I love seeing People's collections of things when they go into detail about what makes each piece special. Hyper specific enthusiasm is almost contagious!
This man searched high and low for the perfect hammer and just went full circle into some cheapo Stanley. In all seriousness I like your hammer collection and I appreciate this video because, it really shows your passion and I don't know if there is anything more pure than a person showing off the thing that he loves.
Love that story of how when he was a kid his dad would send him out to the yard with a 2x4, a can of nails, and a hammer to burn off some energy, and that's how his love for collecting hammers began. Good thing his dad didn't have a jackhammer around... LOL, my dad also had that red steel-handled Craftsman hammer at 2:00. Except the rubber handle was coming all apart and became wrapped up mummy-like in black electrical tape. Have to say that I never liked the vibration shock that hammer transmitted to my hand and arm.
One of these days you gotta do a video on Antique hammers and another video on hammer uses (carpentry, masonry, iron work & forging, etc.). When this video popped up as a RU-vid suggestion (because I subscribed) so did your one from 4 years ago "Securing a Loose Hammer Head." I'm watching it next. Thanks for all your great videos!
Vaughan are the best hammers IMO. No need for all the gimmicks. I use my California Framer exclusively. It’s perfect the way it is. I love your videos. Those Douglas hammers are works of art.
I'm a builder here in Southwest Alabama and have the same fondness for the hammer. I kick myself now but I was 26 years old when I started my residential construction business. I immediately subscribed to Fine Home Building magazine when I found one on the shelf at the local Winn Dixie grocery store (yes, this was when the internet was trying to get off the ground (1996). I always liked the straight claw model, and the first hammer I purchased for my work was the Plumb fiberglass handled 22oz. hammer, along with a 16oz. version, found at my local hardware. In the back of the FHB magazine you could find ads from mom & pop operations peddling all sorts of construction tools, and I come across a Bob Hart ad displaying his version of the California framer, the Hart 21 oz, hickory handle framer and fell head over heels for this hammer. I bought 2, the smooth face decker version and the milled face framer. Not too long after these 2 purchases and I got the 16oz Hart Trimmer and this became my go to hammer for all applications (I was usually the saw man and never really pounded too many nails with it, we also used nail guns a lot, so I could get away with using the smaller hammer). Shortly there after, I came across a review of the Douglass Woody and had to have one. I used this hammer exclusively and absolutely adored it....until I broke the handle out of it and never got around to buying a replacement handle. I kick myself because I didn't hang on to any of these great hammers. I have no idea what happened to them after a few moves, more than likely they got tossed. Now i'm 48, and wish I could find those darlings and restore them and enjoy them again. I find Hart hammers on ebay from time to time, but a Douglas is the Big Foot of hammers, you just can't find them anymore. They still make them, but they are $180. Would love to get my hands on an old Douglas, the Bob Hart original California Special framers, and Vaughan's older model California framer, not the blocky looking newer version. Enjoyed your video.
Weird RU-vid sent me this video...I'm s 43 yrs carpenter. Have used almost every hammer... The sears professional was my favorite.. I wish I bought 2 dozen of them before they quit making it
I enjoy your videos very much, this one is especially good. Having been a carpenter for most of my life, and an auto collision worker for almost 20 years right out of high school, I spent a lot of time with hammers in my hands. I' m very surprised you don't have a hammer made by Plumb, my father taught me a great deal about carpentry and woodworking, only used Plumb. That's what I started with and used to renovate my first house. There is nothing like driving a 16 penny common with a hickory handled hammer. Thanks for all the videos Vince
Hello Vince! You are so right! I have quite a few Plumb hammers! (over a dozen) They were always known for having superior handle retention. As someone who worked with hammers your whole life, you know the true value of this often overlooked simple tool! Thanks so much Vince!!!!!!!!
My go-to hammer is a 25-30 year old Plumb. It has a red handle, and weighs around 21oz total. I bought it before developing m rabid fondness for tools, and darn it, it’s so freaking solid and dependable it never gave an excuse to buy a Douglas! Sometimes tools last too long!
Funny you should say that... I have my great grandfather's Plumb hammer... nothing else feels as good when you are out there all day driving nail after nail into framing as an old wood handled hammer. Spin it, flip it, swing it... always so balanced and comfortable in my hand... my very good friend has fiberglass and graphite... he loves them because he says they won't break... my hammer is probably 80 years old and it has the original handle... with the drips of paint, scuffs and beauty marks aquired from 4 generations of use and countless projects and it never broke... so I don't think I'll worry about its durability. I find it not surprising at all that scout, who has every which kind of hammer imaginable with every gimmick and material composition chooses a simple cheap hammer as his favorite thus proving three things.. A simple classic design is a classic for a reason, more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, and when you like something and it makes you feel comfortable you can't always explain in words why that is you just know.
