[subego]

Standard in every toolkit is a claw hammer.

I've found I go for a claw hammer less than 1% of the time. A tack hammer and a rubber mallet are each a couple orders of magnitude more useful.

WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

[reader50]

You may be able to sell that to someone else, but I've seen mafia-type movies. They reach for the pliers and claw hammers first. Not those other types.

[subego]

Pussies.

[Thorzdad]

No love for the almighty sledge?

[subego]

A wonderful piece of kit, no question. Just not for the everyday.

I don't hate the claw, I only claim less iconic hammers are more useful.

[Mike Wuerthele]

This thread clearly shows that Big Hammer is eyes-deep in the conspiracy.

[sek929]

Claw hammer 4 lyfe.

Just recently made the switch from a 16oz Hart to a 10oz Stiletto titanium hammer. It is by far the most used tool in my arsenal.

I should add I hate the curved claw, straight claw hammer is the only way to go.

[subego]

Well, you like, build shit... right?

[sek929]

Originally Posted by subego 

Well, you like, build shit... right?

Indeed I do, but working renovation has me doing all sorts of random tasks, I still assert my 10oz Stiletto is the most versatile hammer available. Light enough for precise work, yet with a full swing can send a framing nail nearly as well as a larger hammer, straight claw makes pulling most nails and tacks easy, but since it's a wooden handle I tend to shy away from pulling any larger nails with it.

[subego]

I posit this virtually requires you to choose one hammer über alles.

That's the problem. Others don't, so they shouldn't.

A civilian's most common job? Sinking a thin nail into drywall. Tack hammer is ideal.

Second most common job? Gently pounding two things together, or banging them apart. Rubber mallet is your man.

[sek929]

I have a variety of hammers, mallets, and sledges...but when it comes right down to it 90% of all tasks related to those tools can be accomplished with a balanced claw hammer. A good wooden handled straight-claw hammer can gently tap a tack in the wall and wail something into place, as for gently pounding two things together without marking it up a small sacrificial block of anything works fine, then again I live in a world of many sacrificial blocks hanging around,

I just don't like tack hammers, smaller head requires more skill, and most of them are weighted very poorly and don't perform like a good balanced claw.

[subego]

Probably the favorite part of my claw is the fiberglass handle. Makes it a beast.

[subego]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I have a variety of hammers, mallets, and sledges...but when it comes right down to it 90% of all tasks related to those tools can be accomplished with a balanced claw hammer. A good wooden handled straight-claw hammer can gently tap a tack in the wall and wail something into place, as for gently pounding two things together without marking it up a small sacrificial block of anything works fine, then again I live in a world of many sacrificial blocks hanging around,

I just don't like tack hammers, smaller head requires more skill, and most of them are weighted very poorly and don't perform like a good balanced claw.

You use the word "skill"...

That's what I'm talking about. You're in a position where skill matters.

The faster you can pound, and the less you have to hike over to your tool box, the faster you're at the point where you can crack a beer and start raiding the Vault.

I'm not exactly a civilian, but hammering isn't something I need to do often. When I put a slim, little picture hanging nail into some drywall it takes me... I hope you're sitting down... about a dozen swings.

Is the tack hammer poorly balanced for manly hammering? Doesn't matter... I'm choking up on the handle to where I'm almost under the head, because I'm using civilian wuss taps.

[subego]

My most used tool is probably a ratcheting, stubby screwdriver. My favorite tool is a good ol' serrated blade.

(I'm not counting a multi-tool)

[andi*pandi]

Tack hammer? Just get a small claw hammer if a regular one is too hefty.

If you're only buying one hammer, then claw is it. Use it for general household stuff much more than mallet. Mallet sometimes useful with fragile ikea furniture assembly where I don't want to punch a hole in the pressboard.

[subego]

I must have different household situations then.

I'll fully admit... I use tools enough I have at least five hammers. Not everyone is going to need or want that many.

In order, by usage

Tack
Mallet
Deadblow
Claw
Ball pein

I use the claw maybe once a year. This includes work, too.

I do have a selection of prybars, and other claw end tools, so that may be another reason I don't go for the hammer... though I don't find myself doing much prying either.


The only thing I've ever used the ball pein for is to "artfully" shatter panes of glass.

[andi*pandi]

Then I would wonder, why the heck you even have a ball pein hammer! And what is inferior about the other hammers that they wouldn't suffice to smash glass with...

hammering needs at my house are performed by:
big claw hammer
small claw hammer (useful for children and because it doesn't take up much room)
big mallet
small mallet (easy to pack for camping)

used for:
hanging pictures, hooks, etc
putting together crappy furniture
fixing $%^&*( steps with that damn loose board that won't stay down
fixing ^%&*( wobbly chair that should have lasted longer, ferchrissakes
pinewood derby car wheel attachment
crafts/wooden birdhouses/stuff of that nature
tent pegs (mallet gets the nod here)

[The Final Dakar]

Small mallet is my go to. Reg hammers are too barbaric.

