Here are eight essential tips for using a hammer correctly and how to effectively hammer into various materials. Not really. There are many types of hammers. The hammer that is found in most homes—and a decent choice for all-around versatility—is the 16-ounce curved-claw hammer on the far left, shown here. If you’re going to have one hammer only, this is a good choice. But if you’re looking for a little lighter version of this hammer, consider its little brother, the 13-ounce curved claw hammer. A smaller hammer will be easier to control for many people. Most homeowners can stay away from specialty hammers, such as the 20 to 30-ounce ripping-claw framing hammer, though this hammer is often used to drive concrete nails. Those are for pro carpenters or very experienced DIYers who are doing a lot of rough-carpentry work or demolition jobs. Framing hammers look similar to standard claw hammers, but the claws are straighter, the handle is longer, and the head is considerably heavier. Remember that both of these types of claw hammers are designed for striking hardened nails and wood. They are not meant to pound on stone or concrete, and should not be used to drive steel masonry chisels or other metal objects. Some of the other specialty hammers to consider:
Tack hammer: This tool usually has two striking surfaces at either end of the head; it is used for driving small brads and tacks, such as carpet tacks. Some tack hammers have a magnetic head that can hold tiny tacks by the head to make them easier to drive. Ball peen hammer: This hammer has one flat-faced head and one rounded head; the specially hardened steel is designed for metalwork. Mason hammer: This is a hammer that has a striking face on one side and a chisel-shaped cutting pick on the other side. It is available in many sizes. It’s designed specifically to score and split bricks or break small pieces off of rocks. Mallet: made of wood or rubber; designed to strike wood without leaving damaging marks. Drywall hammer: This tool has a small ax face on one side of the head which can be used to knock holes in drywall. The other side of the hammer has a flat face for driving drywall nails. Cub hammer or sledgehammer: These are different sizes of the same basic hammer design—heavy-headed tools used for demolition or masonry work.
Let’s now consider some tips for effectively using the curved-claw hammer to learn the proper way to hammer a nail like a pro. It is a very easy protective measure to wear a pair of lightweight, inexpensive eye protectors whenever you are hammering. Never go without eye protection. To properly hold the hammer, grab it near the end of its handle. Get used to the feel. Swing it loosely in your hand. A well-made hammer will have a nice balance to it and a little sweep or widened section at the end of the handle to help you hold on. Once you have the hammer perfectly gripped, you’re ready to swing. Here’s the proper procedure to hammer a nail without bending it: Once you get the hang of nailing, you’ll find that using a few smooth, well-placed blows is far more successful than trying to ferociously pound a nail with great force. If you watch a good professional carpenter at work, you will notice that most of the force applied when using a hammer comes from elbow and shoulder action, with the energy coming from the momentum of the hammer’s head. Novices, on the other hand, tend to use an excessive amount of muscular wrist bending when they hammer, leading to inaccuracy and a lot of wrist stress over time. How do you blunt the tip of the nail? A tried and true technique is to turn the nail upside down with the head resting on a hard surface and the tip facing up. Then, lightly tap the nail tip with your hammer to slightly blunt it. A slightly blunted nail is really no more difficult to drive, and it almost never will split the wood. Like blunting the tip of the nail, drilling pilot holes will slightly reduce the holding power of the nails, but it is a good technique when installing trim moldings or other work that doesn’t require maximum holding power. If you correctly time your hammer strikes, the last blow will drive the nail head slightly below the surface of the material you’re nailing into. Done right, the shape of the hammer’s head will slightly countersink the nail but will not mar the wood surface at all. If you watch a skilled finish carpenter, you will see that the very last blow of the hammer is a vigorous one, intended to slightly countersink the head of a finish nail. When done correctly, there is no need to follow up and countersink the nail heads with a nail set tool.
