Components of a hammer. Which hammer is better: we understand the types and purpose

A hammer in au pair- an indispensable thing, especially if you are used to doing a lot with your own hands. With the help of this simple tool, you can perform not only the usual operations for us, for example, to hammer in a nail, but also many other works, because today there is a very many different hammers in for various applications. Let's figure out what types of hammers are, what is their purpose, and try to decide how to choose a hammer.

1. Hammer design and main materials

The first hammer appeared a very long time ago. We can say that this is the first of the tools that people used for their needs. We all saw a hammer, held it in our hands many times and know that the simplest hammer consists of two main elements: handle and head.
Head has an asymmetrical shape, one part of it has a sharp point, which is called a wedge, and the other part is flat or slightly convex, it is called a striker. This is the main impact part of the hammer which is the main work. It has sufficient strength and area to withstand repeated impacts on hard surfaces. wedge-shapedpart a hammer is used to split something or when chasing. Its shape allows you to develop a greater impact force due to the smaller area of ​​​​the contact surface.

In the center of the head there is a special hole for attaching the handle, which is called ride. Usually it is made in the form of a round or oval hole, which smoothly passes into a cone. After attaching the head to the handle, the part of it that protrudes from the hole is wedged so that it completely occupies the internal cavity of the saddle. Such a mount prevents the head from falling off.

In order to ensure high strength and durability of the head, it is made made of high strength metal by forging, casting or milling, followed by heat treatment. Special hardening modes allow you to achieve high surface strength with a sticky core. The hardened surface layer reaches 3-5 mm. This structure provides high hardness, but at the same time protects head from fragility. For protection heads from corrosion it is galvanized or special types of paints are used.

universalmaterial for the manufacture of handles the hammer has always been wood. It is very durable, does not slip in your hand and has a long service life, and if you still break the handle during use, it is very easy to replace or even make it yourself. Very important so that the fibers of the wood from which the handle is made are perpendicular to the head. In this case, if it breaks, you will not be injured. Breed tree should be a certain kind. For these purposes, beech, birch, ash, oak, hornbeam, maple or mountain ash are well suited. Unsuitable species are pine, aspen, alder and spruce.

There are handles made of metal or plastic, and more modern hammers are produced with fiberglass handles. it new material, which proved to be very good in use. It does not slip in the hand and helps to reduce the force of recoil upon impact. Metal handles are hollow inside, have the shape of a circle in cross section, and for convenience of work, are covered with rubber. Plastic handles are also covered with a layer of rubber. Plastic, metal or fiberglass handles have two Benefits in front of a tree: they do not dry out over time and are not subject to swelling when in contact with water. Choose depending on what material is more convenient and pleasant for you to work with. The main thing is that the handle is much lighter than the head and has the appropriate length.

2. Locksmith hammer and its purpose

Design locksmith's hammer is described in detail in the first paragraph. This is the simplest and common type working tool. He intended for hammering, breaking, bending or straightening parts. The pointed edge in the form of a wedge allows you to drive a nail with a small head and work in a hard-to-reach place where the wide part of the head does not fit.

The striker of a locksmith's hammer can have not only a square, but also a round shape in cross section. The square type has one flaw- if at the moment of impact you warped the hammer and the inclined angle fell on the surface of the material being processed, a dent will certainly remain on it. Such defects are especially upsetting when assembling new furniture.

Since the locksmith's hammer is designed to apply multiple series of blows, it must be completedfrom very durable material. Perfect fit chrome vanadiumsteel, which has increased hardness, which will help to avoid deformation or destruction of the striker. The weight locksmith's hammer ranges from depending on its number. Total exists five numbers, weight No. 1 - 200 g, No. 5 - 800 g. The weight of the hammer is chosen depending on the type of work and the physical strength of the worker. Lengthhandles, on average, is 300-400 mm.

3. Carpenter's hammer

Design carpenter's hammer It has distinguishing feature . A special slot is made at one of its ends, which can have a different breeding angle and slightly curved edges. This bifurcation serves to extract nails from the required surface. Hammers with a large angle of dilution of the groove are called Californian, and with a smaller angle - European. But not all carpenter's hammers are designed as a nail puller at one end. There are tools with regular wedge at the end and a perfectly even striker.

