Hammer? - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

chris klee · 02-06-2008, 06:42 PM

i need a new hammer. right now i have a dead on 21oz hammer. its been a great hammer but the claw broke off it pulling a cut nail. the waffle face wore off kind of fast.

I have been looking at these Douglas hammers. any one have any experiance with them?
my biggest gripe was that my hammer got rusty cause it will sit in my truck for upto a couple weeks at a time. i read the douglas ones are sainless.

just to add: i dont need a ti hammer. too much $ for me as i dont frame all day everyday.

FramingFanatic · 02-06-2008, 06:48 PM

I have all kinds of friends who swear by douglas hammers. And ive never seen a rusty one.

TrimmanVa · 02-06-2008, 06:59 PM

I allways used eswing until my tool guy turned me onto the douglas. I have to say its the best hammer ive swung.

HallisseyDesign · 02-07-2008, 09:39 AM

If you want to get a great hammer I have the stiletto full titanium and let me tell ya it is very nice and light. I love it, but it is pricey.

A W Smith · 02-07-2008, 10:36 AM

back years ago. old carpenters used to bit** at us for buying fiberglass handle plumbs when they used wooden handles. I pretty much rotate between a 22 oz plumb for rough work, a 20 oz craftsman steel shank (estwing) for finish work, and a estwing drywall hatchet for vinyl siding, wood shingle siding, roofing and of course drywall when I'm not using the senco screw gun. I have to laugh i was working with another contractor "Bob' about six or seven years ago about the time Home Depot was pushing those "robo hammers" he loved the darn thing asked me to try it. it felt like i had a bent butchers clever in my hand and i threw it back to him telling him what a retard he was. Then he says OHH your right handed thats why! This is a left handed hammer. you need the right handed one.

MattCoops · 02-07-2008, 10:43 AM

A problem with a rusty nail breaking your curved claw, hugh?

There's a problem with your fulcrum (it's in your kids science book, look it up)

You may want to consider a straight claw, "rippagh" hammer, as they say in chelmsford, ma.

XanadooLTD · 02-07-2008, 10:43 AM

Only complaint is that i got ripped off by Douglas Tool. If you can get a Doglas hammer though they are nice. Best hammer i have ever tried. Titanium hammers just don't feel right to me. www.douglastool.com

A W Smith · 02-07-2008, 11:05 AM

Ive had this 22 oz plumb hammer for twenty eight years now, I also had a long handle version of this but the bond separated from the head after two days of pounding concrete nails into a slab , I wish I could find that version again today.

Had the craftsman 20 oz version of this one for thirty three years, except mine has a sears craftsman black rubber handle

and this 11oz one i just replaced two years ago because i broke part of the blade at the nail notch, By that time the blade was rounded to a curve from lifting shingles and the checkerhead was almost smooth.

I also have a 16 OZ craftsman curved claw fiberglass handle hammer that I only used for the first five years or so back in 75, its in the wifes household tool kit now.

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 02:18 PM

I'm in love with my Stiletto. Well worth the $89.00.

It's only twice the price of a standard high quality hammer.

My arm and waist are worth the extra $45.00.

Think of it as 2 or 3 hours work extra to get the best hammer around.

But if you must have a less than the best hammer,
you can't go wrong with Estwing.

I'm in the process of my trying to replenish the involuntarily released hammers (aka, stolen).

For Framing and General Carpentry?
The Stiletto MC-16oz Titanium with 18" curved handle.

Demo Work?
I will be getting another Estwing 30oz solid steel hammer or their 28oz Builder's Hammer.

Roofing?
What else...a Roofer's Shingler's Hatchet (27oz) by Estwing.

Finish work?
I'm looking at a Stiletto 10oz smooth face or possibly a Hart (now American Eagle by Dead-On...although I believe and hope their still made by Hart Factories) Finish Hammer. I may even go with 16 oz Estwing Leather Handle.

All claw (except for the finish hammer and the shingling hatchet).

The first time I used a Stiletto on a job, it was like picking up a pneumatic roofing gun...magic. It's intuitive. I just drives the nail so much harder, so much faster. If you were to get one, you would "not" be dissappointed.

It's a work of art.

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 02:39 PM

Pros VS Cons of Titanium Hammers:

http://www.contractortalk.com/showth...hlight=hammers

A W Smith · 02-07-2008, 02:44 PM

that looks like a knock off of a hart from years ago, basically a new head but with an axe or hatchet handle.

A 27oz shingle hatchet? is that a typo? why in the world would you need such a heavy hammer for roofing? I worked with a guy years ago who used a drywall hatchet. This guy Nick would fly. He would hand nail 25 square a day by himself, His technique would be to make the hatchet bounce.

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 03:54 PM

[quote=A W Smith;373211]

Quote:

that looks like a knock off of a hart from years ago, basically a new head but with an axe or hatchet handle.

Too bad Hart went out and was bought by Dead On. I always wanted to buy one.

Quote:

A 27oz shingle hatchet? is that a typo? why in the world would you need such a heavy hammer for roofing? I worked with a guy years ago who used a drywall hatchet. This guy Nick would fly. He would hand nail 25 square a day by himself, His technique would be to make the hatchet bounce.

No typo...the head is not 27oz...it's a solid steel hammer. The whole hammer weighs 27oz.

SHINGLING HATCHET
Estwing E3-S

http://www.abccatalog.com/store/view...uct=3413962161

I worked with a guy who used a drywall hammer to nail shingles...
he had to swing his hammer with more of his own strength
to make up for the less weight in his hammer than I had to
and he had to swing it way more than me.