@@justafanmarvel9669So well put. Truly I wish I had tools from my ancestors - no one knows what happened to any of them (the tools, not the ancestors!)
@@marcmckenzie5110 That sucks but I wouldn't 100% give up just yet.. depending on how big your family is I would make sure that you ask all of them to see what they know and try to be specific by mentioning a particular tool or set that you remember. Also if your family had been in one location for a long time ask the neighbors... older neighborhoods can have neighbors that have lived there for decades and the kids that grew up there might have some knowledge... chances are when people have past that the neighbors may have inherited some of grandpa's old tools and they would probably be happy to give them back to the family. And also remember you are building a collection yourself that will someday be pasted down so try to buy the best tools you can.
Ohh yeah. Love all the hammers. One that comes to mind are fence pliers that have the cross-hatched hammer face on the outer end. The older heavier ones especially make good hammer when working on fences. I bought a few German hammers from KCTool. Gedore engineers hammers looked so cool I had to buy a few and some plastic faced ones too. As a goldsmith we love anything Grobet too.
I don't usually comment on videos, but this was great to watch. I know nothing about hammers, and even no use for a hammer but listening to you speak about your passion so fluently and enthusiastically was a pleasure!
Hi, my names mike ...I too am a hammer-o-holic. I once broke an old half pounder that i'd used for many years and could not find one that even looked or felt the same. I found a similar one and spent a day sanding the head and handle exactly the same as the old one - I loved that hammer man.
Douglas framer, best hammer I have ever owned. My dad bought it for me 15 years ago. He passed away 10 years ago I keep his Douglas on a shelf . I don't build houses anymore but the hammer is in my tool bag hanging in the van.
Hahaha SC!!! Hammerholic??? How about viseholic, c clampholic, plierholic,screwdriverholic and on and on and...... absolutely love the collection but by far the Douglass with red accents is amazing! Must have!! As always awesome video. Can’t tell you in words how much you’re dedication to tools and craft have given your well deserved subscriber base so much enjoyment and INSPIRATION!! Thank you
That Milwaukee fiberglass handle actually holds up very well in demo work. Had mine for 2 years of daily demo work and beside a few nicks it's perfect.
Here in Philippines we DON'T have FRAMING HAMMER, almost claw hammer/curved framing hammer is WHAT I LONG FOR☺.i like DIFFERENT hammer but all of my hammer is STANLEY CLAW HAMMER and ALL are CURVED CLAW and the handles are Wood 16,13, and 7onz.
Hi Scoutcrafter. For many years we in South Africa use to import the necessary woods like Hickory for our tool handles but nowadays importing it is so expensive we started using our locally available woods for tool handles... and so ended an era ... Nice vid and thanx for sharing.
Nice collection Red Douglas is a piece of Art. Being in the construction industry for 35 years I’ve seen and used my share. Best all around is Vaughan 19oz California framer waffle face 18 in curved hickory. Ive owned a couple stilettos and they were light hit hard felt good in the hand but handles were junk and titanium was destroyed within 12-18 months. Switched back to Vaughan. Another nice hammer still on the market is the Dewalt Mig 14oz light and durable but pings and sings when striking. Thanks for showing your collection
Hello LR! You are so right!!!! That Stanley is just so interesting to look at! The I beam design and yellow covering... Just lovely!!! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!
Great video! I'm a hammer junkie myself. I rarely buy a new one, but being a professional junk re-seller, I find hammers all the time. I buy 20-30 a year with machinist hammers my focus, especially ones that are rare, marked, or unusual. I'm also an amateur blacksmith and that helped to get me started. I re-handle and refurbish a lot of hammers and get them back on the market but I end up keeping WAY too many. I found an Estwing 16 ounce rip hammer the other day at a yard sale that was almost new (paid a dollar, lol) I decided to keep it to replace the one I already had. Well, I rounded up 12 all steel Estwing claw hammers. Turns out they were all different and I didn't have a 16 oz rip hammer yet. So, logic dictates I just keep them all!
Hello Iron Head! I too really like the Machinist hammers although they have recently skyrocketed in price! It's so much easier to refurbish or customize a hammer then to build one from scratch! Makes total sense! Thanks so much!!!!
I started refinishing tools and two months in I found your videos. Thank you very much for your work. You stepped up my game times a thousand and also put me on a better path! Great damn work btw!