Handle may be completed made of wood, metal or rubber-coated plastic, which serve to prevent slipping in the hand. Such hammers are considered rather not percussion, but precision instruments. Weight its head lies in the range of 100-800 gr in increments of 50 g.

A carpenter's hammer can look extremely simple - the impact part tool steel and a wooden handle, or have a more ergonomic shape and some additional features. For example, its handle can be made made of high strength material fiberglass or carbon, and the shock part - from titanium or other high strength steel with special anti-corrosion coating and undergone special heat treatment. As an additional feature, a nail holder can be present, which will allow you to work with one hand. And its design can be foldable or collapsible, making it very compact and easy to store.

4. Sledgehammer

it the biggest, powerful and heavy type of hammer.The weight such a tool can reach 4-10 kg, but there are more serious tools that have a weight of the working part and up to 16 kg. Them apply for work that requires high impact force but little precision, such as removing partition walls, old tiles, crushing concrete or stone, driving posts into the ground, driving wedges and other heavy work.

Head this tool is completed made of high strength steel by forging followed by heat treatment in the form of hardening to the required hardness and can be in the form of a parallelepiped or an ordinary hammer. By the way, hardened layer depth after hardening reaches 30 mm. The handle has a larger diameter and length compared to previous models, which means two-handed operation.

Length the handle is directly proportional to the weight of the working part of the sledgehammer: the higher it is, the longer the handle and can reach 120 cm, but usually is in the range of 80-90 cm. The cheapest sledgehammers have a wooden handle, but can also be all-metal.

Hole into which the handle is inserted, has a conical shape and the handle itself is inserted from above and does not need to be wedged. This assembly method is completely prevents slipping massive head. When working with a sledgehammer, you must be extremely careful, because it is considered a traumatic tool. Varieties sledgehammers several, but the most used is a blunt-nosed sledgehammer weighing 2-16 kg, longitudinal or sharp-nosed transverse, which weigh from 3 to 8 kg. Preferred handle option- rubberized, it is more expensive than wood, but the tool will be securely held in hands and dampen vibration during impacts.

5. Mallet

This type of hammers can also be attributed to straightening hammers. They are meant for alignment iron products that have undergone deformation, drainage systems, roofing works and other works related to the use sheet metal.

Such a tool has one very interesting feature . The impact part of the straightening hammer is made with an internal cavity, which is filled with sand or fine shot. This structure made it possible to completely dampen the inertia of the hammer during impact. When working, it does not bounce off the surface and practically “sticks” to it. Such hammers got the name inertial. They are made of rubber or polyurethane, and some models are made of metal with interchangeable heads made of a softer material.

mallets are designed for locksmith and carpentry work, namely for straightening, leveling or fitting large elements made of soft metals or wood. shock part tool completed made of rubber or hardwood such as birch or elm. Rubber can be either black or white. Whitemallets It is preferable, since dark stripes can remain on light surfaces from hitting with black rubber.

As handle material wood, plastic or metal is used, usually the handle has the shape of a circle in cross section. Depending on destination mallets can have a different shape of the shock part. Carpentry tools are cylindrical or barrel-shaped, while locksmith's mallets have one side wedge-shaped. The advantage of these types of hammers is that they do not leave dents or marks on the work surface.

When choosing mallets must be guided by the type of work performed. If these are more precise actions, then a tool of small weight from 220 to 450 g is enough for you, if you need more impact force, then pay attention to a tool weighing from 900 to 1000 g. Price policy This type of hammer is very different, but you should not choose the most expensive mallet. You will hardly be able to detect differences from the medium pricing tool, which means that you will overpay for the “name”.

6. Pick or pick

This hand tool use for working with hard materials, namely, with stone or rocky soil, for the dismantling of old masonry and many others hard work. Design picks are very simple. It consists of their shock part and handle. The shock part can be bilateral or unilateral. The second option will look like a long spike, at the end of which there will be a rounding or a regular hammer. A double-sided pick has either two symmetrical long spikes, or a spike and a narrow blade. In any embodiment, the spikes will be slightly bent, and arc. This design is more efficient and allows you to reduce the recoil force during impact.

Rare construction and repair work is done without the use of a simple percussion tool - a hammer. But in order to do the job efficiently and quickly, you need to choose the right tool - it is about the choice of hammers, their existing types, characteristics and applicability that will be discussed in this article.

hammer classification

A hammer is a hand-held percussion instrument with a wide range of applications, made in the form of a massive head of one form or another, rigidly mounted on the handle.

