Making a Small Brass Hammer Tutorial

[Mike Henderson]

I recently wrote a tutorial on making a small brass hammer, like the ones shown in the pictures. You can access the tutorial here (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/Papers/Making%20a%20Small%20Brass%20Hammer.pdf).

You can make a hammer like these for less than $10. Glen Drake (http://glen-drake.com/v-web/ecommerce/os/catalog/index.php?cPath=25) sells some like this for quite a bit more.

Chester toolworks (http://www.chestertoolworks.com/planehammers.htm) sells some very nice plane hammers, also (just to put in a plug):)

Mike

[You can get the 7/8" brass from Online Metals (http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1268&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1117&top_cat=79). If you want a different size head, look here (http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1117&step=2&top_cat=79).]

[Jim Koepke]

Great Mike.

I always enjoy when you share your experience and techniques.

thanks,

jim

[jeremy levine]

While I am missing a tool or two your tutorial was a great read and a great idea.
Seems like the perfect project for a class. Cheap, quick and the finished product is very useful (and cool)

[John Schreiber]

A nice project and a nice tutorial. Someday when I get a lathe . . . .

Thanks,

[Tom Henderson2]

Nicely done Mike.

The brass work can be done in a drill press, for those (like me) that aren't lathe-equipped. Some creativity would still be required for the handle, though....

-TH

[Dave Anderson NH]

Nice tutorial Mike. For some strange reason many of the steps seem familiar to me. :D

[Mike Henderson]

Nice tutorial Mike. For some strange reason many of the steps seem familiar to me. :D
Ah, yes, Dave. But you don't make all the mistakes like I make.:)

Mike

[Lewis Biggs]

Thanks for the nice tutorial -- I'm going to give it a try. I've been using a wooden mallet for adjusting my planes, but it's a bit heavy to produce consistent results. Sure, I could buy one, but my shopping list is always an order of magnitude longer then my budget!

[Mike Henderson]

Nicely done Mike.

The brass work can be done in a drill press, for those (like me) that aren't lathe-equipped. Some creativity would still be required for the handle, though....

-TH
Good idea about using the drill press, brother Henderson. For the handle on my first hammer, I roughed it out on a bandsaw and then smoothed it on a stationary belt sander. Finished sanding by hand. I borrowed one of those tenon cutters from a friend to cut the tenon at the top of the handle.

The problem is getting the handle symmetrical - it's real easy to do more on one side than the other. But if you were going to make a curved handle like on the Glen Drake hammers, that might be the best approach.

Mike

[Michael Pilla]

Excellent tutorial, very generous of you to package it up so neatly and share it here.
Many thanks!

Michael

[Michael Hammers]

Wow, great tutorial Mike...between this and the carving you have been quite prolific as of late.
I would not give up my Chester ToolWorks nor my Drake hammer, but I would love to make a couple of my own....
I may have missed it but what did you use to cut the decorative grooves?
I really enjoy your work, it is very inspiring.
MSH

[Mike Henderson]

Wow, great tutorial Mike...between this and the carving you have been quite prolific as of late.
I would not give up my Chester ToolWorks nor my Drake hammer, but I would love to make a couple of my own....
I may have missed it but what did you use to cut the decorative grooves?
I really enjoy your work, it is very inspiring.
MSH
Thanks for your kind words about the tutorial, Michael. I used my parting tool turned sidewards to cut the grooves. My parting tool is a V-shaped tool - to use it as a parting tool, you hold the tool upright (you'd see the V from the side). To cut the grooves on the brass I hold the V-tool so you see the V looking downward on it and push it into the brass such that the top edge contacts the brass. It cuts the brass easily.

I do the same when cutting decorative grooves on wood - for example when I make a chisel handle or a mallet I often cut similar decorative grooves.

The grooves on the brass are deeper than I'd like because I was using a chuck and couldn't see one side while I was cutting the other side. Of course, I could have measured and marked the locations, but I'm more of a "this looks good" turner and make my decorative marks by eye. However, when I took it out of the chuck, I found one side was "wider" than the other. So then I had to go deeper to even them out.

My advice would be to mark the locations and just cut a very mild set of grooves. I think it would look better.

Mike

[Pedro Reyes]

Mike,

Thanks for sharing, I don't thank posters often enough. Very nice read, nicely done. I have the lathe, the tools... I just don't have the wood planes to use it on :confused:

I do have some dado planes (wood) and I plan to make my own someday.

I guess this is an excuse to get some :).

/p

[John Dykes]

Always figured I wasn't talented enough to own a lathe...

But it looks like even I could actually do that!

hmmm -

- jbd in Denver

[Lars Thomas]

Nice tut, thanks for posting. Lars

[Ken Werner]

Excellent Mike, thanks.

Ken

[Ben Davis]

C'est la vie. I don't have a lathe to turn the face.

[Mike Henderson]

C'est la vie. I don't have a lathe to turn the face.
Just make your hammer with two flat faces. You really don't need the domed face.

You can make the handle without a lathe. Rough the handle with a bandsaw and sand it to shape.

Mike

[Russ Hauser]

Nicely done Mike.

The brass work can be done in a drill press, for those (like me) that aren't lathe-equipped. Some creativity would still be required for the handle, though....

-TH

I've turned brass on my drill press, but my chuck is a Jacobs 1/2 inch, how would I chuck a piece of 7/8 inch brass?

Russ

[John Dykes]

Little forays into the unknown like this are both boon and bane for me. I would love to give it a shot.

I almost bought the smaller Nova lathe yesterday... (for $850 :eek: )

But reason caught up with me. Figure my next big purchase should be a bandsaw.

Darn you Mike Henderson.

- jbd in Denver

[Rob Young]

I came across Mike's tutorial and decided to give it a shot.

I'm definately going to be making more of these. I'll call this one a prototype as I figure things out.

No 3-jaw chuck so I made a jam chuck for the face plate and worked with that. Works but you spend time fiddling with things to keep the stock spinning true.

The flat face is white oak. There is a tenon about 3/8" into the brass as well as epoxy to hold it. I soaked the head in thin CA before final sanding in hopes that it would be more plastic like. So far so good. But like I said, prototype.

I need to get a spoke shave to finish the handle but otherwise I'm pretty happy. About 8oz weight.

Thanks for the "push" in the right direction Mike!

[Peter Bell]

Thanks for that post Mike. And thanks to Rob Young for resurrecting it otherwise it may have slipped into the black hole of the nether.

My main projects today are trying to be a George Wilson " Wannabee " and try to make as many old tools as possible. I find them good therapy and because they are small, they are a good project to do either at home or at our Wood Club in between larger projects.

I am in the process of obtaining a chuck for my home lathe and I already have the brass round which I found at a Metal Merchant's off cut bin. I had no idea what I would use it for but thought I could inlay a small round brass disk into some wooden planes I am making. Now a small brass hammer is on the tools list to add to my special wall unit cabinet and drawers to hold all these special neanderthal tools.

Thanks again Mike for sharing.

Peter.

[Rob Young]

I had no idea what I would use it for but thought I could inlay a small round brass disk into some wooden planes I am making.

Put the brass disk at the back of the heel and in the front as strike plates for adjusting. Personally, I'd make the rear plate larger than the front one (or skip the front one) so that you also shift the weight to the rear of the plane.

I'm cogitating on a way to do the same thing and have the brass nice and level with the shaped rear I like (sounds a little dirty).