Id say left hammer if you are pulling a medium size nail right for a fine nail and neither for a large nail.
I picked up one of the titanium framing hammers, Now i need to find something to frame. I felt I needed it
Contributor
Id say left hammer if you are pulling a medium size nail right for a fine nail and neither for a large nail.
I picked up one of the titanium framing hammers, Now i need to find something to frame. I felt I needed it
Contributor
These are the hammers in the work van. There are also a 20 oz framing hammer w/ tubular metal shaft for demolition, and a 3 lb single jack, on a job at the moment.
The electrician's hammer on the right is the primary one. I got it on a whim many years ago, & it has risen to the top. I used the titanium one when I did more framing, & like it, but the fat head is poor for toenailing. Long handle and magnet nail starter are nice. Nowadays, I carry the hammer in the pants leg loop & the long & fatter handle is not good for that. They also sell these with an axe handle, which is terrible for getting in & out of a hammer loop.
The other one was pretty much the first hammer I got when I started in the building trades in the '70s. Still in use- a survivor. Actually, when I started they said get a hammer & I showed up with a 20 oz bent claw fiberglass handle & they laughed at me & said "no, no, not that".
The Japanese one lives in the truck for paint can lids, etc., etc..
In the shop there are a few (straight) claw hammers.
Somewhere there is a bucket of random tools that has several of those traditional wood hammers. They don't sit well in a hammer loop or tool belt and don't work well pulling a nail by rocking side to side.
I hate those solid shaft Estwing ones- shock to the elbow, and the narrow neck causes damage.
IMG_4164.jpg
In answer to the OP question, I might use the claw to straighten a bent nail, but would pull it with end nippers, bar, or catspaw.
Last edited by Cameron Wood; 05-12-2023 at 12:45 PM.
[OP]
Contributor
IF you have to "rock" a hammer side to side..it just means you are trying to use a Rip Hammer...
The Curved parts of a Claw Hammer were designed to simply pull a nail out....just hook the claw under the head of the bad nail....use a piece of scrap under the head of the hammer...and simply pull the handle back to you...simple as can be.
Using a rip claw to pull nails...mars the surface way too much....unless you are doing Rough Carpentry...Try that as a Finish Carpenter is about the best way I know of, to get Fired! On the spot!
A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use
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I learned with experience that it drives coated Ardox spirals much more effectively than the 20 oz trim hammer too. Building my first deck with the small hammer wore me out.Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
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That was one of my reasons for using screws. besides the screws are coated so as to prevent rusting.Building my first deck with the small hammer wore me out.
For adjusting the screws, if necessary, a brace with 6" swing is used and about 3' of extensions so they can be done standing up.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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Life takes precedence! Yep, doing well! I check in, but don’t have time to participate.
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
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Yup. That's my process now (screws).
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
[OP]
Contributor
Been a Carpenter way too long.....
Long familiar?
Friday Night Photos, Estwing .JPG
20 oz Estwing...along with a few other whackers...
A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use
Member
I did concrete work for 30 years. I had one Estwing hammer and gave it away. Wood handles only! The straight claw hammers are a multipurpose tool, like others have said. They also split wood fairly well. The curved claw hammers will do a fair job of pulling nails, the straight claw ones only work if you crank the nails out by torqueing the hammer sideways. The curved claw hammers work better, but if you are pulling a 16 penny nail, once you get it more than half way out, you need to put a 2 by 4 under the head so you are levering with the shaft and claws, and not the hammer head. This does also work for the straight claw hammers. I always carried a cat's paw and a nail puller, which the guys made fun of me for doing, but they always wanted to borrow them. Now days, they all use screws, which do hold better than the nails. When I started, I used a 32 oz. framing hammer. By the time I was done, I was down to a 20 oz. hammer. I did like the framing hammers with the waffle heads. Wore a couple down till they were pretty smooth faced.... I always carried a 10 pound sledge too for form work. All the other guys used an 8 pounder. They never 'borrowed' my hammer because it was too heavy for most of them. Yes, I am on the Brute Squad! Everyone I ever worked for told me I was too dang fussy to do concrete work. I said thanks! I probably should have been a finish carpenter.... I did a lot of high end residential work, so being fussy was good.
robo hippy
Contributor
If you put a block under the curved claw, you can just as well put a block under the straight claw too, right?
One reason for pulling nails side to side is to avoid breaking the wood handle.
I got out a curved claw hammer- I'll give it a spin...
[OP]
Contributor
Have found that the "side to side" will actually break the handle faster...VOE.
A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use
Contributor
I got a curved claw hammer out of the tool boneyard, and had it in the shop, and in the van there is one in the back drawer, used to close paint cans- I think it came from the dump.
Used them for the month, & came up with the same conclusion- a curved claw hammer is relatively worthless- kind of like the jokes about dinosaurs with tiny arms. I used the paint can one on a small deck job, & it failed when cleaning up the pier footings- replacing it with a vintage straight claw.
Apologies to the fans...
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