Claw hammers are the most common type of hammer.
A claw hammer, also known as a nail hammer, is a tool used to drive nails into wood and remove nails and other fasteners from wood. It is the type of hammer most people are familiar with. It has two parts: a head, usually made of steel, and a handle, made of metal, wood, and sometimes rubberized to help the user hold the tool. The handle is usually grasped in one hand and rotated in the air to hit the nails. To remove nails, the hammer is placed with the nail in the middle of the V-shaped claw and pressed into the wood with a prying motion. There are framing claw hammers for heavier jobs and finishing claw hammers for lighter jobs, while various weights, materials, and head and handle designs adapt both basic types to different uses and users.
Most claw hammers are of the same design. The hammer handle is centered under the head, with the cylindrical surface of the head extending to one side and the claw extending to the other side. More recently, a frame hammer design known as a “front weight hammer” has been developed. It has an offset handle that is much closer to the impact surface, barely extending past the handle.
There are two types of claw hammers in relation to the claw hammer. The straight claw hammer has a relatively straight claw. The curved claw hammer is probably the most familiar form of claw hammer. The curved nature of the claw is often better for driving nails, especially long wood nails.
The claw hammer type of frame hammer is also called ripping hammer. Compared to a finishing hammer, it generally has a longer handle, heavier head, and often a flatter grip. The handle of a frame hammer can be made of wood, fiberglass, or steel, or the entire hammer can be made of titanium, with a steel cap on the striking surface.
The striking surface of a frame hammer generally comes with a choice of a smooth finish, a milled surface, or a waffle face. Both the waffle face and milled surface are made to better grip the nail. The waffle face has a scalloped waffle-like surface, while the milled surface has raised diamond-shaped edges. Unlike the waffle face and smooth finish, a milled surface can mark the wood. However, a smooth finish is more likely to slide off the nail head than it is hit.
Framing hammers may have some special features. A nail starter, a recessed magnetic holder, can be incorporated into the head to help position the nail correctly. You can replace the head or handle of a frame hammer with a wood, fiberglass, or steel handle. Titanium hammers, on the other hand, can be designed to allow the owner to change the steel cap that fits over the impact end of the head, allowing one to switch between a smooth finish, waffle face, or milled surface. . In addition, a worn surface can be replaced.
The claw-type finishing hammer is the common choice for home work and for driving small or thin nails. A finishing hammer usually has a wooden handle, a smooth surface, and a light head. In most cases, it has a shorter handle than a frame hammer and a longer curved claw. The defining characteristic of a finishing hammer, as opposed to a frame hammer, is that a finishing hammer weighs less than 20 ounces (567 g) and is less than 16 inches long. (40.6cm) in length. Variations on finishing hammer designs include the long neck and trumpet-shaped head of the so-called “Japanese finishing hammer” and miniature claw hammers, or non-damaging hammers, which can be as long as 7 inches. (17.8 cm) long or less.