[subego]

I honestly have no idea why I have a ball pein hammer. It's not like I'm smashing glass that often. It only stays around because there's room for it and the flat side is a regular hammer.

When I do smash glass, it's in the context of art projects, so you want a pane of broken glass to have a certain "artful" look to it. With the ball pein, no matter how bad I whiff the swing, the impact will be concentrated in a small, round area.

The arts and craft uses make sense. I do those types of things, but almost never work with wood. I use glue and epoxy for most things. With wood, if I can't glue it, it gets a drywall screw. Whether it wants it or not.

Drywall screws get an "honorable mention" as a tool. Love the things. Right up there with bailing wire. Even better together. Anchor your bailing wire with a drywall screw!

[subego]

A completely under-appreciated (and hard to find) drywall screw is the 3/4", fine thread. Drill into plywood with a 1" and you get pokies out the other side.

I have a small stash. Almost always try and reclaim them afterwards.

[sek929]

A must-have for a homeowner or anyone who isn't shy around projects is a good cordless drill and impact driver set, minimum of 12 Volt. The majority of my van's "fastener center" are screws of various uses. From the standard drywall screws, to dacrotized (galvanized), ceramic-coated, stainless steel of every variety imaginable, trim-heads (my personal favorite) and larger ceramic bolts and anchors.

My most used/important tools in descending order.

Tape Measure
Pencil
Hammer
Flat Bar (little pry-bar with a flat side perfect for gently separating something you don't want to break)
Impact driver (older Ni-Cad battery model, I find the Li-ion batteries perform poorly in the cold)

[subego]

If we're going that fundamental, for me it's:

Gerber* multitool
AA Maglite
Sharpies
Lanyard with 2" black and 1" white gaffers tape

The white gets used for labels (written with a sharpie, natch), and the black gets used for everything else.


*The "killer feature" for the Gerber is one-handed opening. Very nice if you're up in the air and would prefer using your other hand to prevent falling to your death.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I'm so confused and scared by this thread.....five different hammers, instead of one straight claw? Special 3/4" drywall screws for....plywood? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE

[reader50]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

small claw hammer (useful for children and because it doesn't take up much room)

Might I suggest rolled-up newspaper for children? Even a small hammer is overdoing it for the most unruly child. I did some pretty stupid stuff as a kid, some of which could have gotten my parents sued. But never quite enough to justify the small claw hammer.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

[andi*pandi]

When they are really naughty, then it's time for the sledgehammer.

[subego]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

I'm so confused and scared by this thread.....five different hammers, instead of one straight claw? Special 3/4" drywall screws for....plywood? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE

Drywall screws work great in wood.

[sek929]

Eh that depends, drywall screws are very hard and very brittle, they can snap easily.

Fun story: I once saw a sheetrocker put a drywall screw right through his finger, bone and all, the scream he made when backing it out still echoes in my mind.

[Laminar]

Listed in order of most recently used:

- 5lb sledge
- small claw
- slide
- deadblow
- rubber mallet
- large fiberglass claw
- body

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by subego 

Drywall screws work great in wood.

Originally Posted by sek929 

Eh that depends, drywall screws are very hard and very brittle, they can snap easily.

Yeah - they're designed to catch wood easily and have the head driven into soft drywall. If you're using a lot of them in wood you'll have a much higher failure rate, especially with knots, etc. - and they're not designed to carry a heavy load.

Of course I'm just not sure what sub's doing to find 3/4" drywall screws so valuable! You know you can glue that construction paper to the plywood, right?

[starman]

[subego]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Yeah - they're designed to catch wood easily and have the head driven into soft drywall. If you're using a lot of them in wood you'll have a much higher failure rate, especially with knots, etc. - and they're not designed to carry a heavy load.

Of course I'm just not sure what sub's doing to find 3/4" drywall screws so valuable! You know you can glue that construction paper to the plywood, right?

When you're doing lighting, and want to put a light on the floor, you use what's called a "base plate". Base plates aren't very wide, so as is, if you put a light on one, it tips over.

Plywood and a 3/4" drywall screw to the rescue.

[subego]

I feel I should clarify... I didn't say they're ideal for wood, just that they perform impressively for a screw without wood in the name.

And while I've had problems with knots and breakage, never with a 3/4".

