I’ve been reading FHB for sometime now, but I’m new to this forum, so I apologize in advance if this question has been asked already. I’m not a full time tradesman, but I do a lot of remodeling on my own house and sometimes help friends. I need advice on the types of hammers I need. I have used a variety of hammers for framing and trim, and have broken several wooden handles pulling larger nails. I bought a 28oz Estwing (milled face) thinking it would be best for driving framing nails. It works great and I think it would be impossible to break the handle. It seems to be too heavy though. I think I only need two hammers for what I do, a lighter smooth faced hammer for trim and woodworking, and a heavier milled face for rough carpentry work.
In reading internet articles some say wood handles are best at absorbing shock, obviously steel handles are stronger. Some say that 28oz is too heavy for most people, and 20-22oz is enough. I do like the milled face as it seems to glance off much less. And the steel handles won’t come loose or break.
So if you can understand my babbling, what hammers should I get? What weight head is appropriate for my needs? What handle material is best? What brands should I consider? I’ve looked at Estwings, Vaughans, Craftsman, they all seem okay. I’ve even seen decent looking hammers at Harbor Freight for cheap, anyone use these?
Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!
Replies
Every home needs a water hammer.
Wood handled Vaughn.....for framing I prefer the 22oz........for trim the 20oz.
Balance can't be beat.
If you are breaking handles, it is because you are pulling the nails incorrectly.
Pull side to side when using a hammer with a wood handle.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
You are either pulling to many nails with your hammer or you are pulling them wrong.
Get a cats paw and a flat bar for pulling nails.
A good hammer is for hammering mostly.
You shouldn't be breaking handles. I haven't broken a handle in many years.
Are you getting in a hurry and making to many mistakes?
Are you getting in a hurry and using the wrong tool for the job?
I used to hurry through work and make to many mistakes.
Then I would spend considerable time fixing my mistakes.
My work showed it, my nerves showed it, and my tools showed it.
I have 3 hammers I use. All Estwings, because I hate to buy handles.
Framming 28OZ, siding and general work 20oz Eswing, trim 16oz Eswing.
I like to carry as little weight as possible in my belt. This means I don't carry extras like cats paw or flat bar. Most of my nail driving is done with a nail gun, so that means I don't worry about my elbow anymore.
Hey Frammer! What's going on with Estwing? I just bought a 20 oz it makes an objectionable pinging sound whether I'm driving 8's, 10's or 16d. Is it me or has something changed? This thing rings like a bell.
as long as I can remember those 20 oz estwings made that ping, my Uncle used one when I was a kid and I hated that thing.
Framming, I use a 15 oz ti bone, everyday beater is an 18 oz DouglassWoods favorite carpenter
Hi Matt, glad to see you back! Getting stronger?
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Im doing great paul thanks for asking, working, working again, wore my oxys the other day for the first time in almost 10 months, funny how much I actually missed them, until I noticed I was wearing them again,
the wife and I missed you at the fest this summer, we made a quick appearance on saturday and the Smiths kidnapped us lol,
I hope all is well with you, Woods favorite carpenter
Good to hear
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Thanks Matt!.. I'm going to vote and then buy a different hammer.
I seem to remember a saying "estwings sing" referring to that ringing sound they make or used to, funny , I dont recall if my current estwings do that or not , maybe I,m used to it or simply cant hear it any longer.
I currently use a 22 oz smooth estwing for general and a 28 oz milled for framing allthough the 28 is a little too heavy. Really love the 28 for demo work.
Estwings have always had that in some hammers and not in others. Keeps you company!;)Try wrapping a bit of electrical tape around the upper stem of the handle or dribbling some glue on it to buffer that vibration. I know mine went away after it got nicked and dirty.
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Thanks Piff! As ever, sage advice. A case of Tinnitus has been my boon companion for 30 years. Maybe we can play tricks on each other.
My first Estwing that I bought about 25 years ago didn't ring.
When that one was lost, I bought another one, and the ringing noise drove me nuts. Every other one I've tried since rings.
With all the demands that every product made today be hi-tech, ergonomic, low carbon footprint, Y2K compliant and LEED certified, it defies common sense that a US tool manufacturer hasn't the technical prowess to produce a claw hammer with better metallurgical properties than a Chinese gong.
Worldwide economic collapse aside, this may be the most pressing matter facing America today ;-)
Oh wait, this is obviously an integrated system to warn nearby workmen that a hammer is in operation.
Buy a lighter finish steel finish hammer like Dalluge's 16'oz finisher with a hickory handle. 20$ and very sweet little hammer.
