The Hammer

The Hammer

The oldest tool on the wall: a stone held in the hand, then a stone tied to a stick.

Bronze and iron. Metal heads, wooden handles. Roman carpenters already used a claw to pull nails.

1840. David Maydole, a blacksmith in Norwich, New York, forges a hammer with a deep, tapered eye so the head stops flying off the handle. The modern claw hammer is born.

The framing hammer. Heavier, longer, a milled face that grips the nail. A good framer drives a 16d nail in two or three blows.

1950s. The pneumatic nailer arrives on job sites; a crew frames a house in days.

Today. Titanium heads, anti-vibration handles, cordless nailers. The hammer is still in every tool belt, because something always needs a tap.

Try it. Three hammers, one board. Which drives straightest? Why?

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