Hammers that exist today can be divided into several groups according to their areas of application:

• Locksmiths;
• Construction;
• Leveling;
• mallets;
• Reverse (inertial) hammers;
• Blacksmith sledgehammers;
• Specialized hammers.

Hammers of different groups have their own characteristics and characteristics, which should be discussed in more detail.

General design of hammers

Most hammers (with the exception of reverse) have a fundamentally the same device. The tool is assembled from two parts - a massive head and a handle. The head is the working body of the hammer; depending on the purpose of the tool, it can be made of steel, wood, rubber, impact-resistant plastics and other materials. The head can be mounted on the handle, or carried out at the same time with it. The head has a hole for the handle - the so-called seat, which can have an oval, round or other profile. For reliable fixation, the handle is wedged in the head hole using ordinary (flat, corrugated) or annular steel wedges.

There are several zones in the hammer head:

• Striker - main work zone, with which strikes are applied;
• Headband - the transitional part between the center of the head and the striker;
• The back side - can be made in the form of a sock, a nail puller or another striker;
• Cheeks - the side parts of the head, can be flat or carry various accessories.

Hammer handles can be made of wood, steel and fiberglass (fiberglass), non-slip rubber or plastic pads can be placed in the grip areas. In the simplest case, the handle acts as a lever and does not have additional elements; in some modern hammers, holes are made in the handles for carabiners and loops, as well as devices for performing various auxiliary work.

Locksmith hammers

Locksmith hammers are the most versatile tool that can be used to perform a wide range of jobs. Hammers of this type are equipped with heads weighing from 50 to 1000 grams of various configurations:

• With a round striker;
• With a square striker;
• With a round striker and a spherical back.

Hammers are equipped with handles from 200 mm long (with a round striker - from 250 mm) to 400 mm, the length of the handle directly depends on the mass of the head (the heavier the head, the larger the handle).

Locksmith hammers are used to perform various plumbing and assembly work - driving nails and other fasteners, bending and straightening metal, installing machine parts and mechanisms, crushing, etc.

In Russia, the characteristics and dimensions of locksmith hammers are regulated by the GOST 2310-77 standard.

Construction hammers

This group includes hammers designed to perform various construction works and operations. There are ten main types of construction hammers:

• Carpentry (MST) - for carpentry, nailing;
• Carpentry (MPL) - for carpentry, hammering and pulling nails;
• Pickaxe hammer (MKI, mason's hammer) - for performing stone and other work related to piece goods, for splitting and trimming bricks, tiles, wall stones;
• Plastering (MShT) - for performing auxiliary operations in plastering works;
• Parquet (MPA) - for performing parquet and other work with piece products, for rallying boards;
• Roofing (MKR) - for performing roofing work with metal sheet materials, for bending, leveling and sealing folds;
• Slate (MSHI) - for roofing work using slate (asbestos-cement slabs), for punching holes in slabs and driving special nails;
• Tiled (MPLI) - for working with ceramic tiles, shards and edge trims ceramic tiles, in some cases for punching holes;
• Shantsevoy (MShA) - for performing various shock operations in the production of reinforcing and installation work;
• Hammer-cam (MKU) - for performing road, stone and other works, for loosening, splitting and upsetting stone (cobblestone, rubble) and paving stones.

Carpenter's hammers are similar in shape to locksmith's with a square head, but they are wider, and the head is displayed in a large radius.

Carpentry hammers are equipped with heads with round heads and nail pullers, they are available in four versions with different head configurations and weights. One design assumes the presence of recesses in the form of nails with magnets on the front and back of the striker head - such constructive solution facilitates work in hard-to-reach places.

Pick hammers have a head with a round or square striker, on the back of which a pick 36-50 mm wide is formed.

Plaster hammers are similar to carpentry hammers, they have a head with a round or square striker and a nail puller, one of the versions of this hammer provides for the presence of magnetized recesses for nails.

The parquet hammer has a head with a square striker and the back side of a complex prismatic shape with a diagonal blunt toe. The mass of such hammers is not more than 700 g.

Roofing hammers have a square section head, the back side of which is made in the form of a toe deflected back or to the left (MKR-3 version). Unlike other hammers, the head has not only a socket, but also a sleeve with two holes for screws or nails for a more secure fit on the handle.

