One thing I almost forgot and should be a part of ANY tool box or bag is the hammer. I can’t believe that I forgot this….

Types

There are so many types of hammers that are out there that I could do an entire blog on nothing but hammers, but I will keep it readable and within the limits of a persons attention span. In other words, I don’t want to bore the pants off of you. Here are the main types of hammers that one should have readily available.

Hammers and more hammers!

Number one is a Claw Hammer. This type of hammer is usually used for building. It is made to drive nails and the claw is made to pull them out. There are different types of claw hammers too. (this is what I was talking about). The heads are measured in ounces depending on how hard you want to hit with it. A good common all around claw hammer would be around 16 ounces and be called a ‘curved claw’ hammer. It is pictured below.

Curved Claw Hammer

The hammer above is a curved claw, but another hammer that is called a ‘Rip Claw’ Hammer is a step up in the construction ladder (no pun intended) and is used for general carpentry but with a claw that can be used for pulling nails AND dislodging boards because the claw is almost straight on the back. It is pictured below.

Rip Claw Hammer

The last hammer in this trilogy of hammers is called the ‘Framing’ hammer. These are the elite of hammers and are made to do all of the above plus have the power to drive a nail in one swing in the hands of a master carpenter. This is due to the longer than normal handles and knurled faces to prevent deflection of the hammer head. It is pictured below.

Framing Hammer.

Ill bet you didn’t know that there were so many hammers made to just drive a simple nail did you?

Closing

There are many different types of hammers out there, Ball Peen for shaping metal, Hand Sledge for getting those things to move that a regular hammer will not, or even a hammer called a ‘Dead Blow’ that is filled with sand and made to not bounce (for use of a better word). One thing that I have to try to ‘drive’ (pun intended) into your head is that never never never strike another hammers face with another hammer. Some people out there will try to use a rip claw as a pry bar and try to drive it under a piece of wood….. yes Im talking to you…lol. The faces of a hammer are hardened steel and will spall if struck together. Spalling is another word for shards of metal flying off. Please be safe as something as simple as a hammer can cause a DIY project to turn into a trip to the hospital. Thanks for reading!!