I retired from 40 years in the business a few years ago. I had studied a bit of Japanese joinery before anyone knew what a cat paw was. I had two faced hammers, one side flat for driving the nail and opposite side was convex to make the last blow to the nail head so as to not leave a dent in the wood. Also they use square faced heads not round so as to be able to nail in a corner. Back then saw blades were called Shark Tooth design. They make their housing joinery slip joints because of earth quakes and that's one of the reasons they use thin pull stroke saws to be able to make extremely intricate joints. The problem with driving in nail that way is that the nail does not enter wood properly. If you look at the tip of a nail two sides are smooth and two sides are Sharp the sharp side should be driven into the wood across the grain to cut through the fibers of the wood so as to not split if you drive a nail into wood with the smooth sides in between the grain you split the wood. Of course that only applies if you're close to the end of a piece of wood and you're using Straight nails like finishing nails doesn't apply to twisty nails I had over twenty hammers cause at one point I collected antique tools. Back then they had some ingenious inventions we long forgot about
Guy makes a 10 minute video about a piece of metal and gets ostracized, Peter Jackson makes 3 x 3 hour films about a piece of metal and he’s everyone’s hero..?!
@@MrMacrun He is talking about the back of the hammer where you use it to pry out nails and yes it is called a claw hammer straight claw or curved lol. What you're talking about is what the hardware store calls a milled face or smooth
Stephen November ~ He said in the first _30 seconds_ that the "tip"was at the _end_ of the video. All you had to do was fast forward or click to the end and then _you_ could've gotten to the point "MUCH quicker" all on your own! Don't blame him for your impatience.
I didn’t know the waffle cut was for the galvanized finish to me it’s always been easier to hammer in nails because of the texture. I use an estwing like yours however mine did not come with the waffle cut so I took an angle grinder to it and made the waffle cut and it works the same as a waffle cut now. Always a good idea if you already have a hammer to modify it to your needs and get creative especially on a budget.
hey Vince. I'm 52 and recently helped a friend build a work shed. His nephew had a couple pals to help move equipment. That said I was astonished at how many young men have no clue how to use a hammer 🔨 Were not talking a piece NASA technology here. Thanks for the tool tip 👍🏾
dave foster ~ It was clear right off the bat that the guy talks during the video. But what did you expect? Sign language? When I first discovered RU-vid, one of the first things I noticed about the videos is that nobody ever forces anybody to watch them! If his talking bothered you enough to bitch about it, why did you continue to watch it?
Nope - the milled face grips the head of the nail better when driving it at an angle. It means fewer bent nails - nothing to do with saving the galvanising on fixings.
If anything, waffle faces mess up the galv on the heads of nails MUCH more than smooth face hammers do. The feature is strictly a matter of increasing friction. And one doesn't have to drive an extended career's worth of 16d nails to understand this, either.
My grandpa lost his arm and had a hammer with the magnet head so he could set nails and keep working. Those have been around for a long time. This was back in the 70s.
As being in construction for over 50 years I must comment on a few of your observations, the first being the use of hammers with steel shafts. Those that have worked in framing crews where 8, 10 and longer hour work days of continued hammer use has told old school carpenters that nothing beats a wood handled hammer to save the hand and forearm from continuous pounding . Granted, if you're prone to miss the nail frequently ( I should hope not )and strike the wood shaft.. or if you're using your hammer for demolition purposes, go with the steel shaft. Wood handled hammers are also much better suited for older tradesmen or those with bad joints etc. they're so much better on the hand and arm - as they absorb much of the pounding. As far as the top side nail holding provision - this is not 'modern technology' by any means - this feature was found on hammers for many, many years and a great help when you had to hang on with one hand when you drove nails with the other ... and like the steel shaft hammer were found in many carpenters shoulder boxes - along with a good Plumb hatchet !
