How are Hammers Made?
If you work in the construction, carpentry, or masonry business and do a lot of hands on work, chances are you are very familiar with using a standard claw hammer. This is the most commonly recognized hammer and tends to be the only hammer that the majority of people will ever be taught to use. However, even if you do work in one of these industries and are familiar with more than one hammer type, it is unlikely that you’ve been able to see all hammer types at work – or even know how they work.
There are many different types of hammers that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. However, the most common of these tend to be the claw hammer, the mallet, and the sledge hammer because of the frequency with which they are used.
Types of Hammers and Their Uses
There are many different types of hammers that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. However, the most common is definitely the claw hammer. The claw hammer is composed of a handle, hammer head, and ‘claw’ at the back. The ‘claw’ has a small gap in the middle of it to make it easier to use this part of the hammer as a lever or wedge when you’re working. The claw hammer is a very useful tool and is commonly found in the majority of households, even if no one in that particular household has a background in construction.
Claw hammers are perfect for driving nails into boards and the wall and are also commonly used to pry nails out of their anchoring material and even pry up pieces of wood like floorboards. If you need to invest in only one hammer, this should be it. However, as valuable as claw hammers are, they can’t take care of everything. If you’re doing more specialized work that requires you to use more complex tools, you’ll need to invest in different types of hammering tools. One such tool is a mallet.
Mallets are composed of wooden blocks that are mounted onto handles (likely also wooden). These tools are used when you need to hammer a tool instead of a fastener and need to ensure that you won’t damage the tool that you’re working with. These tools are perfect for doing slow and controlled work – especially if you’re a carpenter or artisan. They allow you to get your work done without damaging your tools or the medium you’re working with and will also help to ensure that you can control your tool throughout the entire process.
Mallets are the way to go if you need a tool that can be gentle in its hammering action, but sometimes, your work may call for a tool that’s a bit stronger. Often times, this is accomplished by using a sledge hammer. Sledge hammers are used for breaking up extremely durable materials like concrete, stone, and other masonry materials.
You’ll be able to generate impressive power and driving force thanks to the design of these tools and should be able to break up just about any material you come in contact with. This will prove to be especially true if you swing your sledge hammer like an axe against your target material.
What is Hammer Material Specification?
The type of material a hammer is made out of is dependent on the type of hammer it is. As a rule, the majority of hammers that are used to drive in fasteners or break up materials are typically made out of metal or an equally durable material. However, hammers that are used for more light weight work (like mallets) are typically made out of less dense materials like wood, plastic, or copper. The weights of hammers also tend to vary by function. Heavy duty hammers tend to be heavier and hammers used for gentle precision work tend to be lighter.
What is the Hammer Manufacturing Process?
Hammers are made through a very precise manufacturing process to deliver a reliable tool that can take on any challenge you throw at it. Though the process is only composed of three different parts, it is necessary that these steps are done precisely and properly. If they aren’t, the hammer won’t be securely fitted to its handle and may fly off and ruin the tool or cause harm. The first step of the process is making the head. This is done by heating a piece of steel somewhere in between 1,200 and 1,300 degrees in temperature.
This softens the metal and makes it easier to mold. Once the metal is heated, it is put between two different molds. One mold is usually stationary, while the other is attached to a metal rod that can be rammed against the mold. This is done repeatedly until the proper shape of the hammer head has been formed. Once this is taken care of, a few minor finishing touches are done to the piece and the hammer head is allowed to cool off.
The next step of the process is to make the handle. This is normally done by taking a piece of wood and cutting it down to fit the size specifications of the hammer head. Once this is done, the wood is sanded down and then a slit is cut into the top of the handle in a diagonal shape. Once this has been done, the wood can be treated and covered with a sealing coat.
Once this is done, the last step of the process is to combine the two parts by using a wedge. The handle is pressed up into the adze eye and a wooden wedge is driven through the slit. The handle is expanded once this wedge is driven in and the hammer head is now firmly held in place. However, this area of the hammer should frequently be checked to ensure that it isn’t loosened or dislodged from its place.