Curious hammer

[OldWood]

Could someone give me an opinion on this little hammer please.

I've never seen a hammer with a bulb like this on the shaft. It came in a box of tools a neighbour dropped off from a friend who had died - there is a curious mixture of tools from wood carving to tools for scraping lathe beds and white metal bearing shells. I'll be passing most of them to a tool charity.

Also rather puzzling is that the shaft is mahogany - if you look close enough it has split which is hardly surprising. For the moment I've glued it. Strictly it should be replaced with an ash or hickory one, but is there a dark coloured wood that would do as it looks rather smart with the mahogany handle.

Rob

 

[bugbear]

Some jewellers and repousse hammers have bulbous handles like that, but I've never seen a claw hammer with one.

Here's a thread you may find informative (or at least interesting)

http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/to ... tml?page=1

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

Like BB said - I don't think the head belongs on that handle - it would be far too weak to use the claw part of the handle. So it's probably an 'economical' repair using what was available to its owner at the time.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Some jewellers and repousse hammers have bulbous handles like that, but I've never seen a claw hammer with one.

Here's a thread you may find informative (or at least interesting)

http://www.coticule.be/the-cafeteria/to ... tml?page=1

BugBear

Agreed - it looks like a home-brew hybrid. A small claw hammer had a broken handle, and for some unknown reason was replaced by a handle intended for a repousse hammer, though such handles are usually of a much more resilient wood than mahogany.

Speculation - the previous owner saw a repousse hammer, liked the handle shape, and replaced his small claw hammer handle with a home-made one, without really understanding the finer points of either type of hammer.

 

[soulboy]

Agreed - it looks like a home-brew hybrid. A small claw hammer had a broken handle, and for some unknown reason was replaced by a handle intended for a repousse hammer, though such handles are usually of a much more resilient wood than mahogany.

Speculation - the previous owner saw a repousse hammer, liked the handle shape, and replaced his small claw hammer handle with a home-made one, without really understanding the finer points of either type of hammer.

Maybe, but I have one the same although I cant remember if the handle is mahogany or not.
chris

 

[OldWood]

Many thanks guys - appreciate your comments and concur with them, with the caveat that whoever did the 'refit' did a very professional job as the nice little bead at the top of the shaft is neatly placed just below the head, and the wedge is a proper fit.

Right, onto the second question which was what wood should I create a new handle out of ? Ash and hickory would be the traditional starting points, but I quite like the mahogany colour it has at the moment so is there a dark coloured wood that would suit ? On the basis that it will be used as a tack type hammer with a claw facility, I will need to beef up the current 10mm shaft diameter and ideally make it oval - interesting turning challenge !

Rob

 

[AndyT]

Right, onto the second question which was what wood should I create a new handle out of ? Ash and hickory would be the traditional starting points, but I quite like the mahogany colour it has at the moment so is there a dark coloured wood that would suit ? On the basis that it will be used as a tack type hammer with a claw facility, I will need to beef up the current 10mm shaft diameter and ideally make it oval - interesting turning challenge !

Rob

I think your choice of wood for a replacement should depend on whether or not you seriously intend ever to use the claw to withdraw nails. If you don't, then there's no reason not to go for an attractive slender handle like the previous owner did. You'd then have a nice little hammer suitable for upholstery tacks or similar.

As you say, hickory is the first choice in the US where it is common; ash in UK where we have no hickory. Oak or hornbeam would be fine but not very dark in colour. But for a little job like this I'd say that many hedgerow or garden trees might do too - you only need a small branch. Apple or pear could be darker, so could yew which is pretty tough.

You could shape a handle with just a spokeshave, but if you want to try turning then the usual method to approximate an oval uses two offset centres rather than one, with the gouge just cutting air for half of each revolution. Rather than try to describe it, I'll just recommend the Roy Underhill demo here: http://video.unctv.org/video/2178721052.

 

[Richard T]

Elm can darken to just about the extent of the one pictured and was used in ancient times (by ancient Welsh people) for long bows, so it would be certainly springy and resilient enough. Bit of a wotsit to shape though, reversing grain etc.

 

[OldWood]

Thanks Richard and Andy.

On the basis of attempting to turn this handle then elm sounds as if would be worth a go. I've seen off centre turning done for oval shafts so I'm all for trying something new - I suspect that there may have to be some sacrificial tries to begin with ! Hey-ho - more for the designer firewood pile.

Thanks again

Rob