Slate hammers generally repeat the configuration of carpentry hammers, however, their left nail puller tooth is elongated and pointed - with the help of this tooth, holes are punched in the sheets.

Tile hammers are equipped with square-section heads, on the back of which pointed toes or peaks are formed. The mass of hammers of this type does not exceed 90-100 g, depending on the version.

Trench hammers are equipped with heavy heads with two strikers brought to a large radius. The mass of heads reaches 2.2-2.5 kg, but, unlike sledgehammers, such hammers have a short handle.

Hammers-cams in terms of weight and size are similar to trench hammers, however, their strikers are displayed on a smaller square.

The characteristics and dimensions of construction hammers in Russia are regulated by the GOST 11042-90 standard.

- this is a large number of tools designed for straightening sheet steel elements of car bodies and various devices, as well as performing artworks with sheet metals of various profiles (flat, curved).

Hammers of this type have a small mass and an elongated handle. Hammers are single-sided and double-sided, strikers and backs can have the following shapes:

• Flat - narrow and wide, square and round;
• Radial (spherical) large and small;
• Pointed - beard, peaks (sharp and blunt);
• With grooved surface.

Also, hammers with rubber, plastic and combined (two-component) strikers of a small area belong to straightening hammers. Smoothers are distinguished into a separate category - flat tools with a smooth working part or with a notch, used in conjunction with conventional metalwork hammers.

mallets

Mallets are special hammers with heads made of soft materials, designed for molding, woodworking, straightening and other work.

Mallets can have heads made of various materials:

• Wood (birch of the 1st grade);
• Rubber;
• Impact-resistant plastics;
• Soft metals - lead, copper.

Usually mallet heads have two identical strikers of round, rectangular or square section. The mass of the tool can reach 1.6 kg.

The design and characteristics of mallets in our country are regulated by the standards GOST 11775-74, GOST 19645-74 and some others.

Blacksmith sledgehammers

Sledgehammers are large-weight hammers designed for blacksmithing, stone crushing and other operations where large shock loads are required. Sledgehammers are equipped with blunt-nosed (two spherical strikers) and sharp-nosed (one spherical striker and toe) heads, and sharp-nosed heads come in two types - with a transverse and longitudinal toe.

The mass of sledgehammers lies in the range of 2-16 kg (sharp-nosed - no more than 8 kg), they are equipped with handles up to a meter long or more.

The characteristics and dimensions of sledgehammers in our country are regulated by the standards GOST 11401-75, GOST 11402-75.

Specialized Hammers

Specialized hammers are used in narrow areas, most often they are designed to perform a limited range of operations, or to work with specific materials and mechanisms. These hammers include:

• Welder's hammer - for removing hardened spatter and slag from the weld. It has pointed strikers and a thin damped (spring-loaded) handle;
• Engineering hammer - has a specially shaped striker for working with rivets and other joints;
• Drywall hammer - for working with drywall, has a flat or corrugated striker and a small hatchet for hemming sheets;
• Toolmaker's hammer - a lightweight hammer with a flat and spherical striker, can be equipped with a magnifying glass;
• Crutch hammer - a heavy hammer with narrow heads for hammering railway spikes into sleepers;
• Bouchard - a hammer for working with stone, including for creating a textured surface of stone products. Pointed spikes are applied on the striker or toe of the bush hammer, with the help of which it is possible to cut off the stone and give it a characteristic texture;
• The hunter's hammer is a special hammer with a hollow head that allows you to disassemble cartridges, extracting bullets from them due to inertia forces.

Inertialess hammers stand out in a special category, which, when struck, do not create recoil (do not bounce off the surface). These hammers use hollow heads partially filled with heavy metal balls. When the hammer strikes, the entire mass of the balls, due to the forces of inertia, dampens the reverse impulse of the head (which occurs due to the elasticity of the materials interacting at the moment of impact), preventing the hammer from rebounding. This tool improves work efficiency and reduces the risk of injury.

Reverse (inertial) hammers

Reverse hammers (inertial hammers, pullers) are devices for straightening metal products in situations where access to their back side is difficult or impossible. In the simplest case, such a hammer consists of a rod with an upper fixed handle (stop), on which a heavy movable handle (sliding weight) is located. At the bottom of the rod, a clamp or cartridge is mounted for a working tool - a straightening hook, a puller, etc.

