What a hammer does in woodworking
A nail hammer drives nails and pulls them: Estwing says plainly that nail hammers are for driving and withdrawing common nails only. In a woodworking shop that covers nailing backs, cleats and jigs, setting brads and pulling a bent nail. Knocking parts together is often done with a dead-blow hammer, which Estwing says minimises denting and marring, or with a mallet. Striking chisels is mostly a mallet's job, and the chisel maker decides what may strike its chisels; woodworking mallets explains why and covers the Japanese steel hammer made for striking chisels.
Hammer families as makers name them
| Family | What its maker says it is for or has | Example, by the maker's figures |
|---|---|---|
| Claw (curved claw) | A nail hammer with a smooth face and a curved claw | Estwing E3-16C: 16 oz head, 13 in overall |
| Rip (rip claw) | A nail hammer with a smooth face and a straighter claw | Estwing E3-16S: 16 oz head, 13 in overall |
| Framing | A longer handle for more striking power, in Estwing's words; milled or smooth face | Estwing milled framing hammers: 20 to 30 oz heads |
| Tack | A light hammer with a magnetic tack starter for one-handed nailing | Estwing MRWT: 5 oz head, 10.5 in overall |
| Dead-blow | A head holding steel shot, which Estwing says eliminates or minimises denting and marring | Estwing CCD26: 26 oz head, 12.75 in overall |
| Drilling | For striking chisels, punches, star drills and hardened nails | Estwing B3-2LB: 2 lb head, 10.5 in overall |
Each figure is the maker's own. Vaughan's catalogue groups its hammers in much the same families — framing, nail and trim, rip, soft-face and dead-blow, and tack and upholsterer's — so the names are the trade's, not BenchRoot's.
Equipment notePaid link
16 oz curved-claw hammer
Estwing E3-16C
Estwing's E3-16C from the table above: a 16 oz curved-claw hammer with a smooth face, 13 in overall, head and handle forged in one piece.
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Head weight is not the tool's weight
When a hammer is sold as 16 oz, the figure is its head. Estwing's tables say so outright, listing head weight and overall length for each model. Stanley's 1-51-488 is sold as a 16 oz (450 g) hammer, and its page lists an assembled product weight of 0.8 kg — head and handle together. Compare hammers head weight to head weight, and treat an assembled or product weight as a different figure. There is no single right weight for woodworking; Estwing alone sells hammers from a 5 oz tack hammer to 30 oz framing heads, and the families above show what each is built for.
Faces, claws and handles
- Face. Estwing's claw and rip hammers have smooth faces; its framing hammers come with milled or smooth faces. The makers name the face; they do not rank one over the other, and neither does this guide.
- Claw. Makers sell a curved claw and a straighter rip claw, as in Estwing's E3-16C and E3-16S. The names are descriptive; no maker reviewed defines them by an exact angle.
- Handle. Estwing forges head and handle in one piece of steel on its claw, rip and framing hammers, and fits a hickory handle to its tack hammer; Vaughan sells hickory and fibreglass handles. A wooden handle that is loose, splintered or cracked can let the head fly off, OSHA warns, so it is replaced before the hammer is used again.
Using a tack hammer
A tack hammer is small and light — Estwing's has a 5 oz head — for tacks. Its magnetic tack starter holds a tack so it can be started with one hand while the other holds the work; once the tack bites, drive it with the face.
What a hammer may strike
Estwing says never to strike a hammer or any striking tool against another tool or a hardened object, and never to use a nail hammer to strike another tool; for that it recommends a soft-face or drilling hammer. A woodworking chisel is struck with whatever its maker allows, usually a mallet; the chisel guide gives makers' rules. OSHA adds that struck tools with mushroomed heads can shatter and should be kept free of them.
Safety— Eyes and handles
Estwing asks users and bystanders to wear safety goggles; eye protection is explained in woodworking safety equipment. Avoid glancing blows, keep the hand holding a nail out of the line of the swing, and retire a hammer whose handle is loose or cracked. General rules are in woodworking safety rules.
Before using a hammer
- The right family for the job: nail, soft-face or dead-blow
- Head tight on a sound, uncracked handle
- Face free of chips and mushrooming
- Eye protection for you and anyone nearby
- Work held firmly; free hand out of the swing
- No hardened tool struck with a nail hammer
Where to go next
- Choosing one: how to choose a woodworking hammer.
- Driving screws by hand: woodworking screwdrivers.
- Mallets: woodworking mallets, and a mallet to make in mallet plans.
- The wider kit: hand tools and tool sets.
Sources
Every weight, length and face is the named maker's for its own model. Estwing states head weight and overall length; Stanley names its hammer by head weight and lists an assembled weight; the two kinds of figure are not compared as one. Makers' descriptions of their own products, such as striking power or reduced marring, are attributed to them. No hammer was tested, and no weight, face or claw is given as best.
- 1.
Claw Hammer (E3-12C, E3-16C). Estwing.
Used for: A curved-claw nail hammer with a smooth face, forged in one piece with the handle, in 12 and 16 oz head weights at 11 and 13 in overall length.
- 2.
Rip Hammer (E3-12S, E3-16S, E3-20S). Estwing.
Used for: A rip-claw hammer with a smooth face in 12, 16 and 20 oz head weights at 10.75, 13 and 13.75 in overall length.
- 3.
Framing Hammer (Milled). Estwing.
Used for: A framing hammer with a milled face in head weights from 20 to 30 oz, described by its maker as having a longer handle for more striking power; the same maker sells smooth-faced framing hammers.
- 4.
Tack Hammer (Triple Wedge), MRWT. Estwing.
Used for: A tack hammer with a 5 oz head, a hickory handle, 10.5 in overall, and a magnetic tack starter for one-handed nailing.
- 5.
Deadblow Hammer (CCD26, CCD45, CCD53). Estwing.
Used for: A dead-blow hammer whose polyurethane-covered head holds steel shot, which its maker says eliminates or minimises denting and marring, in 26, 45 and 53 oz head weights; safety goggles for users and bystanders.
- 6.
Drilling Hammer (B3-2LB, B3-3LB, B3-4LB). Estwing.
Used for: A drilling hammer of 2 to 4 lb for striking chisels, punches, star drills and hardened nails.
- 7.
Safety Tips. Estwing.
Used for: Safety goggles for users and bystanders; nail hammers for driving and withdrawing common nails only; never striking a hammer or striking tool against another tool or a hardened object; a soft-face or drilling hammer for striking another tool, never a nail hammer; avoiding glancing blows.
- 8.
16 Oz. (450g) Curve-Claw Tubular Steel Hammer, 1-51-488. STANLEY.
Used for: A hammer sold as 16 oz (450 g) whose page lists an assembled product weight of 0.8 kg.
- 9.
VAUGHAN hammers catalogue, as published by its parent company MARSHALLTOWN. VAUGHAN (MARSHALLTOWN).
Used for: One maker's hammer families: framing, professional nail and trim, 999 series, rip, soft-face hammers and mallets including dead-blow hammers, and tack and upholsterer's hammers, with hickory and fibreglass handles.
- 10.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002.
Used for: A loose, splintered or cracked wooden handle that can let a hammer's head fly off, and mushroomed heads on struck tools that can shatter.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.