After reading the tip about using a pneumatic impact hammer as a chiseling tool (see Air chisel), I felt compelled to share another use for this $20 workhorse. I needed to nail off some seismic strapping and some joist hangers in a location with little clearance, and my impact hammer came to mind. I cut the point off one of the tips that came with the hammer. Then I back-drilled the flat end, creating a 1/4-in. deep cavity for the head of a nail.
I used a pair of needle-nose pliers to position the nails while I lined up the hammer for driving them. It easily drove joist-hanger nails and framing nails in the tightest corners. The pistolgrip shape of the impact hammer let me access places that the expensive palm-style nailers can’t reach.
Douglas McCloskey, Santa Cruz, CA