This hammer works simply: the working part of the tool is attached to the sheet or part in need of dressing, and the movable handle rhythmically strikes the fixed stop - the resulting upward impulses cause the metal to deform.

Today there is a wide variety of impact hammers that are used for straightening car bodies and in auto repair shops.

Issues of choice and use of hammers

Such a variety of hammers is no coincidence - not all work can be performed using standard plumbing or carpentry hammers. Yes, you can hammer a nail with almost any hammer, and if there is no tool, then with a stone. But you can only take out old nails with a nail puller, quickly and efficiently punch a hole in an asbestos-cement sheet with a slate hammer, chop off tiles or beat off ¾ of a brick - only with mason and tiler hammers, and straighten a body part or make an artistic composition from sheet material - only with a set of straightening hammers . For each operation, you need to select your hammers with certain forms of strikers, as well as a certain range of masses and lengths of handles - only in this case the work will be done quickly, with best quality and with minimal fatigue.

What tool is present in every home? Of course, a hammer. It is used in installation and repair work. various designs and mechanisms, in household use. The application is so extensive that more than 10 subspecies and specifications of hammers are distinguished. This division helps to solve highly specialized tasks clearly and accurately, spending a minimum of effort.

But the most common is an ordinary metalwork hammer, which has a handle and a working part of the usual form. It is this tool that is most in demand - out of 10 purchased hammers, 6 are locksmith's.

Any fixture for a specific job must be designed in such a way as to ensure high precision and efficiency in completing tasks. That is why there are about 15 types of hammers, each of which increases labor productivity and reduces the amount of physical effort expended. However, any device consists of several parts that may differ in appearance, but perform the same task. A tool such as a hammer is no exception, and has two functional parts. Each of them must meet the requirements and standards, which helps to perform tasks with minimal cost forces.

So, regardless of the subspecies, any hammer consists of a head and a handle. The first detail is responsible for the efficiency of the work performed, the second - for safety and convenience. The impact part of the hammer, in turn, is conditionally divided into several parts.

The most important is the striker. Durability depends on its shape and quality. In addition, this part of the hammer performs the main mechanical work, that is, it is exposed to maximum impact and wears out faster. The end opposite the striker is called the spout. It, as a rule, has functional differences in various versions of hammers, which allows you to perform specific types of tasks - pulling out nails, crushing stone, embossing hard surfaces. There are models in which the spout is a striker of the same shape or a smaller diameter. Such hammers allow you to perform operations with greater accuracy and power, since the area of ​​​​impact is reduced, and the mass of the head remains the same.

Also, the head of the hammer contains a part called the cheek - the surface between the spout and the striker. Its thickness must be sufficient to withstand the required load during operation and not break. And the iron part of the hammer should have a hole for the handle. An exception is the all-metal tool, which is poured into a mold. However, it is used in rather rare cases for specific work.

The role of the handle should be noted separately, because safety depends on the quality of its fastening. Most often, in hammers with a wooden handle, a conical shape is selected. It allows you to tightly fix the head, and an additional wedge driven into the center improves the reliability of this connection. In more modern models, the hammer device does not require this, since the parts are made according to accurate measurements and using special materials and fasteners.

Also important are the dimensions of the device and its structure. The accuracy and transmitted impact force depend on the cross-sectional shape of the striker and the length of the handle. Additional functionality is provided due to the specific shape of the reverse side of the striker. The impact force and its effectiveness depend on the mass of the head. For example, the weight of a nail hammer usually ranges from 250 grams to a kilogram. But the weight of a sledgehammer for forging or driving piles can even reach 12 kg.

The weight of the hammer largely depends on what tasks it is designed to perform. Many models have certain specifications — state standard that must be taken into account and implemented. For example, for a machinist's hammer, there are requirements that describe its shape with an accurate drawing of the head and handle diagrams, as well as a description of the smallest details and the weight of each part.

Download GOST 2310-77

Therefore, if when buying a product there is an inscription “Locksmith's hammer GOST 2310 77”, you can vouch for its quality.

Kinds

Different types of hammers are designed to perform different jobs. It is possible to use non-core devices, but you need to understand that this will only reduce efficiency and worsen the quality of the result. This is due to the fact that the specifics of a particular task sometimes require a little various qualities. For example, when straightening thin metals, the force of mechanical action is compensated by high recoil, which can cause additional damage. Therefore, for precise work you will need a tool with a working part that can reduce or completely extinguish the reaction force.