Amazing collection Scout! Thanks for sharing them with us. Loved the red Douglas for sure. I loved my steel 30 0z Estwing framing hammer. After I had bought it, my friend asked me a couple times where my wimpy little hammer was when we went to do a job. So from then on my hammer was always "Wimpy." No idea what ever happened to it, but I miss it!
I'm a little bit of a hammer freak. I have a big box of them and I have a problem getting rid of them. See them is like looking at a time line of my development and career. I'm a 71 year young carpenter that's still going at it. I've seen major changes in hammers. When I first started , serious framers used axes. I under stand the principle but never got into it. It seemed to macho for me. I always liked Estwing, especially their leather handle finish hammers. I have a little fiber glass finish hammer that I used for years and love. When I was real young I got a job as a roofer installing shingles. I had to borrow $14 from my brother to buy a roofing hatchet. Now I see hammers costing hundred dollars. Some are so beautiful that I wouldn't want to use them. The one thing I can't wrap my head around is these light magnesium framing hammers. They must work cause I see a lot of people buying them. 22 oz was always the standard for framing I thought.
I'm 16 and going to a trade school to become an electrician, so I've been using a hammer i got when i was like 5 maybe lol. It's a no name brand but it's small enough to get between studs and hit the nails on plastic mounting boxes. It's not a toy hammer lol! It's wood and metal. My classmates wont buy any hammers because they like using mine lol. Thanks for the awesome video!
Hello Mason! You are making a great choice! Electrician is an awesome profession! You are making some great choices! Glad you enjoyed the collection! Thanks MA!!!!!!!!
@@ScoutCrafter , because you have a fine and big collection of hammers, and you did a good video . Iam thinking Ive gone thru so many hammers in my life, most giving or loaning it to someone and never getting it back,, so . I dug out my hammers ,and Iam going to do a video, they wont be a pristine as yours.
Never in my life thought I'd watch a video about collecting hammers, but dude, that was pretty cool! Hey just a question about the Fiskars. Did you ever try using it so you weren't just CLAIMING it's all gimmick?
I've got a decent hammer collection too (nothing like yours), and I agree about the usefulness and versatility of a little 10 oz. I have a little 10 oz. Stanley with a hickory handle that I inherited from my Grandfather, and it is easily my favorite, and most used (around the house, small projects, etc.) hammer!
Enjoyed the video but didn't see any of my favorites bluegrass made hammers if you find an old wooden handle one they are a joy to use. Thanks for the video keep up the good work 🔨
I always keep an eye out for one but the prices are insane on those things! I don't understand why... They look normal! Big following on them! Thanks!!!!!
I rock the al-pro estwing and love it. I do heavy framing. I also have the last Stanley hammer with the amber I-beam frame but with the straight claw have had it 22 years and still looks like it did when I bought it. I also have a hammer addiction but you definitely have an amazing collection.
My Father handed down his hammer to me, it's antique I believe. Over 100 year's old, it's only had two new head's and three new handle's in over a century.
@@ScoutCrafter Thanks mate! Always look forward to your uploads, I'm busy at the moment due to the upcoming festivities, but keep your eyes peeled on my channel. Kind Regards... Tony👍🏻
Always do Tony! In fact, one day I hope to convince you to take that sweet little Blue mini-anvil on your bench and now that you have that great belt sander... Polish the top face of that beauty!!!! =) Thanks Tony!!!!!!!!!
What a great video! As a framer/demolition/restoration/Seabee/overseas commercial carpenter/mason/concrete goomba, I've had a number of those hammers in my loop. I broke one of those steel Estwings once. I even bought that crazy looking Estwing curved job, still have it but hate it. Love the channel!
Helo Steven! Wow! You are experienced in a whole lot of trades! It's funny how we all bought that Estwing Curved hammer and none of us like it! LOL The good news is they are highly collectable and you will get every penny back! Thanks very much Steven!!!!!
A brilliant collection, thanks for sharing. I’ve got one of those Douglas DF18 hammers not with the original handle anymore though. The original hand snapped when I was working on the Stonehenge visitors centre. I signed it and fixed it behind the chestnut cladding I was fitting, I can still just about remember which board it’s behind.
I've owned/own a lot of these hammers. One you don't have is the stilleto fiberglass/poly handle. It hits so smooth but if you are prying a lot you can break the head off.
You have a good spirit with the birds and remembering your Father and not ever being condescending or offensive. Extremely good sense of balance seems to me and it's inspiring. I'm serious.
Hello Alan! Thanks so much for that! I do get some grief from the neighbors about the birds but they are all so precious to me! I think you also appreciate them! =) Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!