He sounded like he had a pneumatic jack hammer.

Me? Tap-Bang! was all you heard. One tap to set the nail followed by a bang all within one second.

Unlike a framing hammer with a wood handle, the weight isn't in the head.

Why 27oz for me?

Makes less work.

It's easier to let the hammer drop to sink a roofing nail than to have to physically push the nail in with the hammer.

I spend more work in lifting the hammer (which is easier than sending the hammer).
Once it's up, I just aim & drop it and the hammer does the work.

Most roofing hatchets are in the high teens to 20's in ounces.

Their also shorter handled.

Because of the angle at which a roofer is working,
there is not as much room as there is when framing or doing carpentry work.
We can't swing the hammer much farther than a 12 inch span where as in Carpentry work,
one can double that swing span.

neolitic · 02-07-2008, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A W Smith

... I worked with a guy years ago who used a drywall hatchet. This guy Nick would fly. He would hand nail 25 square a day by himself, His technique would be to make the hatchet bounce.

Best roofer I ever had, Charlie.
Only worked alone, put down 20 -25
squares up to 6 pitch.
Slowed a bit as it got steeper
than that.
Just used a 16 oz hammer, but it never stopped!
Drive you nuts working under him.....
bam-tap-tap-bam-tap-tap-bam....
Only stopped when he was ripping
a new bundle.

A W Smith · 02-07-2008, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndGen

Me? Tap-Bang! was all you heard. One tap to set the nail followed by a bang all within one second.

.

thats what I learned from Nick and his drywall hatchet. tap bang. tap bang, tap bang. Not with the arm but a snap of the wrist. the arm takes too much time to move. But because of nerve damage in my left hand middle and index finger I had difficulty feeding the nails knuckles down through those two fingers so I never had half the speed Nick had. I was always fumbling or dropping nails. but that was in the late seventies early eighties. Now of course with the nail guns it's not an issue. but I still throw my 11 oz drywall hatchet in my loop when I'm on a roof.

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 04:14 PM

Conservativly speaking, a Roofer will swing a hammer about 24,000 times in a day (about 1,000 times per square).

That's why we have big forearms.

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 04:22 PM

[quote=A W Smith;373265]

Quote:

thats what I learned from Nick and his drywall hatchet. tap bang. tap bang, tap bang. Not with the arm but a snap of the wrist. the arm takes too much time to move.

Exactly. We use the wrist, not the arm. No room up on a roof to swing your arm when you're hunched over.

I used to use 16oz hammers, but had to use a 20oz once and loved it. Less work again. Then, it progressed. Once I used a roofing hatchet (with face that is angled to hit the roof flat when it is held in the bent over position by a roofer, less nails bent [actually, no more missed or bent nails]), I was sold.

Also, there are other considerations that determine speed on a roof (nail sizes, 1 1/4" -1 3/4", going over existing shingles as opposed to new work over just decking with underlayment, thickness of wood such as "hard" 3/4" tongue & groove board VS "easy" 1/2" plywood, etc...).

Quote:

Now of course with the nail guns it's not an issue. but I still throw my 11 oz drywall hatchet in my loop when I'm on a roof.

Amen!

I keep my shingling hatchet just to sink in nails that stand proud and am good for about 5 squares an hour consistently under the right conditions.

Best ever? 4.5 squares in 20 minutes. How? I was angry at some of my young guys who said that they couldn't do it in 2 hours.

A W Smith · 02-07-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndGen

That's why we have big forearms.

your swinging with both arms? or are the nails that heavy?

2ndGen · 02-07-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A W Smith

your swinging with both arms? or are the nails that heavy?

I'm tempted to answer that question with offering another "usage" for my left arm

, but no. Roofing is a very forearm intensive work, from cutting to movement to placement. The left arm passes the shingles and again, because of the limited use of space, it's all short brief bursts of movement.

chris klee · 02-07-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattCoops

A problem with a rusty nail breaking your curved claw, hugh?

There's a problem with your fulcrum (it's in your kids science book, look it up)

You may want to consider a straight claw, "rippagh" hammer, as they say in chelmsford, ma.

umm, no. if you would have read my post. the straight claw broke while prying 2 2x4's apart.

i like the stilleto. my framer has one. i thought they were 200 or so.

thanks for the replies so far. good info

2ndGen · 02-08-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris klee

umm, no. if you would have read my post. the straight claw broke while prying 2 2x4's apart.

i like the stilleto. my framer has one. i thought they were 200 or so.

thanks for the replies so far. good info

There are some that are $200., in fact, Dead On has a nice piece they sell at $300.

But trust me, bite the bullet, drop the $90. bucks (+ tax), try it out.

Or maybe you can borrow your framer's for a couple of swings.

It will be life changing. You won't believe how it sinks a nail.

Your first thought after you sink a nail in with a Stilleto will be "that's it?"

Your next thought will be "How do I get one!"

All of a sudden, $90. won't be so much after all.

I have the 16oz because I wanted their heaviest one, but the 14oz weigh noticably less. For some reason, those 2oz can be felt.

I might get the 14 oz (which is identical to the 16oz) if it can't perform like the 16oz can.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE A 16oz HAMMER AND I LIKE IT!

I was up to 30oz (Estwing) by the time I was 22 and cosidered anything less than 20+oz whimpy.

Good luck with your decision.