Then put your money into a framing hammer that won't hurt your wrist or arm and can pull pull nails or start them with one hand. You're never going to hurt yourself pounding finish nails.
Titanium models will often have a cast head that has a side puller for nails and a magnetic slot/end where you can place a nail, the magnet holds it and pop! you can start a nail wayy over your head, or out of reach, with one hand.
I have a Stilletto TI bone. 200$ hammer, but I think you can find ti hammers with these features for half the cost.
Might really be worth spending the $$ though, if your ti framing hammer has a waffled face, it will be flattened in no time if you hit anything but nails. The Stilletto has a replaceable steel face so you can whack whatever you want.
I had a wooden Handle 22oz Vaughan and I gotta say it has nice balance and great power. Decent framing hammer.. When the wooden handle breaks (sooner or later it will) replace it with a hatchet handle and now that is a really great framing hammer.. However I eventually gave it away because of tennis elbow and went to a wooden hatchet handle titanium Stilletto.
A Steel handle is really wrong for a framming hammer.. sooner or later you will pay for that wrong choice..
For trim I like my leather handle Estwing.. True it has a steel handle but because of the nature of trim work it won't hurt you like a framming hammer will.
Stay away from the bargin basement hammers.. the balance seems to be awkwardand the quality is poor, really poor..
You should buy all of them.
I appoligize for butting in on your post. It has been a very long time since I have swung a hammer. I always liked a " Bluegrass". They had a fiberglass handle. I have not seen one anywhere for quite a while. I guess I was a lightweight. I used a 16oz. for framing and a 13oz. for trim. Never had any elbow problems though. Does anyone outhere know if Bluegrass is still being made and if so who handles them. For sentimental reasons I would like to get a 16oz. One of my not so smart helpers decided to use it to chip some concrete and broke one of the claws. Thanks
I also use to love Bluegrass wood handled hammers. Can't find them any longer. Now use a fiberglass handled hammer. I do mostly trim work with it. I think feel is the most important attribute in purchasing a hammer.
Edited 11/4/2008 11:06 pm ET by Jay20
Talk about ringing- it's spelled 15OZ. STILLETTO TITANIUM.
I believe <!----><!---->Bluegrass<!----> hammer were made by Vaughn especially for Belknap Bluegrass Hardware, similar to buying a hammer at a True Value hardware store with their logo on it. I would add it appears that Belknap Bluegrass was a little more selective of the quality of tools donning their logo. After someone decided they deserved my 16 oz <!---->Bluegrass<!----> more than I did, I went searching for a replacement. I did find a 13 oz <!---->Bluegrass<!---->, which I bought, but had to settle on a 16 oz Vaughn as a replacement. The dimension and balance of the wood handle seem about the same. But as previously mentioned I use an air gun to install trim today and only use a hammer to tap material into place. Still after 27 years I still miss her.<!----><!----><!---->
I had two the 16oz hammer walked like your's. I still have a lighter weight unit but keep it for memories and don't use it anymore.
Damn man, are your eyes bad?mine are now!;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Hammers, like most tools, are chosen based on how they feel to you and what their intended purposes will be. I would also be wary of asking a framer for hammer advice since their idea of a trim hammer is 28 ounces and they tend to maul wood regularly.
Wooden handles are best for shock absorbtion. I do not recommend steel handles for any reason because, over time, they are detrimental to your arm. These days it is best and easiest to get the best of both worlds and get fiberglass handles such as Plumb has to offer in the lighter ranges.
22-24 ounces is fine for most framing and I would recommend Vaughn and, for the very best, Hart framing hammers. Waffle faces are excellent for framing purposes. 20 ounce hammers are good for general use, especially for most homeowners uses, and 16 ounces is good for trim. If looking for a trim hammer, make sure that it has a bell face to help prevent from dinging the wood.
You should not use a hammer to pull nails. There are plenty of bars, cats paws, and nail pullers available.
Hope this helps.
P.S. If you like breaking and replacing handles, help yourself to Harbour Freight.
Edited 11/3/2008 8:24 pm ET by PlaneSharp
My gerneral hammer is a 20 oz Estwing curved claw,can be used to drive the occasional 16d. I used to use a 28 oz Vaughn for framing, but that was a while ago when my arm was younger and no pnumatics, I now use a 24 oz Estwing for that.
I use a 22 oz Eastwing for framing, a 16 oz for most other things, 12 oz for trim, 2 lb engineer hammer for heavy chiseling and smacking, and a 3 lb (4lb?) for driving stakes.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Having read through the posts so far, I'll add my two cents.
