HAMMER

A hammer is a simple tool designed to

manually drive nails, brads, and other fasteners
into softer materials, such as wood or drywall. A
hammer has a head and a handle, or shaft. The
components of the head depend on the type and
use of the hammer, but most have a face that
strikes the fastener behind the bell and neck,
which holds the handle. The opposite end of the
head may have a forked nail-puller (called a claw
hammer) or a peen (small face for driving pins or
tacks).

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hammer-isolated-on-white-background.html

TYPES OF HAMMER:

CLAW HAMMER

Claw hammers are commonly used for

everyday purposes and for construction
projects. These types of hammers weigh
anywhere from 7 to 32 oz. The weight is derived
from the head of the hammer only. The handle
of a claw hammer is made from either wood,
fiberglass or steel. The main purposes of a claw
hammer are to pound nails into wood or extract
nails. One side of the hammer head is flat and
is used for pounding. The other side of the
hammer head contains a claw and is used for
extracting nails out of surfaces such as wood.
The claw side of the hammer head resembles

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hammer/
the letter "V" which allows a nail to fit into it. The
person using the hammer places the claw
hammer with the claw around the nail and pulls
up or down with the handle to extract the nail.
Claw hammers are designed to be used with
wood working projects. They are not built for
metal projects.

MALLET HAMMER

Rubber mallets might have wood, plastic

or fiberglass handles, and the hammers come in
a variety of weights. Colors of the rubber heads
of the hammers are usually black, white or gray.
It is used to hit and drive a chisel, knock in dowels
or to tap wooden joints together and Rubber
mallets serve in place of a metal hammer in
situations when a metal hammer would cause
damage to the material during fitting or
installation.. This is an essential tool for a joiner
or carpenter. They are typically made of beech (a
hardwood) and are used where a metal hammer
might do damage to the piece or project being
worked on or the other tools, such as the chisel.
Generally the head will be slightly tapered to
ensure correct contact with the piece being
worked on.

https://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/man
ufacturing_process_equipment/hand_power_
assembly_tools/hammers
 BALL PEEN HAMMER

Ball pein hammers range from 4 oz – 2 lb.

(55 – 1100g), although the majority are in the region
of 8 – 12oz (110 – 165g). The handles are
traditionally wood, usually Ash or Hickory, although
modern materials are now used as they suppress
the vibration well. These hammers are sometimes
called engineers or mechanics hammers. They
have a rounded, hence ″ball″, pein which is used for
shaping metal, closing rivets and rounding edges off
metal pins and fasteners. Peening, a metal
fabrication process, is little used these days, and
involved hardening a metal surface with repeated
impact. This was mostly done by the flat face of the
hammer, in fact.

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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IN USING HAMMERS

 Wear goggles; especially when you are driving in nails, breaking concrete or other
materials that could shatter or fragment on impact.

 Always use the head of the hammer, not the side to strike with. The metal is not
hardened here, is much thinner where the handle passes through and can be
damaged. The hammer is also unbalanced making it harder to make a clean strike
and you will generally find it harder to see what you are striking too.

 You hammer does need some maintenance. If the hammer handle is held in the head
of the hammer with wedges these can work loose or the handle can shrink if it wooden.
This means that the head can come loose and slip down the handle hurting your hands
or even fly off. Tip: Soak the head of hammers with wooden handles to make the wood
expand which will secure the head to the handle again. You might need to add new
wedges if required.
 The face can become polished with use and can slip off nails when struck; roughen
the face with some abrasive paper to prevent this happening.

 Protect delicate work from hammer blow marks by using a piece of scrap wood to
adsorb the blow. Place the off-cut onto the surface you wish to hit and then strike this
rather than the object directly; it will protect it.

 To protect delicate wood work, use a punch to sink the nails without striking the wood
itself. You can see our range of punches here.

 Always use the right hammer for the job you are undertaking; It makes the task easier
and will help to avoid possible damage to the hammer, yourself and the project that
you are working on.

HOW TO USE HAMMER:

Where to hold the hammer. Hold the hammer like you’re shaking hands with somebody.
When you need more control over the hammer, like when you’re starting a nail, grip the
hammer closer to the hammer head. When you need power, grip the hammer near the
handle’s end.
Starting the nail. Place the nail where you want to drive it and hold it between the thumb
and forefinger of your non-dominant hand. Place your fingers near the top of the nail
when holding it. If you hold the nail near the bottom, a missed hammer swing will crush
your fingers between the wood and the hammer. Not a pleasant feeling.
Grip the hammer near the middle of the handle. Tap the nail lightly until the nail has
sunk into the wood enough that it can stand on its own.If you’re driving in nails that are
too small to hold between your thumb and forefinger, use this handyman tip: Grab a piece
of thin cardboard or thick paper and push the nail through it. Instead of holding onto the
nail, you hold onto the cardboard. Remove the cardboard before you finish driving the
nail. For some hardwoods, it’s a good idea to drill a pilot hole before you hammer in a
nail. It makes the job easier and prevents the wood from splitting. Which brings us to our
next point-
Preventing wood splitting. In addition to creating a pilot hole, lubricating the nail with
beeswax and blunting the nail will also keep the wood from splitting. To blunt a nail, simply
tap the nail point with your hammer. Also, avoid hammering a nail into the grain of the
wood.
Swing from the elbow for power; swing from the wrist for control. For maximum
power and efficiency, swing from the elbow. When you need more control and finesse,
swing from the wrist. Many hammer newbies try to hammer with just wrist action.
Focus on the nail, not the hammer. When hammering, you want to avoid sideways and
glancing blows. To score a direct hit every time, focus on the nail head, not the hammer.
Let the weight of the hammer do the majority of the work. You don’t need to use
every ounce of strength in your body when hammering. That will only lead to wild swings
and bent nails. The weight of the hammer head plus your smooth swing provides enough
force to get the job done.

FOR REMOVING NAILS

Claw hammers are designed to remove nails. Simply slide the claw underneath
the nail head. Pull the hammer’s handle towards you to extract the nail. Here’s an old trick
from grandpa to help you pull nails: Stop the first pull back before the hammer’s poll
touches the surface of the wood. Place a wood block under the hammer head to provide
some leverage. Using the block puts less strain on the hammer’s handle and allows you
to lift the nail straight up without bending it. Some nail heads are too small for the tongs
of the hammer to grasp. To deal with such nails, hammers are sometimes made with a
small v-shaped notch in one of the prongs. If yours lacks this feature, you can simply file
a v-shaped notch into one of the claws with a metal file.

REFERENCES:
https://www.hunker.com/13402975/what-are-the-uses-of-the-claw-hammer
https://home.howstuffworks.com/hammer.htm
https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/different-types-of-hammers.htm
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-use-a-hammer/