OMG! My wife was walking by my chair as I watched this for the first time, and she noticed the new red Craftsman hammer so watched (as you predicted in April or May, she usually has utterly no interest). This was the funniest episode you've done yet - even better than the application of patina! We laughed, and laughed, and laughed - that is good medicine. It is your lovely sense of humor and self-depreciation, making fun of your own hammer addiction. That's why all your subscribers and viewers, as well as your RU-vid cohorts, historians and others I've come in contact with - we all just love you and the show. My wife said, "we should watch that on the big TV later tomorrow!" There may be hope... P.S. On the adjustable head hammer being valuable, it strikes me the same phenomena as stamp collectors loving those 1 and 2 cent stamps where the biplane is misprinted. The stamps should have been thrown in the stove when they were printed, and now they go for insane amounts at auction!
Hello Marc! Funny story! I was in the middle of answering your comment Saturday evening when I got a sharp pain on my right side back under the rib cage... It felt like a cramp so I stood up to walk it off... It wasn't going away and the pain was excruciating! I went to lie down but the pain wouldn't stop! I was screaming! Turns out I had a Kidney Stone! Went to the ER and just got home last night! It's so funny that I was in the middle of answering your comment!!!! I figured that was nothing compared to what you went thru! Much respect as always Marc! Thanks again for the hammer my friend!!!!!!! I'm back...
@@ScoutCrafterWhen I hear people complain about pain, I don't think they know what pain is until a tough grown adult who's been through a lot of life has pain so intense that they scream uncontrollably. Kidney stones and the Shingles. Hell, when my elbow was broken last winter and my arm bent at a stomach-churning angle, the sound of bones scraping against each other every time I moved any part of my arm - I laughed at how little it hurt compared to the aforementioned! You are not going through fun stuff and I'm thinking of you.
I framed with a 15 oz stiletto most of my life aside from my grandfathers old red one still have it I recently ordered a Martinez I’m looking to see the difference between stiletto and Martinez even tho there basically the same guy
Very entertaining to listen to you speak so enthusiastically and bluntly about one of the most basic, essential tools. I agree 100% that DOUGLAS was a design genius. I have always wanted a Douglas hammer, but unfortunately never bought one because: (1) too nice to actual use on the job, and (2) I needed a hammer to bang up and that didn't cost a lot. Maybe design one with some engineering buddies and build it thru Kick Starter. Also, I wonder what hammers are available in other countries ? England, Norway, Germany, Russian, Japan ?
Another nice video and not a wire brush in sight..! I recognise mist of those hammers..We had the Craftsman professional down here about 10years or more ago,I remember the knurled handle with the rubber cap on the end.I have seen the Estwing with the grey fibreglass handle,also the all steel Vaughn one with the stars and stripes handle ( available at Sydney Tools,about $90) have seen the Milwaukee all steel one one at Total Tools Brookvale only recently..That weird Estwing one with the pale fibreglass hane,and the funny head,sort of makes me remember those pictures in history books of prehistoric iron age tools that had metal heads attached to jawbone of a ass handles ..dont like the look of them..seems other people didnt like them either,haven't seen them for awhile,they weren't cheap either..We also had a Plumb all metal one that you didnt show,which was made in Vietnam..also not around anymore..Some of those titanium heads on framing hammers are familiar,but nit the Martinez ones,never seen them.or the Douglas ones,which I agree are very well finished indeed,..The Stanley I-Beam one has been here,last seen at Mitre 10 hardware..Noticed the Maryinez idea of using a furniture bolt to secure the head..We used to drill a hole through the head from one side to the other and insert a roll pin on the wooden handle hammers..I was never able to use that nail seating groove attachment successfully but that was probably due to lack of practice..down here we had two good hammers,one was made some twenty years back by Boral Cyclone tools,they tried to make a improved design,and sort of succeeded,it had a square head with square striking area,and a squarer wooden handle with was sort of easier to grip than the traditional oval,head was painted in green and gold,our national colours..pity I never bought one..then there was Redback Tools who made a steel shaft gammer with a curved shaft which was claimed to be better,(google it) it won some design awards down here..but nowadays as another viewer also stated the hammer isn't used much,its all nail guns like e Paslode,or self drilling screws using a DeWalt..you don't mention the Stanley Fat Max AntiVibe hammer,on sale down here..I have doubts about anti shock properties,and prefer wooden handles myself..am dubious about fibreglass handles and the fact that the heads are glued on..would put a roll pin through the head if I was using one myself..Thanks again for the video..the pigeons and sparrows are nice but squirrels rule OK
Hello Bob! Wow! You really know your hammers! They still sell the redback hammer on Amazon! It was indeed a strange hammer but I can see situations where it could come in handy... I am still amazed at the prices some of these tools fetch down there! The Amber/I-Beam Stanley is just so nice looking! I just really like that hammer! =) Hey Bob, one of your countrymen (Birdie) in the comments said you don't have many sparrows down by you? Thanks Bob!!!!!!
