Types of Hammers

Hammers are a useful tool that come in a wide array of styles and sizes and may have steel, fiberglass or wooden shafts, or handles. All hammers have at least one striking face, which is the side of the hammer that is used to drive fasteners into wood or other materials.

While there are hundreds of variations, most hammers fall into one of seven general categories.

Curved Claw Hammer

Probably the most common type of hammer found today, the curved claw hammer can be found in most household tool kits and is commonly referred to as simply a claw hammer. This hammer has a flat circular face for driving nails on the front and a curved claw with a slot in the middle on the rear for pulling nails.

Curved claw hammers are general-purpose hammers; typical uses include trim work, picture hanging and light household maintenance.

Straight Claw Hammer

Straight claw hammers are similar to their curved claw cousins, but the claw is straight for demolition work and heavy-duty nail pulling. They are often referred to as rip or framing hammers.

Straight claw hammers are typically used for construction, though more than a few have found their way into homeowners' tool kits. While curved claw hammers tend to have wooden or fiberglass handles, straight claw hammers typically have metal handles for greater strength. Lighter ones are used for trim work; heavier ones for framing and demolition.

Sledge Hammer

Sledge hammers do the heavy lifting when it comes to demolition. Featuring a solid slab head with a round or square striking surface on both sides, sledge hammers are rated by the weight of their head, with two- and three-pound heads mounted on hammer-sized handles made of wood or metal. Larger heads have handles that are about three feet long.

These hammers can be used to smash wood and concrete during demolition and are also handy for driving stakes into the ground. A version of the sledge hammer used for driving metal into rock is called a drilling hammer and is similar to two- and three-pound sledges.

Ball Pein Hammer

Sometimes called mechanic's hammers, ball peen hammers have the same circular flat striking face as claw and sledge hammers on one side, while the other side has a round ball.

These hammers are useful for mechanics and metal workers as the ball allows for precise placement of blows on small metal parts and is also used for shaping sheet metal into finished parts.

Mason's Hammer

A mason's hammer typically features a metal or wooden handle and is used by bricklayers and geologists. The striking face is square and the claw is straight with no slot for pulling nails.

These hammers usually have shorter handles than other hammers, because masons use compact, controlled strikes to break bricks or stones with more precision than afforded by a long handle. Geologists use mason's hammers to carefully chip away at stone surrounding fossils, minerals, or other items of interest.

Upholsterer's Hammer

With a short, narrow wooden handle and two striking faces that resemble solid tubes, these hammers are designed for precise placement of tacks and staples in upholstery.

These hammers are used almost exclusively in the upholstery business, though they're occasionally also used by miniature-model makers.

Mallets

Mallets have large square heads, usually wood or rubber. They tend to have shorter wooden handles and a large surface area on the striking faces, which are often inclined.

These hammers are used to strike chisels and other carving instruments. They also make excellent tools to bump wood and metal into place without marring the surface.

References

• Plumb brand hammers
• Estwing brand hammers
• Stanley brand hammers