You're not a professional framer. Neither am I - I'm not a professional anything. I work for a custom home builder, so I'm constantly doing this or that. 99% of my hammering needs are met by a 20 oz Estwing, smooth face.
IMO, it's the best choice to have hanging from your belt as a general purpose sorta tool. It's light enough that you don't notice it much on or off. The steel handle is great for taking abuse from all kinds of uses, including pulling nails and prying/knocking stuff apart - or digging in the ground like a tiny shovel. ;-) Heck, my hammer probably sees more "other" uses than nail driving. And yeah, I'll drive framing nails with it.
Again, as you're not a framer: if you're driving enough nails by hand that fatigue is a real problem, I'd say you need to be using a nailgun instead. Otherwise, you're wasting your time. Obviously, a rough carpenter will be driving a lot of nails by hand, and a hell of a LOT of nails by air nailer. As a remodeler, though, I'd expect much less nail driving all around.
Edited 11/3/2008 9:45 pm ET by Biff_Loman
My long lost bro!!!!!
Pardon?
Soul Brother, as it were ;-)All these guys with an arsenal of hammers-you and I seem to be the only ones with one trusty Estwing in the loop....
"...have broken several wooden handles pulling larger nails."
It's not the hammer, it's the hammerer. I'll bet you hook the claw onto those nails and pull with both hands or ram the handle forward at high speed for maximum impact effect. But there's a better way.
Of course a cat's paw puller is great, but if you don't have one handy, you can get huge leverage and no risk of breaking the handle if you hook the claw tightly onto the nail, grasp the handle at the end and press it over SIDEWAYS. Reset the claw and press the handle sideways the other way. Depending how long the nail and how deep it was, you may or may not need to repeat the first step.
Being older and prone to wrist and elbow discomfort from swinging a heavy hammer, I prefer a Stiletto 14oz milled face titanium hammer for framing. I get the same driving force as a 22oz steel but with much less fatigue and no pain.
I like the 14 oz. ti Stiletto. OK. I came out and said it.Open the door for the detractors.
"I like the 14 oz. ti Stiletto.OK. I came out and said it.Open the door for the detractors."Don't worry...I got yer backside.You ever try the 10 oz. finisher? It's my favorite tool to date.
See?
You've got a tool I don't. You showed it to me at the first lunch, but you wouldn't let me touch it.
But you let Sphere hammer with it. I'm jealous.
I'm saving that moment for when you and I can be alone and not in some busy diner parking lot in the middle of New Jersey.
By the way, speaking of hammers, whatever happened to Bob/ProDeck? Hammer collector extraordinaire. I remember pics of his 'hammer fan'.
I think he grew up and got tired of too much BS here. Also seem to recall his last stop in was when he had extra time from having broken a leg or ankle or something.
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I'm sure that with sixteen replies already, you have some good stuff to go with, but I have a comment on the nail pulling thing.
IMO, a hammer, esp a wood handled hammer should not be used to PULL nails with. I use the claw for straightening bent nails, but try to avoid it for actuall pulling. There are cat's paws and flat bars made for that.
For about the last twenty years, My primary hammer has been a 20 oz plumb with the composite handle and rubber grip with a straight claw. Worked fine for framing or trim, but if I were doing lot of major framing, the big Estwing came out. The steel handled Estwing is hard on the elbow and wrist for some guys swinging it day in and day out for years though.
A year or two ago, I noticed my Plumb was wearing out. The claws were a goo d half in shorter, and the head was getting rounded off, so I dug out an old Vaughn head and put a new wood handle in it.
Had to pull a nail last week with it and broke the handle clean off again, so I am back to my Plumb again.
Some guys hate a straight claw hammer for interior work, claiming they scratch woodwork with the tip of claw sticking out. I never seem to have that problem. They like a curved claw for interior trim.
Smooth face is essential for trim work. That milled cleaver head thumb-smasher is for framing.
For brands - I think the latest Plumbs are made in China and the ones I handled in the store just don't feel right to me. I am partial to the way a Vaughn feels. I think that is an essential part of this decision. A hammer that balances and works right for YOU is the right hammer.
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
"A hammer that balances and works right for YOU is the right hammer."Exactly. That's the answer to this thread. It's good to kick around opinions and see what's being used though.
Some of these I've never tried.
20 oz. straight claw wooden handle Vaughn. I have used them all and this is my favorite hands down.
I'll shake on that!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!