Very nice explanation of the hangers features. I knew about the nail setter function but not the reason for the milled face. Learn something new each day!!!
hmm.. a milled face is to provide a bit of extra gripping surface to catch and sink nails, even if your angle is a bit off. It has nothing to do with galvanized nail heads. And steel framing hammers are hell on your joints and tendons, especially in your elbow and forearm. I know. That's why I went to a Vaughn 20 oz with a nice long handle for framing 40 years ago. It's all about angle and leverage to drive those nails. The steel estwings are great for demolition or pulling large nails tho. I still have my first one that ruined my elbow.within a year.
wrong reason given for head milling. It minimizes slip on modern framing nails with similar head patterns when striking the nail. never had anything to do with preserving galvanized surfaces.
Funny how such a "simple tool", is invaluable for doing any kind of construction type work....and honestly, are very technical when look deeper. My go to hammers: Eastwing Hammertooth(or sharktooth 😉) & Stiletto (which has the magnetic nail holder & a side nail puller). As always, love the tips/tricks videos you share with us. Cheers
You are one heck of a professional, Vince! When I have questions, you are my #1 go to on RU-vid. I truly appreciate the time you put in to keeping brothers in the know!
Or, like he said "didn't even notice". Who wouldn't notice that on the top of the hammer? Most of his videos are advertisements, hoping to get people to run out and buy whatever he's talking about. RU-vid wants me to watth them, but his videos are all way too long for what you get out of them.
I learned something new today! Don't believe everything you see on the internet. Much of it might be BS or just one guy's opinion based on his range of experiences.
Wore out my 28 oz. Eswing as a union carpenter, milled face helps hammer blows to grip and direct nail and board as you mount the board. The other feature of the hammer's 'rip' versus 'claw' part, helps you as you remove nails or part boards that need to be reset.
the steel shank and milled face were more than a useful feature, they were needed. Even than straught shank was very used in cleaning the faces of concrete spills on beams and braces. The 'rip' part could be sunk deep, quickly to form a ledger as a brace when you needed a third hand or tie up point. The later vanhang hammer's shock killing plug would have saved many an arm of pain and since I had and its nail setting groove and magnet were nice but too late since it was when I was full speed ahead, pain or not. Smooth faces were basically only for the 'finish crew'.
No it's not god for drywall. A drywall hammer is waffled but it has a curved head so it leaves a dimple and not rip the paper and a hatchet end to shave of chalk that is excessive on the ends. I guess you didn't have to mud the job and have to fix all the holes you made in the sheetrock.
I had a wooden handle, curved claw hammer with a T-shape nail groove between the crotch of the claw and the shank, the nail was held in place by two spring loaded ball bearings. One spring & bearing was inserted into a hole drilled from each side and capped with a set-screw. Nail setting hammers are not new. Taking a nail and pushing it down past the ball bearings was probably not as fast as sticking the nail on a magnet but it was more secure and took more that a little bump to dislodge the nail. I got mine about 68 years ago. Some low-life took a shine to it in the late 1980's.
Don't forget the small hole at the bottom of the Estwing rubber handle. It is not used to hang the hammer. When I was a carpenter, I used to set nails above my head. Put the nail head in the hole, swing it and set the nail.
I didnt know about the milled face saving the galvanized head on the nails. I always thought it was to "grab" the textured head of a bright nail, so as to minimize bending while striking. Great content by the way.
@@VCGConstruction Our bright hand bangers have a diamond shape texture kn the head. I was told years ago that the waffle head was meant to "grip" the nail head so there is no "slippage"...maybe it serves both nail heads?
Been a carpenter since 1972 and have never heard the nail pulling part of a hammer referred to as jaws. Out west here we refer to them as straight or curved claw hammers.
Thats really cool. I never thought of that. Lol !!!!! I'm an Estwing fan. I use the 28oz flat, the 20oz flat, and the 32oz roofing hatchet. Estwing I think is the best hammer on the market , and has been my choice for ruffly 30 years. I have to say super cool idea on the Husky lmao !!!! Thanks Vince !!!!
@@jerryriggan Yes Jerry there is. In the late 1980's at a True Value Hardware store the Estwing 32oz roofing hatchet was available for purchase. I am a proud owner of the said hatchet. To my knowledge the same hatchet is available at the Home Depot. Please contact Estwing customer service to confirm that. You sir should try one. There great hatchets. Good luck with your research.