They may not be as strong, but I posit they're plenty strong for 90% of the wood based issues a civilian runs into.

I wouldn't build a deck out of them, but the dozen screws in my bare minimum tool bag? All drywall.

[subego]

Well, they were... looks like I removed screws from the ultra-portable bag. Not needing a screw often enough.

In fact, I stripped my bag down so far the only tools left past the "gang of four" I listed above are a tape measure, D-cell Maglite, stubby screwdriver, bailing wire, plastic wedges, small pony clamps, toenail clipper (for zip ties), a multimeter, and gloves.

Honorable mention goes to Speed Stick and some gum.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Listed in order of most recently used:

- 5lb sledge
- small claw
- slide
- deadblow
- rubber mallet
- large fiberglass claw
- body

Pulled a valve cover off today. Move rubber mallet to the top.

[subego]

Represent!

[Madison]

I'm an industrial air compressor mechanic, and I almost never use a hammer. When i do, it's usually my 3# baby sledge, I can't remember the last time I used my ball peen hammer. My dead blow hammer is quite useful, I stopped using a rubber mallet a LONG time ago though.

[osiris]

I know nothing of hammers, except that I have two of them - a heavy one for pounding nails, and a smaller lighter one for tapping nails.

I do appreciate a good hammer though - sometimes a good bang or two on a engine's cylinder head or a few raps on an antique radio works wonders.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Represent!

Pulled a brake rotor off. Move 5lb sledge and deadblow to the top.

[subego]

The fix is in! Recount!

[subego]

Putting together a flat-pack desk, and needed to hammer finishing nails into the back veneer.

Used a tack hammer, that's not going to be a shock. What shocked even me was 20 taps was the minimum. I was able to swing that on the last couple nails after I stopped caring about sinking them straight. The average was closer to 30 taps, and my high score was 40.

30 taps X 30 nails... 900 swings.

[Chongo]

Hammer, don't hurt 'em!

Originally Posted by starman 

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Putting together a flat-pack desk, and needed to hammer finishing nails into the back veneer.

Used a tack hammer, that's not going to be a shock. What shocked even me was 20 taps was the minimum. I was able to swing that on the last couple nails after I stopped caring about sinking them straight. The average was closer to 30 taps, and my high score was 40.

30 taps X 30 nails... 900 swings.

Was the base material that hard? I'm thinking back to the last shelf I put together from Target and my small claw hammer sunk the veneer nails in 3-4 swings.

[subego]

Not really. Particle board.

[sek929]

That's the drawback of something like a tack hammer. As I've said before the 'action' of a well-balanced hammer (like my Stilleto 10oz) can accurately and gently start a small nail but then drive it home without hitting it a bazillion times. The head is much larger, so you can be less accurate, and has most of the hammer's overall mass so it drives any nail effortlessly when you need it to.

I probably would have drilled holes in the particle board first then simply slipped the nails in the holes and whacked them a couple times, done.

[ghporter]

I use drywall screws, because it's harder for me to screw up the drywall with screws than with a hammer. Yes, I'm saying I'm kinda uncoordinated.

I have two claw hammers of different lengths because I do build stuff no and then. And I have a tack hammer, a jeweler's hammer, a mallet (with 4 different faces of different hardnesses - Thanks, Craftsman!), and a 4 pound sledge. Different jobs require different tools. I also have a 14" pry bar, so I can keep my 12" flat blade screwdriver for screws. Different tools...

[subego]

Originally Posted by sek929 

That's the drawback of something like a tack hammer. As I've said before the 'action' of a well-balanced hammer (like my Stilleto 10oz) can accurately and gently start a small nail but then drive it home without hitting it a bazillion times. The head is much larger, so you can be less accurate, and has most of the hammer's overall mass so it drives any nail effortlessly when you need it to.

No, no, no. That's the drawback of me sucking.

You can gently start a small nail but then drive it home in a few swings. I smash my fingers and mar the veneer.

[subego]

Heavy duty topic drift...

That flat-pack desk which took 900 swings has okay drawer pulls. I have nifty Deco drawer pulls. Problem is my pulls use two bolts, and the desk is pre-drilled for a single bolt.

My idea is to plug the hole with some kind of wood epoxy type shit, and then drill new holes. Assuming a worst case scenario where my new holes overlap the old one, any recommendations on epoxy shit which works well with wood and won't explode into dust when I hit it with a drill?

[Laminar]

JB Weld can be drilled and tapped and will hold at least as much tension and particle board.

[subego]

I'm almost afraid that's a touch too strong...

I mean, I've never tried to drill into a compound surface with such radically different densities. Might the bit want to slide off the epoxy into the (relatively mushy) particle board?