Experience the Life
: Tools
: Hammers
Hammers have been used for thousand of years to drive nails and
wooden pins, to pound together wooden parts, and to position fittings
like barrel hoops. Eighteenth-century toolmakers produced many
types of hammers.
Claw hammers were common. Like many hammers, they were dual-purpose tools.
The face was used to drive nails, while the claw was used to pull them.
The peens of riveting hammers were used to spread the ends of
rivets or to drive brads in tight spaces.
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Coopers' adzes had an
adze blade on one side and a hammer head for driving hoops on the other.
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Shipbuilders' pin mauls were used to drive and countersink spikes
and wooden pins.
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Upholsters' hammers had long heads and claws for driving and pulling
tacks in hard-to-reach places.
Lathing hammers had a blade for splitting and cutting lath (wooden
strips over which plaster was laid) and a hammer for nailing it
into place.
Mallets and Clubs: Wooden hammers were used to strike tools such as
froes, wedges, or chisels that would be damaged if hit
with a metal hammer. They also were used to drive wooden joints together. Small
wooden hammers were called mallets. Larger ones were called clubs, mauls, or
beetles.
Specialized hammers of many types were made for particular jobs.
Different sizes and designs suited them for tasks ranging from
delicately driving in brads to secure small moldings to pounding
home the large wooden pegs used to hold together building and
ship frames.
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Historic Triangle