255 



centre of the handle, as shown at the beetle, Fig. 117; and the 

 widest way of the handle should be in the direction from one face 

 of the sledge to the other. 



334. "When a workman attempts to drive a post, for example, 

 with such a hammer, which has a round handle, if he is not skill 

 ful in using such a tool, he will not be able to strike true, and will 

 split half the posts which he undertakes to drive. When the. 

 handle is round, such a hammer may turn one-fourth of the way 

 around in the hands ; and unless the workman can see the face of 

 the hammer, he will not be able to tell whether he is going to 

 strike with a corner or side, or with the face of the hammer. But 

 if the handle be of an oval form, and the hilt oval, the perception 

 of the hand will determine, very correctly, whether the face is in 

 the proper position for striking a square blow or not. Such 

 handles are almost always made round ; and we often see laborers 

 strike, many times, a half-dozen blows, without starting a post at 

 all, simply because they do not strike true and straight ; and they 

 will strike with a corner of the sledge, when it will fly over 

 and over in their hands, and they will be obliged to give it up 

 with the exclamation, " It can't ~be driven!" when the fault is partly 

 in the tool, and partly in the workman. 



335. When a skillful laborer attempts to drive a post with such 

 a hammer, he will set the sledge on the end of the post, on the 

 face, square, and at once calculate how far to drop the hand that 

 holds the hilt, in order to have the hammer strike square ; and he 

 will grasp the hilt of the handle firmly to prevent the sledge from 

 striking on one corner; and every blow, when the face strikes 

 square, will crack as sharply as the report of a cut rifle. But 

 when an awkward, unskillful Jonathan attempts to drive a post 

 with a hammer having a round handle, his blows sound as dull as 

 if he struck a post of India-rubber ; and he will hammer the end 

 of a post all to slivers, before it is half driven into the ground. 

 Let the farmer bear in mind, that in order to have the blows of a 

 hammer most effective, the face must strike square against the 

 substance to be driven. When striking heavy blows, he should 

 observe how he holds the handle when he strikes an effective blow, 



