Hammers

Whether you are a DIYer who likes to take up home improvement projects in your own hands or a hobbyist who likes to tinker with things, a hammer is a must-have item in your tool kit. It is a really versatile tool useful for many different applications.

People have been using hammers since the beginning of time in one form or the other. For the ancient people, it was a smooth piece of stone tied on the end of a stick. The man who invented the wheels probably used the stone on the stick assembly for shaping his invention. Even today, the basic shape of a hammer hasn’t changed much. It is a necessary tool for all kinds of small and large tasks like assembling furniture or repairing a car. Read this article to find out more about them. Having a better understanding of this tool will help you make the right choices when you are shopping for them.

Different types of hammers

It is important to use the right hammer for a particular job. Not only does it make the work simpler, but it is also essential for completing work safely. Trying to use a wrong hammer for the wrong task can cause unforeseeable destruction and damage to property and cause injuries. But in order to pick the right kind of it for the right job, you need to be aware of the different types of them and also the strengths and weaknesses of each. Here is a list of the four most common types of hammers that you can buy.

Claw hammer

This is the most commonly used type of hammer. On one side of the head is the round hammering head, and the opposite side of the head has claws. This claw is useful for pulling out nails from wood and concrete and also to lever up floorboards or as a general-purpose lever. However, you should be careful while using this claw because too much pressure can weaken the join between the head and the handle. Because these are consumer hammers, the handle usually features a rubber grip or a glass fibre protective cover.

Ball peen hammer

In this type of hammer, both sides of the head are solid metal. One side features a flat hammering head similar to a claw hammer, and the other side has a more rounded bit. This is the hammer that you want if you want to close rivets or shape pieces of metal. It is also usual for these hammers to be heavier than claw ones. Also, because the handle is usually wood or hard plastic, there is no need for an extra protective covering on top of it. If you are only going to have one type of hammer, then this is the type you should go for.

Sledgehammer

Sledgehammers are significantly larger and heavier than the above two. Because of that, you will often need to use both hands to hold them. These are necessary for carrying out heavier tasks like masonry, driving in stakes, breaking up concrete blocks, and forging together iron. Sledgehammers use wood for handling to make it fronter heavy. To use a sledgehammer effectively with the minimum amount of effort, you need to master the art of swinging them. You will need to swing the hammer like an axe to impart heavy blows. For safety reasons, you should always wear protective gear while using a sledgehammer.

Mallet

Unlike a ball-peen hammer, mallets have a wooden head instead of an iron head. These are necessary for carpentry. You can use this hammer to tap wood joints together without causing dents to form on the wood or breaking them. Another design feature of a mallet is that the head slightly tapers towards the ends. This is to ensure that the contact between the mallet and the wood is correct. To make the mallets easier to handle, both the handle and the head are made from wood. Because mallets are for light taps rather than heavy blows, both the handle and head can last for a really long time.