117
THE PRO'S
ADVICE
MAKE YOUR HAMMERSWORK HARDER
JOHN DAVIES
CARPENTER
GRIP AND STANCE
Hold the handle near to the end of the grip so that your little finger rests
up against the ‘hook’ shape at the extremity of the handle; this will
enable you to maintain a secure grip without having to use all the
strength in your hand to hold on. For best performance a right-handed
user should place the left foot forward and the right foot set back a little
and at right angles to the left. Move the position of your feet to adjust
the height of your shoulders; ideally you need to be striking the head of
the nail horizontally. If your right hand is too low you will tend to bend
the nail away from you and if too high it will bend towards you.
HOLD THE NAIL UNTIL FIRMLY SET
Position the nail and while still holding it in place tap it a few times to
set it firmly into the wood, at least 12mm for a 75mm nail, then raise the
hammer a little higher and strike more firmly until the nail is flush.
WITHDRAWING A NAIL
This can be done with a claw hammer in two ways; either by hooking the
nail head into the claw of the hammer or by making the claws bite into
the shank of the nail. If you are pulling a long nail it is best to engage the
nail as near to the point where it enters the wood, place a piece of waste
material under the front curve of the head to avoid damaging the wood,
then lever toward you gently, avoid jerking on the handle. As the nail
emerges either reposition the claw lower down the shaft or insert a
thicker piece of scrap to ensure that you continue to pull the nail
vertically.
FINISHED TRIM OR BENCH WORK
Take care not to damage the surface by over hitting the nail. Use a
Stanley Nail Set to drive pointed head panel pins flush or even below the
surface. The countersunk pin can then be filled for a perfect, invisible
fixing.
SMALL PANEL PINS
Small panel pins are hard to hold in
place when starting. To make it easier
press the pin through a piece of
cardboard, hold it in position with
your fingers a safe distance away and
then tap the pin in place removing
the card at the last minute. There are
many other devices both commercial
and improvised that will serve the
same purpose.
SAFETY
• Never strike anything with the cheeks of the hammer head,
because they are not hardened
• For hardened masonry nails use a club hammer and never a normal nail
hammer
• Use a club hammer for striking cold chisels and always wear safety
goggles and gloves
• When striking cold chisels or punches the hammer head should be at
least 10mm larger than the area to be struck
• With a new hammer it’s a good idea to remove the protective lacquer
on the striking face with medium grit glass paper in order to reduce the
risk of the hammer slipping off the nail head
