A hand hammer is a tool used for driving fasteners, flattening surfaces, and tightening wood joints. Different head types allow for specific tasks. Claw hammers are common and come in curved or straight claws. Ball hammers are used in metalworking, and other types include blacksmith’s hammers and lightweight hammers. Sledgehammers are heavy hammers used for heavy work.
A hand hammer is a hand tool used to direct force onto an object. It is usually used to drive in fasteners such as nails or pegs, flatten surfaces, or tighten wood joints. A hand hammer consists of a metal head attached perpendicularly to a handle. A variety of head types allow hammers to be used for different purposes and specific tasks. The head of the hammer consists of a flat face on one end used for striking and a claw, pen or identical end on the other side.
To many, the word hammer likely recalls a type of hand hammer known as a claw hammer. Claw hammers get their name from the two-pronged claw opposite the face of the hammer head, designed for pulling nails out of wood or other materials. There are generally two types of claws, which can be curved or straight.
Curved claws are useful for removing nails easily. Straight or ripped claws are most commonly found in construction work, and while they are not useful for removing nails, they are useful for prying boards or other construction work. Claw hammers come in light weights for delicate woodworking work, heavier weights for general work, with the heaviest ones usually used for remodeling or construction.
Ball hammers are a type of hand hammer usually used in metalworking for setting rivets or other metalworking tasks. A quill is a specialized point opposite the face of the hammer that can be used for a variety of tasks. The most common type is the ballpoint pen, a spherical striking surface. For use in riveting, the face of the hammer is used to flatten the rivet and the ballpoint is used to shape it into a dome. Straight and cross quills, two other common types, also have uses for metalworking.
There are many other surfaces that appear opposite the face of the hammers. A blacksmith’s hammer has a wedge-shaped end that can be used to work metal. Japanese-style hammers are a type of hand hammer that has the same face on both sides, which some prefer due to its balanced feel.
Other types of hammers include lightweight hammers for jobs that require less force. The nail hammer is usually used to drive nails into upholstered furniture or other items. Warrington hammers have a wedge shaped pein which can also be used for finishing tacks or nails. Lightweight hammers with flat faces are sometimes used to set the glass points, fasteners that hold the glasses in a frame. Sledgehammers and sledges are heavy hammers used for driving poles or other heavy work.
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