Types of Hammers and Their Uses
Different Types of Hammers
The history of hammers dates back to the very origins of mankind. The first hammer dates back thousands of years. People use hammers today for a wide variety of tasks, from carpentry to construction. We group them into common types and specialized types.
Common Hammers
Common hammers are everyday tools you find in homes and workplaces. They have a straightforward design with a handle and head, mainly used for hammering nails or small demolition tasks. The most well-known is the claw hammer, perfect for basic carpentry and fixing things around the house because of its simple hammering and nail-pulling abilities.
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Specialized Hammers
Manufacturers create specialized hammers for specific jobs that regular hammers cannot accomplish. These types of hammers have different shapes and sizes to match the task at hand, like metalworking or breaking through brick. People who need the right tools for detailed or heavy-duty work find them essential, as they ensure the job is done correctly and efficiently.
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Common Hammer Types
Below is a list of common types of hammers and their functions:
Framing Hammer
A framing hammer, named for its use in joining house frames, represents a common type of hammer.
Framing Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
The weight of a framing hammer typically ranges from 20 to 32 ounces.
Design:
The framing hammer has a round head on the hammer face and a straight claw face on the other end.
Material:
Head: Typically forged from high-grade steel for durability and strength.
Handle: Manufacturers can make handles from various materials, including wood, fiberglass, or steel.
Framing Hammer Uses:
- Driving nails
- Splitting and framing wood
- Demolition
- Prying and lifting
Claw Hammer
Carpenters generally use the claw hammer, one of the most common types of hammers.
Claw Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
It weighs between 16 to 24 ounces. It is lighter compared to other common types of hammers but effective at woodwork.
Design:
The claw hammer features a round head and a curved claw end bent towards the handle. A V-shaped hole sits in the center of the head for nail extraction.
Material:
Head: Typically made from high carbon steel for durability and strength.
Handle: Commonly made from materials that include wood, fiberglass, rubber/plastic or steel.
Claw Hammer Uses:
- Driving nails
- Removing nails
- Light demolition
- Prying and lifting
- Crafts and DIY projects
Ball Peen Hammer
Blacksmiths and machinists commonly use a ball peen hammer in workshops. Its design, as the name implies, is for peening or shaping a metal surface.
Ball Peen Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
A ball peen hammer weighs between 4 and 33 ounces depending on the design.
Design:
The ball peen hammer's head consists of a round side and a flat side, with the round or ball side used for peening.
Material:
Head: Manufacturers mostly make ball peen hammer heads from high carbon steel, but some may use alloy steels.
Handle: Typically made from wood, fiberglass, or steel.
Ball Peen Hammer Uses:
- Peening (hammering metal to shape it or to improve its hardness and strength)
- Riveting
- Texturing metal
- Removing dents
- Shaping metal
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a heavier kind of hammer that has a mallet-like head. It serves for heavy jobs, such as demolition in construction.
Sledgehammer Specifications:
Weight:
Sledgehammer typically weighs about 8 to 20 pounds. Users swing the heavier types with a longer handle using both hands. An example of this is the type used in demolition.
Design:
Sledgehammers have a large, flat metal head on both sides attached to a handle. Resembling a double-faced hammer, it distributes force over a wide area.
Material:
Head: Manufacturers typically make the head of a sledgehammer from high-grade, forged steel. However, they make some sledgehammer heads from carbon steel.
Handle: Factories use wood, fiberglass, or steel to make handles..
Sledgehammer Uses:
- Breaking concrete
- Driving stakes and posts
- Demolition work
- Stone breaking
- Forging metal
- Railroad work
Mallet Hammer
A mallet consists of a piece of wood attached to a handle. If manufacturers construct the block on such a handle from rubber, people refer to it as a rubber mallet or rubber hammer. Users commonly utilize this type of hammer in situations where a metal head hammer would damage a surface.
Mallet Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
There are different types of mallets but they generally range in weight from 8 oz to 32 oz.
Design:
The rubber mallet has a head made of rubber that produces a soft bang and recoils when in use. It is a lightweight hammer.
