Getting definitive information from contractors on hammers is like trying to find out which sports team is the best. Preferences seem to be based on some comparative experience, a tiny bit of logic, a very personalized concept of balance and a large measure of ?that?s what I?ve always used?. Even tradespeople who believe they have totally converted to pneumatic nailing, when pushed, will admit to having a hammer in the box and using it more often than they would like ? either to pull nails out or to finish off ones that are not quite in.
First let?s narrow the field on hammers, there are just too many to talk about them all. If any one hammer is used seriously on construction sites it will be the heavy duty framing hammer ? the little monster capable of driving home steel in a blow and a half. My little survey of contractors provided only one point of agreement ? they almost all like checkered heads on framing hammers.
PREFERENCES
Balance is a big issue with hammers, but nobody seems to agree just how to judge it. Some stand the hammer on its ears, others set it on a finger at a certain point on the handle while one guy spins it in the air and watches to see the pivot point. No wonder the manufacturers don?t all balance their hammers the same way. So we will leave that one to personal choice ? except of course I would like to add my own little personal note: the difference between static and dynamic balance. Balancing a hammer peacefully in a hardware store has little to do with how it will balance in full motion and driving force on a construction site. Don?t pass judgment until you have a chance to try out a hammer ? then you can get as personal as you like.
We tend to judge handles by two basic criteria: will it hold up to overstrikes, and how much of the impact comes back down the handle. Wood handles are the worst on the overstrike issue, while common belief is that wood is the best as far as working fatigue is concerned. All agree that a straight steel shank handle is the worst for shock.
One would think that the grip would be a major issue, but workers don?t seem to focus too much on it. Some like the better grip of rubber sweat grooves or holes while others find that the grooves tend to create calluses.
AND THEN THERE IS SCIENCE
Tired hands and health problems from repeated shock are the domain of Ergonomics, the science of fitting the tool to the person who does the work instead of forcing the person to fit the job. For hammers, ergonomics looks at shock transmission through the handle, and how hard you have to squeeze to hold on to the hammer.
If you need the strength of the steel shaft, try one of the hammers that has fiberglass resin around the shaft to absorb the shock. A graphite core handle is probably the best balance between strength and shock absorption. Despite science, hammer preference remains subjective. If you have never tried one of these new handles, try borrowing one for a day and give it an honest comparison to your present hammer. It is probably better for your tendons.
Much more subtle is the stress caused by a good or a not so good grip on the handle. When your hand is squeezed harder around the handle, the shock from each blow does more damage than when you have a more relaxed grip. Texture, sweat and a lip on the bottom all relate to how hard you have to squeeze to keep a hold of your hammer. While a textured grip is a good idea, finger grooves is a bad idea. Your fingers probably don?t fit perfectly and they put pressure on the sides of the fingers. An interesting note is that poor fitting gloves force you to squeeze as much as 30% harder.
END NOTES
Several contractors, who absolutely want to use wooden handles but acknowledge the slipping problem, are having good results with racket ball handle sleeves or tape. They get about two months per tape job.
One contractor from the Northwest Territories, where all mosquitoes are born, indicated that bug repellent dissolves plastic and rubber handles. OK manufacturers, what can we do about that one?
Remember that a hammer is not a crow bar. If you are always breaking ears off of your hammers, you are probably asking this tool to do something that actually requires a different tool -- or you?re just buying cheap hammers.
Don?t forget that we take hammering for granted. Newcomers on a construction site may have never actually had any specific training in how to use a hammer, like not using the wrist but bending at the elbow and/or shoulder. Take a minute and pass on some knowledge, you may prevent a case of tendinitis ? not to mention saving a lot of bent nails.
**Originally published as an article by Jon Eakes in Home Builder Magazine, the magazine of the Canadian Home Builder's Association.