Hammers

Woodworking hammers, other hammers and their many uses

Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer, beginning woodworker or a machinist, Sears sells a wide variety of hammers and other tools for woodworking and DIY projects and for machinists. Unless you are a tools expert, it can be a challenge to decide which ones you need for your tool chest. So Sears is here to help.

Before you start comparing hammers, make sure you know the different component. The head is the top section of the hammer, typically made out of a hard metal or rubber. On the front of the head, fittingly, is the face; this is the portion you use to strike a nail. The hammer's eye is where the head and handle meet. Like the head, the handle can be made out of several types of materials. The shorter the handle, the more control you have over it. The longer the handle, the more power you have when it comes to striking the head against a surface.

If you only purchase one hammer for woodworking and DIY projects, you need to select the claw hammer. It has a claw, or a split and curved section on the back of the head, to help you extract nails. Many of the claw hammers Sears sells are made by Craftsman, America's most trusted brand. A customer-preferred claw hammer from Craftsman is the 16 oz. with a synthetic rubber grip on the handle.

A ball-peen hammer is probably the No. 1 hammer for a machinist. Used to bend and shape metal, they come with graphite or wooden handles. Some are light, at about 4 oz., and others are true heavyweights at 32 oz. So that you have the right weight for the job, purchase the five-piece set from Craftsman. The set includes one 8-, 12-, 16-, 24- and 32-oz. ball-peen hammer. It has a plug shock-absorbing core to reduce vibration and shock transfer to your hands.

A rubber mallet is a must-have when you're assembling a piece while woodworking. Where a hammer will quickly wreck the face of a piece, a rubber mallet won't mar the wood's surface. Since you sometimes need a mallet for other surfaces, check out Craftman's soft face hammer with four tips. Use the brown face for delicate surfaces, the red face for soft to medium surfaces, the black for durable surfaces and the yellow for hard surfaces. That's four mallets for the price of one!

To tackle big demo jobs or to drive pins, stakes and wedges, use a sledgehammer. We offer a number of weights and brands, including Stanley. An engineer's hammer (also known as a baby sledge or drilling hammer) is also helpful for heavy hammering or demo work. Whether you're tackling a DIY or woodworking project or you're a machinist who needs his own gear, Sears has tools you need: woodworking table saws, woodworking tools sets and woodworking chisels, just to name a few.