Depending on the task to be performed, there is a developed hammer specification. Most of them are described in detail and have certain GOST quality standards. However, it should be borne in mind that in some factories and workshops for manufacturing, technical conditions are used that are set individually. In some cases, this is due to the improvement of one of the parts, its improvement. But there are exceptions that allow violations of the manufacturing and assembly technology of the hammer, which reduces the quality, service life and safety. Therefore, before purchasing, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the reputation of the manufacturer, as this directly affects human life and health.

The most common type of hammer is the hammer. This type is in almost every home.

It has the simplest structure of the head, which allows it to be used as a universal tool. This hammer is used for hammering various mounts and when assembling furniture, with its help, installation is carried out wooden structures and interior upholstery. It is impossible to ignore a metalwork hammer in such operations as cutting, forging or straightening finished products.

Also, for jobs that require a certain more gentle impact, wooden hammers can be used. They are called mallets and are used to process soft metals.

In the assembly and repair of cars, a specific rubber tool is used. It is called a rubber mallet and allows you to straighten dents without the risk of additional damage. In addition, the soft material allows you to compensate for recoil and reduce it to almost zero.

When it becomes necessary to purchase, the master, as a rule, understands what type and amount of work will need to be performed using the tool. Therefore, it is necessary to determine which hammer should be purchased based on these parameters.

1. We define the view. To do this, we estimate the frequency of performing specific tasks. For example, will it be necessary to cover the roof or lay tiles in the near future. Perhaps the processes listed are professional activity. In this case, you need to buy a hammer for tiles or roofing. However, most often it is enough to purchase a metalwork tool.
2. We calculate the weight. When choosing a hammer, it is important to consider this parameter. For large-sized products, it will be necessary to use sufficiently large nails, which, in turn, will require greater impact force and striker area. To save the physical cost of hammering, it is worth choosing a heavier hammer with long handle. For example, a hammer as a tool for this type of work is ideal.
3. Choose the shape and size. Even certain subtypes of hammers have different functional devices that need to be considered in terms of necessity. For example, a tool with a nail puller nose will cost more than a conventional wedge head option. It is up to you to determine the appropriateness of the overpayment.
4. Additional equipment. Modern tools have a number of advantages. For example, more embossed handles allow you to better hold the hammer and expend less effort on this process. And additional rubber pads insure against accidental slipping. As a result, productivity will increase due to more hammer blows. Therefore, if there is a choice between a more modern and classic version, you need to choose a more advanced version.

Thus, it becomes clear that in order to choose the right hammer, you need to decide on its functional purpose. The type of work and their volume should be thought out in advance, because its weight, shape and additional equipment will depend on it. Only with the help of such a sequence is it possible to accurately select a tool for solving certain technical problems.

A variety of types of hammers simplify the construction and installation work. Performing a simple impact function, due to various configurations and materials, this simple tool is indispensable in many areas (locksmith, carpentry, tin, roofing and other highly specialized). In this review, we will consider the main types of percussion instruments, get acquainted with the selection criteria and application features.

How to choose a hammer?

A hammer can perform more than one function, but several at once:

• Hammering nails or other fasteners (dowel, slate nail).
• Removing mortar from walls and splitting bricks.
• Sheet metal straightening.
• Work with tiles and parquet.

For tool work, hammers weighing from 50 to 300 grams are used. For locksmith work, samples weighing 400 - 500 grams are suitable. A tool weighing 600 - 800 grams is used to carry out repair work. Sledgehammers weighing 4-16 kg are indispensable for dismantling.

Before buying a hammer, you need to carefully check it. On a quality tool, there should be no traces after hitting the metal. The fastening of the components must be strong, without backlash.

Usually, hardwoods (birch, beech, oak, mountain ash, maple, yew) are used for the manufacture of handles. The wood must be smooth, with a texture that allows you to comfortably hold the tool in your hands. A quality wooden handle should not have cracks.

The reinforced plastic handle is more durable than the others and does not allow loosening of the working part. A durable all-metal hammer should have a rubber-coated handle. This dampens vibrations from impacts and prevents accidental electric shock.

