A selection of tools

[British Red]

I was looking for "the right" hammer today and I wondered how many hammers do I use regularly?

The answer is ....15

Hammers by British Red, on Flickr

I use everything from a tiny 4oz pin hammer for driving gimp pins, panel pins etc, right up to a 10lb sledge hammer for driving steel wedges. Some are quite specialised - the brass non sparking for example or the nylon hammer. Some are good quality - the Estwing Surestrike claw hammer - some are old friends - the 1lb lump hammer cost me a quid and is just a joy to use.

The reason I dwell on this is to think ...if I need 15 hammers in all sorts of sizes, is it not reasonable to need many types of knives? I do wonder when people say "you only need one knife" whether they really use knives regularly. Even a good kitchen set probably needs six to eight patterns - and that's just for food. Throw in trapping, leather work, wood work, hedge laying, snedding, skinning, glazing, and so on, I suspect 15 is really not enough knives

 

[Mesquite]

Nice collection there Hugh

 

[JonathanD]

Blimey. I've only got two. Three if you include a toffee hammer. Knives though.....

 

[British Red]

Blimey. I've only got two. Three if you include a toffee hammer. Knives though.....

I'm missing at least four that I need but cannot find at a price I can afford

 

[JonathanD]

What would they be then?

 

[Ogri the trog]

What no copper or hide faced hammers, and is that one or two ball pein's - frankly, I don't know how you get by with so few!

It is obvious to me that when folk say "Only one!" they have no finesse.......

Nice collection Hugh

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Mesquite]

Blimey. I've only got two. Three if you include a toffee hammer. Knives though.....

That's because you turn your knives into hammers JD...

 

[Tadpole]

being picky two are mallets

 

[JonathanD]

Yay... Bush hammer!!!

 

[British Red]

Two are indeed mallets

The missing ones are a 2lb cross peen / cross face hammer (the holy grail of hammers - used to dress 2 man cross cut saws)

I would also like a 1 and 2 lb cross peen, a 1 lb ball peen and a really good cushioned dead blow

 

[Dave Budd]

I wouldn't want to count the hammers/mallets that I use regularly, I would guess somewhere in the region of 50! But then it is my trade Ranging from small pin and chasing hammers up to 18lb sledges and mallets made from rubber, leather, wood and brass ranging from all wood to 5lb rawhide Thor mallets

 

[JonathanD]

And this...

 

[British Red]

18lb sledges

I am not manly enough for an 18 pounder

 

[demographic]

I have a fair old heap of hammers, rawhide and copper mallets, placky mallets, five Estwings (that's maybe overkill but I keep seeing them come up in the local secondhand place and have several sizes) sledges, lump hammer, ball pein and amongst other things my wife makes jewelleryso she has masses as well.

Thing is, even though I work as a subby site carpenter I have absolutely no use whatsoever for a wooden mallet. They don't fit into the hammer loop on my pouch and I'm not farting about picking them up all the time. Plus if I buy a chisel (other than a paring chisel and its not often I need one of those) that can't be hit with a proper metal hammer I'll change the handle to one with a steel band so it can.

 

[British Red]

Thing is, even though I work as a subby site carpenter I have absolutely no use whatsoever for a wooden mallet..

I bet you don't use sharpenable panel saws either Its your business so you need robust efficient kit. My hammers live in my workshop so don't have to hang at my belt most of the time

 

[crosslandkelly]

And this...

Catahammer? Hammerpult?

 

[Clouston98]

Lovely Hugh, I'm on five- but there's always room for more hammers .

 

[sunndog]

15 hammers ain't a bad selection.......you need a proper estwing though, not the starwars one.

I'm not sure if its still kicking around but I'v got a 2lb cross pein head somewhere. If I can find it you'd be more than welcome to it

 

[British Red]

That would be very kind sir - thank you

 

[Imagedude]

Can't have too many hammers!