead of by weight. Common sizes are from 20mm (3/4″) to 40mm (1-9/16″).
- Rawhide hammers are the precursors of the dead blow, rubber and double ended hammers and are used for the same purposes. They can be used on machined parts and they also have the added advantage of not leaving any kind of mark. Common weights from 8oz to 28oz.
- Brass or copper hammers. These hammers are normally used where a spark from a standard steel hammer could be dangerous or when tapping on machined parts. Common weight range from 8oz to 28oz.
- Tack/Upholsterer’s hammer. These hammers tend to have narrow faces, which can be square or round and usually have one magnetic tip to hold the tacks. Common weights from 5oz to 10oz.
Handles
- Wood. This is the traditional handle material and is still the most common. They are strong, light and easy to replace if they get damaged. There are also two styles of handle shape. The first is the standard shape we all know, the second is the axe handle shape but with a thinner cross section. No difference in functionality, mainly personal preference in grip comfort.
- Solid steel. Solid steel handles are very strong and rarely break, but they can bend. Either way, if they do you replace the entire hammer instead of just the handle. Normally these hammers will have a rubber or leather grip.
- Tubular steel. These handles are fine for light duty home use, but are just not strong enough for pulling nails or any kind of large project. If you try to pull out a 3-1/2″ nail with one of these, chances are you will bend the handle long before the nail is out. Usually equipped with a rubber or plastic grip.
- Fiberglass. These handle have many of the good features of the other materials. They are light, very strong, they do not rust or weather and if it does break you don’t have to replace the whole hammer. However, you will have to replace it with a wooden one, as you cannot get fiberglass replacement handles. Comes with a rubber grip.
Quick Hammer tip: Remember when buying a hammer with a wooden handle or getting a replacement handle, the grain should be running inline with the hammerhead. Cross grain handles will break much easier. Do not hammer with the side of the hammer. The casting is not thick enough to withstand blows and you will void any warranty. Don’t use the claws like an adze for chopping. They are not designed for it and will break, again no warranty.
Files
Files are not used as much as they once were and some of the terms are no longer familiar. Here is a great description from Nicholson Files, which explains the differences much better than I could.
Quick File tip: Take some common blackboard chalk and rub in into your file. This fills the grooves and prevents filings from loading up, but does not interfere with the cutting action. Clean and repeat as needed.
About the Author
Jim is a writer for Western Tool – a retailer of tools and tool parts including saw blades, circular saw blades, and band saw blades.
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