Characteristics, types and purpose of the tool

Hammers vary in shape, weight and material. Summarized data on tool modifications are presented in the following table:

The main types of hammers

A typical percussion tool used in the household and workshops is made from a carbon steel billet with a hole in the middle (except solid cast ones). The working part of almost all samples has a toe in the form of a wedge and a striker of various shapes (usually round or square). Depending on the shape and purpose of the working part, the tool has its own classification, presented below.

A versatile tool used in many applications. Due to its practicality, it is the most used hammer. In addition to driving nails, they are also convenient for bending and leveling sheet metal. The weight of such a tool made of steel ranges from 250 grams to 1.1 kilograms. The design is ordinary - a steel percussion element is fixed on the handle. Additional forging below the working part prevents the wooden handles from deforming in case of an unsuccessful shock trajectory. The modern locksmith version of the handle is a rubber-insulated pipe made of metal or heavy-duty plastic.

Sledgehammer (entrenching hammer)

It is used when laying wooden parquet, for greater cohesion of boards and planks to each other. The peculiarity of this tool is that its work is carried out on the front side of the parquet and the blows inflicted by it should be as invisible as possible. A damping material is glued to the striker of such a hammer, which avoids deformation of the edges. parquet board. There are varieties that have special legs that can slide on parquet floors fixing the tool at the required height.

mallet, rubber mallet

Straightening hammer

The peculiarity of these hammers is the variety of interchangeable color heads. Depending on the respective application, it is possible to select the required hardness and size of the head (soft elastomer or medium-hard polyurethane). With these hammers, it is possible to carry out measured individual blows on sensitive materials such as wood, plastic or aluminium, as well as strong blows during casting or in heavy industry. The tool is used: in working with windows, light alloy structures, furniture; when finishing rooms, repairing cars, tin and assembly operations.

In addition to traditional percussion products, there are also very specific, highly specialized ones. As an example, a hammer for working in zero gravity. It is specially made in such a way that it does not bounce when it hits. To do this, it is filled with metal shot.

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In conclusion, a few words about safety. While working, hold the hammer at the end of the handle firmly. Keep an eye on the condition of the tool and do not stick your hands to the place of impact. Wear gloves and use pliers to hold nails in hard-to-reach places. Naturally, some will dismiss elementary recommendations, but others will remember a couple of broken fingers and cases of a poorly fixed working part flying out.

A hammer- the most common tool in construction, used in a variety of its areas and directions. But the hammer is used not only in construction, it is applicable to people both in everyday life and the economy, as well as in various spheres of human activity.

They hammer, level, bend, break, upholster with a hammer ... It is impossible to list all the types of work that are performed using this tool.

A hammer

A simple design tool used by man since ancient times. The main property of the hammer is the ability to significantly increase the force of impact and apply it pointwise.

The hammer translates into English as Hammer.

For certain work, it is worth using hammers of the appropriate purpose. The right hammer affects not only the speed of the work, but also the quality.

The hammer is a traumatic tool, so when working with it, you must follow a number of safety rules:

• Do not play with a hammer and fool around. In general, the most serious injuries occur in these situations;
• Never work with a broken hammer or with hammers whose head is not fixed and may fly off;
• Never use a chipped or cracked hammer.

hammer device

The design of the hammer is simple. As a rule, it includes two components: the head of the hammer (striker) and the handle.

Also, depending on the material of the hammer handle, it can be used additional element mounts. For example, for hammers with a wooden handle, wedges are additionally used in the construction of the hammer.

The main element in the design of this tool is the hammer head. It comes in a variety of shapes, types and weights. For hammers with metal heads, they are made from special tool steel by forging or die forging. In this case, the head part of the head is hardened in water, and the side with the nail puller is hardened in oil. This technology makes it possible in the future during operation to provide the hammer striker with strength, and plasticity for the nail puller. At the end, the product is opened with a special varnish to prevent corrosion.

The part of the hammer head which is directly struck is called the striker.

The striker can have a very different shape - flat, convex or serrated.

The flat shape of the striker is designed for driving (eg nails). Convex shape - on hammers designed to perform strikes on another tool. With a serrated surface of the striker - designed to prevent slipping.

In addition, the hammer head can be of different weights.

As for the handle, it can be made of different materials: wooden, plastic and metal. The handle affects the convenience of working with a hammer. It should be light in weight (relative to the head) and be of appropriate length.

Windows of hardware stores show a variety of hammer handles and it is impossible to single out the most common material for handles.