Material:
Head: Producers generally make the head of a mallet hammer from materials such as wood, rubber, plastic or nylon, lead, non-sparking materials (like copper, brass, or bronze), urethane, and silicone.
Handle: Factories mostly use wood, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, and plastic or rubber to make the handles of mallet hammers.
Mallet Hammer Uses:
- Shaping metal without leaving marks
- Shaping or adjusting stones and tiles
- Securing fabric or leather
- Striking tools for cutting or shaping
- Assembling or disassembling joints
Dead Blow Hammer
A dead blow hammer is a unique tool designed to strike with force while reducing the risk of damage. Unlike standard hammers, it contains materials like sand or steel shot inside its head, which absorb the impact upon striking. This feature prevents rebound and minimizes the strain on the user's hand, making it safer and more effective for tasks requiring precision, such as automotive repairs, woodworking, or metalworking.
Dead Blow Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
Dead blow hammers typically range in weight from around 8 ounces to 4 pounds, although heavier options are available for more demanding tasks.
Design:
The design of a dead blow hammer typically features a hollow head filled with materials like sand or steel shot, allowing it to absorb and distribute impact energy evenly upon striking.
Material:
Head: Dead blow hammer heads are commonly made of durable materials such as polyurethane, rubber, or soft metal alloys.
Handle: Handles are often constructed from materials like steel, fiberglass, or reinforced plastic for strength and shock absorption..
Mallet Hammer Uses:
- Automotive Repair
- Woodworking
- Metalworking
- Construction
- Machinery Maintenance
- Plumbing
Specialized Hammer Types
Manufacturers specially build specialized hammers for various trades. Let's see some of the specialized types of hammers and their functions.
Cross Peen Hammer
Blacksmiths use a Cross peen hammer, a special type of hammer, to flatten and shape metals during the forgery process.
Cross Peen Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
The weight of a cross peen hammer head varies between 2 and 3.5 pounds. The handle will add some weight to the total weight of the hammer.
Design:
The flat-wedged-shaped peen head, which is perpendicular to the handle, characterizes the Cross-peen hammer. It has a regular flat hammer face on the other side for striking metals. It often comes with a strong wooden handle.
Material:
Head: Manufacturers typically make the head of a cross peen hammer from high carbon steel and may add other materials or coatings to the steel for more specialized applications.
Handle: Commonly made from materials such as wood, fiberglass and steel.
Cross Peen Hammer Uses:
- Shaping and bending metal
- Riveting
- Texturing metal
- Chiseling metals
Rock Hammer
A rock hammer features a flat hammer head drawn out into a chisel at the other end and consists of steel from head to handle to increase efficiency.
Rock Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
A rock hammer weighs between 1.5 and 3 pounds. Sometimes geologists need heavier hammers for their work such as a sledgehammer.
Design:
A rock hammer has a flat hammer head that is drawn out into a chisel at the other end. A rock hammer from head to handle is made from steel to increase efficiency. There are versions with wooden handles available due to their lower cost.
Material:
Head: Typically made from forged steel.
Handle: Most common materials for handles include fiberglass, wood, steel.
Rock Hammer Uses:
- Breaking Rocks
- Excavation
- Hardness Testing
- Prying Rocks
Tack Hammer
In the upholstery industry, professionals use a tack hammer, a special kind of hammer, to attach nails and tacks to a furniture frame without having to hold them. People also call it an upholstery hammer.
Tack Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
Tack hammer varies in weight but can be as small as 5 ounces but generally don't go above 10 ounces. It is a lightweight hammer.
Design:
The head of a tack hammer has one side flat and slightly rounded while the other side of the head often features a split or a magnetic slot. You use this to pick up small nails and tacks and put them in place. If the head of a tack hammer is not magnetized, it features a claw end with a nail-removing face.
Material:
Head: Generally made from high-quality steel.
Handle: Typically made from wood, fiberglass or steel.
Tack Hammer Uses:
- Driving small nails, tacks, or staples into furniture frames
- To attach small decorative elements
- For delicate tasks where precision is needed
- Used to fasten leather pieces together with small nails or tacks
Drywall Hammer
Manufacturers design a drywall hammer as a unique type of hammer for putting up or taking down drywall. Consequently, people sometimes refer to it as a drywall axe.
