Dead blow hammer size

[will smith]

I want to buy a dead blow hammer for my woodworking home projects. Basically I will use it to assemble the small furniture. What size is most used from your experience? 24oz?
Thanks.

[Len Mullin]

Will, I'd think that a 24oz DB hammer would be overkill, I would suggest that you get a 16oz, or if you can find one even a 12oz one would probably work fine for what your doing.
Len

[John McClanahan]

Get both large and small. I like a small one for tapping, but if you have to swing it hard much it messes up the surface of the head. Thats when I reach for the big one.

John

[Sam Layton]

Will,

I have a 28 oz dead blow that I use all of the time. The brand is an, ESTWING. I like it because on one end it has a very hard rubber tip, and on the other end has a softer rubber tip. With rubber ends, your wood does not get dented. Depending how delicate your work is, you have a hard and/or softer head to strike with. Also, the tips are replaceable.

Sam

[ray hampton]

the hammer weight will depend on how hard that you swing the hammer, a short swing with a heavy-weight will not dent the wood as much as a longer swing

[Myk Rian]

Go to HF and get 2 or 3 of them.

[glenn bradley]

As Ray and John mention, a light hammer will damage surfaces where a heavier one will not -if- greater force is required. Myk is right on about HF; they are non-marring, blinding orange and therefor easy to see and cheap. A light mallet definitely has its place but, when its not enough and you don't have the heavier one right there, one can tend to just hit harder with the light hammer. That's when things get dented and you get sad.

[Gary Herrmann]

Get whatever size you're comfortable swinging. Mine is black. I have no idea how much it weighs.

If you have to swing hard, your joints are too tight or are misaligned. If nothing else, err on the heavy side.