Home - Garden
Different Types Of Hammers & All Of The Things They Can Be Used For
By RON BAKER
Claw Hammer
Claw hammers are general-purpose hammers with a smooth face that balances the ability to strike a nail well without marring the surface you're driving the nail into.
Opposite its face is the claw, a split and tapered wedge that’s often used to pull out nails. A good claw can slip under nail heads that are nearly flush with the work surface.
Framing Hammer
Designed for framing the wood walls of houses, framing hammers have crosshatched faces that provide more grip so the nails are driven in rather than bent over.
It has a straight claw that can be used to separate materials or like an ice axe to arrest a fall. The hammer can also be used as a carrying handle when driven into a large timber.
Electrician's Hammer
This hammer sports a smaller size with a longer neck, so it makes working in tight areas, such as between wall studs, and in recessed spaces super easy.
It's also electrically insulated between the face and the grip to keep you from shocking yourself if you accidentally come into contact with a wire carrying current.
Mallet
A mallet is a block of plastic, wood, metal, or rubber attached symmetrically on a handle, which prevents damaging work surfaces with misplaced strikes.
It helps strike the workpiece directly without marring, as when shaping metal. Mallets can be a soft-faced hammer with nylon or rubber or a dead-blow hammer coated in plastic.
Sledge Hammer
Sledge hammers are heavy, usually long-handled, and used to destroy and drive materials that are difficult and don't require any attention to their final appearance.
There are also short-handled, four-pound sledge hammers that will probably do most tasks around your home. They are sometimes called club hammers or engineer's hammers.