CHAPTER XXIII 

 COMMON HAND-TOOLS 



305. Kinds of Hammers. Among the hand-tools there 

 are a number of hammers that are common to most trades. 

 Therefore it is necessary to know the principles underlying 

 their construction and use. 



The small end of the hammer is called a peen, and "to 

 peen" means to hammer lightly with the small end. Ham- 

 mers are made of tool steel and tempered 

 very hard on each end, the eye being left 

 soft. The neck of the hammer handle is 

 made small so that it will spring a little 

 under the shock of the blow. The spring 

 makes it less tiresome to use. The face of 

 the hammer is made slightly crowning or 

 rounding. 



The claw hammer (Fig. 122) used prin- 

 cipally for driving nails, is probably the 

 most commonly used tool. It is based 

 upon the principle of the lever. The 

 hammer should not be grasped near the 

 head but at the end of the handle, so that 

 the greatest leverage may be utilized. To 

 deliver a free, accurate blow, the wrist should 

 be kept up so that the handle is horizontal 

 when the blow falls. Claw hammers are graded by the weight of 

 the head ; the ordinary claw hammer weighs from ^ to 1% Ibs. 



262 



FIG. 122. Claw 

 Hammer. 