These days framing hammers are just for finishing toe nails and other nails the gun failed to set deep enough. Just found my old Estwing 28 oz. In the bottom of a bin. I lost track of it 15 years ago after we got a Bostich N80C. For trim I use a rare 13 oz. Plumb curved claw. For destruction I use a proper Swedish Granfors bar paired with the Plumb.
i can tell you all you need to know about hammers. -1 framing hammers are above 20 oz they are for driving heavy nails 10 penny or larger. can be near 30 oz. have a waffled head and strait claws, aka ripping claw. 2-. middle weight 16 oz may have a ripping claw or curved claw that is better for pulling nails has a smooth head so if you miss you don't tare up the wood like a framing hammer would; use on 4-8 penny nails. 3- finish hammer, 13 oz or less used on trim, molding, that sort of stuff. use with finishing nails. 4- handles: a steel handle will transfer the shock to your arm, wood will brake but will not shock you as much. Fiber handles is what I used. The longer handles gives you more power on the swing. You can use a lighter hammer and still drive the nail. Remember this always pick the nail for the work and the hammer for nail. Always buy a hammer that feels good in your hand and you can swing as long as you have to. Is that easier?
He looks like he'd be an awesome renaissance polymath painter! I like sub 12oz 6" ish hammers. I do maintenance and tech, not construction, and most of the stuff I do really shouldn't use *any* nails at all because we like quick repair access. The tiny ones are perfect for noy weighing down a bag for something you hardly use
I first looked att the clip without sound. Your bodylanguage tells me that you are perfectly balanced and comfortable with your Eastwing. When you pick up the Vaughan the way you move tells another story. From manoevering with your wrist to swinging the whole arm to do the same work. So I turned the sound on and to my suprise I hear that you consider them totally interchangeble.
Rare comment but we suggest you and others with the milled face on their framing hammers, should clean up and sharpen the face for more efficient use. The clean up improves strike and impact. Keep up the good work
Very cool bit of knowledge. Video could have been 5 minutes shorter though. Don't tell us what we know. Tell us what we don't know. Thanks for the clip.
I did not know that about the milled face. I thought it helped driving the nail straighter by gripping the nail head better. I have used mine as a meat tenderizer, did you know you can do that? lol Its kinda like using a heat gun to toast a samich lol
Vinny, Vinny, Vinny...…. Just a few points to make regarding your little 20 minute diatribe.... It doesn't take 10 minutes to explain waffles on a framing hammer. What you should have done is show all the different types of hammer and what they're used for and why. i.e ) sheetrock hammer has waffles and a rounded head to drive the nail in deep enough so it can be covered and not show through A flathead hammer will tear the paper if you try to recess the nail with a flat waffled head it will tear the paper if you sink it the right depth. The round head let's you drive the nail the right depth to make a golf ball sized circular dimple without breaking the paper. Then there's rubber and would mallets, single jack and double jack sledge hammers, roofing hammers, ball peen hammers, a slew of unique hammers for auto body repair, tacking hammer etc. I like having the right hammer for the job. I Example: I used a framing hammer with waffled head to roof my first house. Asphalt shingles and 1" flathead nails. They were small enough that I kept clipping the edge of my finger and the waffle head shredded my finger to a bloody mess. I probably have twenty hammers at least. Here are the most blatant mistakes you made 1. the feature on the other side of the hammer head is a "Claw", no at "Jaw" 2 .The waffle head is for rough carpentry, like framing and decking floors & roofs. It's meant to catch the nail better if you don't strike it perfectly square! Look at any 8 penny or16 penny nail and it has a waffled head that helps that as well. If you use it on galvanized nails it would do more damage to coating. 3. A framing hammer has a flat claw face and a finish hammer has a half round head because you have situations where your swing is limited and you permanently gauge finish wood, and it has a smooth face so you don't put a waffle mark on any expensive wood. I think the steel handle makes for a strong hammer but it sends a strong shock through the arm. I prefer wood or fiberglass. I built my first house with a 20' Vaugn and still have it today 45 yrs' later. But I used a nail gun for my second. 