Tried a friend’s titanium hammer over the weekend and woke up today with the same pain I used to get when I was swinging the old Estwing. I usualle use a 20 oz Douglas with a wood handle.
This afternoon I ran into my first boss and he laughed at me. When hhe was a kid most carpenters used 16oz curved claw hammers. [Pre-nailgun era] Most guys back then used to get same type of problem so Plumb came out with the 20oz. Seemed funny to him that things have now come full circle and we are back to the lighter hammers again.
The lighter the hammer the more recoil gets sent up the arm he said. I think he may be right. I hate to admit it but since I have known him he is usually right.
Has anyone else had problems with the lighter hammers?
Replies
I've used the Stiletto TiBone hammer for 3 1/2 years now and love it. It is 15oz and there is total dead blow. I can pound on mudsill and not get any noticable vibration in my arm. I love these things.
I got the estwing antivibe 16 and 22oz
the 16 has been definately taken a lickin and is still tickin.
Course doesn't matter what type, every once in a while they still seem to find their way to your thumb----my sixteen did a couple weeks ago! ouch!
When in doubt, get a bigger hammer!
"The lighter the hammer the more recoil gets sent up the arm he said."
Seems like one of the hammer manufacturers would come up with a hybrid that combines the virtues of a lightweight framing hammer and a shot-filled deadblow mallet (little or no recoil).
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
It is more the handle material and shape that causes epicondilitis than the weight of the hammer. Metal or Fibreglas¯ handles transmit too much vibration to the epicondal tendon and result in inflammation. Wood handles transmit much less vibration. Axe-handle types require less hand strength to hang onto (because of the flared bottom) and thus are kinder on the tendons and muscles, too.
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
62800.5 in reply to 62800.1
Mr. Saur,
At what period did the (I'll presume B.C.) did the epicondilitis roam the earth?
Edited 9/6/2005 10:42 pm ET by TRIGGER
Mr. Saur,
At what period did the (I'll presume B.C.) did the epicondilitis roam the earth?
Shortly after the appearance of the tennis racquet.
(Epicondilitis is the term for the injury commonly called 'tennis elbow'. Safer to use that term when yer diagnosing a 255-lb framer who thinks tennis is nothin' but uppity ping-pong....)
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
And the wrap for a tennis racket handle... On you hammer handle, no matter what type of hammer or handle... Is one of the best defenses against that prehysterical condition.=0)
Are we there yet ?
... Is one of the best defenses against that prehysterical condition.
"Prehysterical"?? Who you callin' Prehysterical?? Why, I oughta....
Harumphphph. Well, at least ya didn't accuse me of bein' premenstrual....
;-)>
PS--use hockey tape as an overwrap 'cause tennis racquet wraps can't take the abuse ....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
I have a 16 oz smooth face & a 20 oz waffle face (both Craftsman - don't laugh). I love the 20 oz. I rarely hit my thumb or bend a nail - even when driving through a knot (unless I'm really not paying attention - usually at the end of the day). When I was using the 16 oz hammer, my arm felt worn out after a couple of hours, plus I was always pulling out bent over nails & sucking on my fingers.
Don't know if its the weight or the waffle face that made the difference. Both had the same fiberglass handle.
Reading this thread got me to thinkin'.
32 years ago, my very first hammer was a Stanley Steelmaster 16 oz, metal handle with a rubber grip, rip claw.
I have tried/used about everything since, mostly Vaughn wood from their 10 oz to the 32 oz.
Never have I tried any of the new lightweight hammers.
Tried axe handles, never made peace with them.
Don't frame all the time anymore, but I use a 24 oz Vaughn when I do, can still start and set one smack after I warm up.
Most of the time, tho, I now use....my original 16 oz Stanley.
And my prehistoric elbow came from carrying sheet goods.
The heck, you say?
The waffle face helps a lot, because it grabs the nail head better and so has less tendency to slide off sideways if you don't connect perfectly square to the nail when you swing.
Smooth-faced hammers are intended for finish work where hammer marks are unacceptable, and so usually have a belled face so the last shot sinks the nail flush without the hammer face actually touching the work. But if you don't strike dead flat and square to the nail, the head slips off and/or bends the nail over.
Roughing up the smooth face with some 36 grit emery cloth can help some....
And there's no point in laughing at the Craftsman brand, as Sears doesn't manufacture it themselves. It could be a Vaughan, Estwing, or other major brand with a Crapsman sticker on the handle. So, if you like the hammer, wrap some hockey tape over the sticker so the snobs on the jobsite won't snicker atcha, LOL....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
Thanks for the post. I always thought that my arm went donwhill after I stopped using a wood handled rig axe to frame with."A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel." Robert Frost
All I can add to this is that I hit my finger with my Vaughn California Framer yesterday and it friggin' hurt.
Just had to share that, thanks.
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
My first hammer was a 32oz. waffle faced Vaughn. Bigger is better, right? They became illegal due to injuries to the wrist. (that might be a myth). Now called carpal tunnel.
At any rate. My brother was laughing at me one day as I was nailing off a piece of sub floor, pulling one nail at a time out of my brand new bags and using my whole upper body to hit (or miss) the nail.
Learning how to grab some nails and quickly get all the heads up along with pivoting the hammer blow at the wrist instead of your right boob is still one of the best things I've ever learned. BTW 21oz. California Framer is all I can afford now.
Jack
Am I weird or dose anyone else get a good feeling when your hammer falls into the loop on your bags the first time every time .
You're not wierd, that feeling of hitting the loop, and doing it every time without conscious thought is definitely a good feeling. I'm not in the trades, so I just wore out (aftger something over a decade) my first tool belt. Fact is, though, I didn't actually wear it out. It has leather loops rather than one of those steel hammer holders. The right hand loop got so worn that it wouldn't hold any kind of shape on its own, when I missed the loop 20' up a ladder, I knew it was time for a new belt and bags.
All of which gives me an idea for a thread.
Right Freeking On Man!
buildingbill,
What kind of handle did it have? I use a wooden axe handle one and it really is wonderfull for my old bones.. I used to use a 20 oz Vaughn but developed tennis eldow, switched to the titainium and the pain went away.. less weight to swing wooden handle to aborb the blow and axe handle to ease the grip required..
It was a T-Bone with the metal handle.
There's the trouble buildingbill,
A metal handle is really stiff and transmits shock back to you,, that's why I selected a wooden handle.
I bought a stilleto at the first show I saw them at. I had been having elbow problems and they pretty well went away. I love the thing.
The trick I was taught years ago for finger protection is to hold the nail with your fingers up near the head, never down against the wood. That way if you miss, the hammer tends to push your fingers out of the way rather than smashing them against the wood. Not a perfect solution, but often helps a lot.
-- J.S.
Just bought a stiletto titanuim wood handle hammer 14oz. have'nt had tha chance to realy use it that much to comment on it. after doing some siding last year with a 20oz steel stanley , the first day my arm and elbow were feeling it. later i bought a 16oz steel for siding. got a little better. we'll see how the titanium thing goes. so far it feels great.