Types of hammers

According to their diversity, purpose and application, there are a very large number of types of hammers. We will omit such types of hammers as kitchen, medical, shoe and the like, but we will try to mention all types of hammers used in construction.

locksmith's hammer

This is a classic-shaped hammer, where on one side of the head there is a flat striker, and on the other - a wedge-shaped one. The wedge-shaped side is called the spout.

Such a hammer is used almost everywhere and by weight it has the largest range of sizes from 200 g to over 1 kg.

Light hammers of small size are used for hammering small nails. They are used when installing wooden glazing beads, when working with lining (lining nails) and small-sized kleimers.

Heavier hammers are used almost everywhere: in everyday life, for bending metal, driving nails, in a variety of jobs.

Due to its practicality, this is the most common type of hammer.

Roofing hammers

There are a number of types of hammers that are called and referred to as roofing hammers. At the same time, they are not purely roofing hammers, they have a wider application and are used not only for roofing. But there are also specific unique hammers made specifically for working with some roofing materials.

Hammer with nail puller

This hammer can be called roofing and carpentry.

Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has a round, convex striker shape, and on the other hand, a nail puller. Such features of this hammer create convenience when working with nails, which is in demand in roofing and carpentry.

It is very convenient and practical for the installation of lathing and shingles.

In size, these are average weights of 500-600 grams.

Suitable for driving nails up to 150 mm in size.

It is worth noting that low-quality hammers of this type are very common on sale. They are cheap in price. They are light in weight and have a low-quality connection with the head. As a result, they break literally after the second blow or at the first attempt to pull out the nail.

But do not abuse the nail puller and high-quality hammers. They can also break under heavy loads. This applies to pulling out nails larger than 150 mm for regular building (glossy) nails and 100 mm for ruffed or screw nails.

In addition to the roofing hammer, the sharp-toothed hammer, fang, sharp-nosed hammer also received popular names.

This hammer has collected the functionality necessary for conventional roofing work.

It has a serrated striker that prevents slipping when hitting a nail.

The end part of the hammer head on the side of the striker is equipped with a groove for inserting a nail, which is convenient when it is not possible to hold the nail with the second hand:

The groove is intended for baiting a nail without holding it with the other hand. It has the contours of a nail and it has a magnet that prevents the nail from falling out.

On the side of the nail puller there is a sharp nose - this is an element from the classic slate hammer.

The weight of the hammer is 500-700 grams, which is suitable for hammering nails with a size of 35-150mm.

Sax

Another type of roofing hammer.

This hammer belongs to a specific type of tool and is used only for specialized work.

This hammer is designed and used specifically for the installation of slate roofing and slate.

The pointed nose of the hammer serves as a punch. Also on the hammer there is a nail puller. The handle of the hammer is rounded, which allows you to conveniently use all the functionality of the hammer.

Roof hammer for slate roofing

Hammer designed to work with slate roofing. On one side of the hammer head there is a serrated striker, and on the other side there is an ax with a nail puller:

A hatchet on a hammer is needed for hemming the edges of slate tiles, which must be done according to the technology, to eliminate traces of factory processing of slate.

Hammers for slate roofing are very diverse in shape and size.

mallets

Hammers are often wooden and rubber mallets, which are used in cases where damage to the surface of the material being worked on must be excluded.

The range of these hammers is simply huge. The variety in size and type of material is very large.

Hammers are used when working with fragile materials, as well as in order to avoid damage to the surface of a part, product or tool in contact with the striker.

Professional wooden mallets are made from larch.

Rubber mallet is mainly used when laying paving slabs and in automotive body repair.

Straightening hammer

Also, this hammer in narrow circles of professionals is called lyapka.

It's special professional tool for working with thin sheet metal and tin.

The pads are different in size and shape. Selected for specific tasks.

Pick

The pickaxe is considered the hammer of masons.

A brick is briskly knocked out during laying, and with the opposite side in the form of a spatula, a brick is pricked to the required dimensions.

The pickaxe is also widely used for removing plaster and cleaning used bricks.

Sledgehammer

A sledgehammer is a heavyweight hammer. It is needed where impact force and brute force are required.

It has the popular names Mashka and Balda.

Compared to other hammers, the sledgehammer has a large body weight of up to 2.5 kg.

The range of work carried out by the sledgehammer is very large. It is used during dismantling work, for driving reinforcement, stakes to the eyeballs or iron supports.