3. If you swing a hammer like you did when you trying to get the feel for a hammer you wouldn't last a week on the job, and probably need elbow surgery. You use your wrist, just like throwing a baseball. You get no power from you arms, it's from that last minute wrist action. 4. I believe that framing hammers are 16" long so you can find where a stud or joist is or where it's supposed to be. That framing hammer you use looks to be about 20 inches. Maybe it's 24" for 24" walls 6. you were showing how you pull out a nail by catching it with the claw and jerking it back towards your body. Besides jamming your wrist and arms . I was an apprentice for a master carpenter who showed me the right way. You hook the nail tight in the narrowest part of v shaped channel of the claw, but you rock it back and forth sideways keeping the head on the surface and it rocks it out easily even from a knot. If you pull nails like that with a wooden hammer it won't last long.. 7. The new feature to hold the nail has probably bee around for 50 years, and it's not meant to set nails when your framing. I can't even comprehend someone loading that thing for every nail he pounded. Think that would double you time framing a house. That feature is for starting a nail where you can't hold it with your other hand. Plus I don't think anyone using it all the time is gonna be an inch or two off most of the time. So you have a wall with nails that aren't exactly in the center of the stud 90 % of the. That makes for unacceptable structural integrity. I wouldn't live in that house. And why are you talking to us like we're retarded or something? I have serious doubts as to your integrity as a carpenter, or even more a Contractor. Be direct and to the point. Don't try drag it out with useless fluff to fill time. It makes you sound like you have no knowledge of the subject whatsoever.
I saw nail holders on 1990 German brick hammers . Scutch on one end nail holder with waffle texture working in London in the 90s when all the brickies came back from rebuilding east Germany .
Been watching the larry haun building videos lately - such a legend in framing - I’ve noticed he always black taped his hickory handles from the hammer head down at least 4 inches - any clue why he did that ? What benefit would that offer ?!
In my late father in law is an old hammer with a small spring loaded steel ball and a grove cut into the top of the head to hold a nail is you can set the nail one handed. this hammer is over 80 years old at least and is functional. Who knew? Very good video. Thanks.
I always thought that was a sight like on a gun lol it always fails when u pull the trigger and smash ur self in the face loooool great video Vince my dad has that exact hammer but he paints everything green so no one can steal it
It's nice to see someone use a hammer for once. Usually I see a carpenter use a pneumatic nailer and shoot 30 nails in a board in under 5 seconds. It reminds me of Rambo.
Another uncommon feature I've seen... I have a Craftsman hammer that's probably 20 years old, or more. Unfortunately, I can't find it right now, I think someone borrowed it and didn't return it. Anyways, I think it's 16-ounce or 18-ounce. It has an all wood handle, but it has a steel sleeve covering (protecting) the handle near the head of the hammer. This is where the uncommon feature comes in. On one of the hammers claws, it has a tapered v-groove cut into the end (tip) of the claw. This can be used to pull nails when space is limited. I've seen the magnetic nail starter feature on some hammers, but I don't own one of them.
I’m no carpenter , but my default hammer is a 6oz Crosspien , with a sawn off handle , I pull nails with pincers , anything I cant pull I cut off , and set , I also have a couple Ti Stilletto prybars .
I've got both of those hammers that you are talking about here. My Vaughan is my newer hammer that I used in the garage door business. When I was in the concrete business I purchased an Estwing and it is also a great hammer.
Good video like always,I am not a carpenter by any stretch of the imagination but about a year and some change ago I decided to help other folks out here in the Island after hurricane Maria and like a couple of weeks before the storm I had gone and picked some tools at HD for a small demolition and one was a nice pry bar and the other was that Husky hammer you are showing here today glad I bought them,that is one very decent hammer for the money,it helped me a lot after the storm.
Not sure what kind it is... There’s no name or manufacturer’s mark that I can see... I took a picture of it but the comments don’t appear to want to allow me to ‘post a picture here on...