Wow do I remember my first Estwing Steel... by house #2 my arm was keeping me up at night (like shin splints) I swapped back to a wood handle (longer handle) and my pain went away, but I'd buy 2 of them until I got better at judging how much the handle would take... Ol Estwing was still around for DEMO, can't break that puppie
Very entertaining right up to the end when you confess that your Stanley is your favorite. Goes to show that spending big money on tools isn’t a guarantee that you will like them.
Your first Craftsman pro model with wooden handle is classic; I am sure it is US made. As a retired contractor, I was in love with the original classic steel 20 oz Stiletto framer with corrugated head and wooden handle. As you know, smooth face model is needed if you are beating on metal items. I have always hated metal handled hammers, as they are like instant arthritis of the hands and make you dislike your job. The Douglas are beautiful; how do they feel on the job? Did they only offer smooth face?
Douglas is manufacturing hammers again. Not sure if its the exact same people but to me they look pretty true to the original. Loved the video, thanks for sharing your collection!
Nice collection! You are as bad as I am, no a bit worse, lol My favorite is the same Douglas you had in red, but mine is just Titanium. You probably already know how they sing when driving nails. Gotta love it! A few years later, I made a shorter handle out of Hickory so I could use it in cabinetmaking. I just could not let go of that thing! My coworkers called it the mongoloid as the head was larger than their 8oz hammers. Mine has a waffled head. I'll never sell it, I'll give it to my son. The rest of my collection is themed, "A hammer for every occasion". I have that Craftsman with the adjustable claw...I like it and use it regularly. I weld too, so I have all those. I like the Estwing hammers and have a few, including a rock hammer for going out in the desert to rock hunt. Don't get me started on the soft headed Estwings, and the sledge hammers... Thanks for showing your fetish for hammers!
I love your videos Scoutcrafter. This is really interesting, thankyou for taking the time to make it and uploading. Those Douglas hammers are really something special. wow! I don't know if you have the same sort of jokes across the pond, but in the UK, some good natured banter was had on jobsites, by insulting each other's native towns, and let's say their 'approach to workmanship', by calling a hammer a 'xxxxxxxxx Screwdriver'. eg, a guy from Yorkshire might ask his Lancashire friend to 'pass him the Manchester screwdriver', and so on... All in good fun though.
Hello Green man! LOL I love those on the job jokes and pranks!!!!! I was known at work as the biggest joker around! Laughing all day long!! It was great!!!!! We had this never seize compound that was very hard to get off your hands if you touched some and many times it would wind up under the bosses car door handle! LOL Love those old jokes! Thanks GM!!!!!!!
@@ScoutCrafter Ha! I'll have to remember the under the door handle one! One of the best I've heard about was at a metal shop on your side of the pond. This guy was always, always, hiding guys tools, or altering their setups, being a real nuisance. Anyway, at the end of every day, before he went home, he'd blow all the dirt and dust off his clothes and hair with an airline hose . One day, the guys he'd pranked turned the air off, then filled the airline with half a pint of blue Dykem layout ink..., then plugged the air back on...end of the day comes, he grabs the air hose and blows...completely covering himself with Dykem...
No plumbs. The first hammer I bought as a finish carpenter was a 13 oz plumb. Still have it, never broke the hickory handle. Although the red paint is well worn.
Nice collection. I'm always looking local for a heart California framing hammer 21 oz hickory handle polish shiny sold at Walmart super center int he Midwest in 92-95. I like the anvil brand straight claw 10 ounce hickory handle that home Depot sells for five bucks. The new Hart from Walmart 16 oz straight claw plastic handle white and blue is a bad ass hammer.
Beautiful collection of hammers. Besides of the gimmicky Fiskars, there are some really good European hammers like Picard, Hultafors, Facom, Stubai, PB Swiss, Elora, Halder and Thor Hammer Company.
Nice collection, the stiletto titanium hammers that you have are newer version made by Milwaukee they bought the name stiletto “ruger tool co usa “. from Martinez. The old version was meds in USA, now they are made in China, those Douglas are also made in China, there were made in Canada many years ago, any Douglas hammer with head painted red is made in china.
SC - this video is a special treat. Definitely in my top 5 SC videos. Your passion really comes through. Fascinating topic. thank you! I have ...25-ish hammers, gosh, maybe 35! Rusty hammers have a way of just coming to me, now. My wife & friends are worried that I have way too many; but I'll refer them to your channel! LOL