Drywall Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
The weight of the drywall hammer varies between 12 ounces and 14 ounces. Some models might slightly vary in weight depending on the materials used and the design features.
Design:
The drywall hammer has a hatchet-shaped head on one side and a circular milled face on the other side. Workers use the cut section on the hatchet side to remove nails when working on drywall.
Material:
Head: Manufacturers typically make the head of a drywall hammer from high-grade steel
Handle: Most common materials include: wood, fiberglass, steel, synthetic or composite materials.
Drywall Hammer Uses:
- Installing drywall panels by driving nails into the drywall and the studs behind it
- Cutting or shaping drywall panels with the hatchet end or pointed tip
- Removing nails or correcting mistakes by using the claw or notch on the back of the head
- Tapping drywall panels into place without damaging them
Brick Hammer
Masons use a brick hammer, also known as a stonemason's hammer, to break and shape bricks in construction. It is an important tool for masons and bricklayers.
Brick Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
Brick hammers generally weigh between 16 to 32 ounces. This weight range allows for effective chipping, shaping, and cutting of bricks and masonry units.
Design:
A brick hammer is similar in appearance to a rock hammer, having a flat square head on one side and drawn into a sharp chisel peen on the other side. It often comes with a comfortable grip handle for easier and safer use. Workers use the flat head to break bricks into small pieces while they use the chisel side for chipping and smoothing bricks and stones.
Material:
Head: The head of a brick hammer is mostly made from high-grade, forged steel.
Handle: They can be made from: wood, fiberglass, steel and composite materials.
Brick Hammer Uses:
- Cutting bricks and masonry units
- Chipping off edges or small pieces of brick
- Scoring lines in bricks before cutting
- Setting or tapping bricks into mortar
Welding Hammer
Welders use a welding hammer (chipping hammer), a special kind of hammer, to remove excess slag left around a welding point after a welding process. It is an important tool for professional welders.
Welding Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
A welding hammer, also known as a chipping hammer, typically weighs between 10 to 20 ounces. Manufacturers design this weight range to offer a good balance between being light enough for precise control and heavy enough to effectively chip away slag and spatter from welding joints and surfaces.
Design:
The welding hammer has a unique appearance. Manufacturers can make the handle of spiral steel wires to allow the hammer to cool easily when using it on hot surfaces.
The head consists of a sharp conical nose on one side and a dual bevel chisel face on the other side for removing slag.
Material:
Head: The head of a welding hammer is typically forged from high-carbon steel.
Handle: Welding hammer handles can be made from a variety of materials like wood, fiberglass, rubber-coated steel, steel.
Brick Hammer Uses:
- Chipping away slag and spatter from welds
- Cleaning weld beads and preparing welding surfaces
- Removing rust or paint from surfaces before welding
- Welding hammers are also used in boiler scaling applications
Chasing Hammer
Sometimes called a jeweler's hammer. Silversmiths, blacksmiths, and jewelry artisans use a chasing hammer, a special kind of hammer, to shape metals in the jewelry business.
Chasing Hammer Specifications:
Weight:
The average weight of a chasing hammer is around 4 to 6 ounces. This lighter weight allows for precise control and repeated strikes without causing excessive fatigue, making it ideal for detailed and delicate work.
Design:
A chasing hammer has a flat circular planishing surface on one side and a round ball peen head on the other side. It has a finely finished, bulbous end wooden handle. The fine wooden handle helps reduce stress on the fingers while using the hammer.
Material:
Head: The head of a chasing hammer is forged from high-carbon steel.
Handle: The handle of a chasing hammer is often made from hardwood, such as hickory or ash. Occasionally, other materials like fiberglass or metals may be used for the handle.
Chasing Hammer Uses:
- Flattening and shaping metal sheets or wires in jewelry making and metalworking
- Texturing metal surfaces for decorative effects
- Riveting or joining metal pieces together without soldering
- Setting bezels in jewelry making
