Setting hammer

Having decided I wanted to make a setting hammer I looked at the availability of this type of tool and decided on a complete new design. This hammer has been built from the ground up.

The head weighs just below 6 oz and the overall length is 8" (which is quite short - a long handle is wrong). The head is balanced with two Boxwood or Lignum Vitae impact pads, (I see no need for hitting with a brass head). A pet hate is heads that work loose and on occasion come off, this hammer has a stainless steel cylindrical head with an integral threaded 8 x 1.2mm nose at each end to receive the impact pads. The head incorporates a 10 x .75mm nose for the hammer shaft neck.

The neck is one of three parts of the stainless steel shaft. A hexagon bar threaded at both ends connects between the neck and the retaining T-nut at the end of the handle sleeve. The handle sleeve has been bored to accommodate these components and broached for the hexagon centre. The junction between the neck shoulder and handle sleeve is protected by a stainless steel ferrel.

The T-nut is thread locked to the end of the hexagon bar so rotating the handle will tighten the neck assembly, eliminating the need for any driving recess in the head of the T-nut. With no recess in the nut head it is free for my logo.

The handle sleeve is in Boxwood only with a nice range of natural colouration. Some sleeves are honey coloured with interesting grain contrast and some the traditional yellow. All metal components are made in-house from solid 316 stainless steel bar.

The setting hammer is a very rigid structure, extremely comfortable to hold and is well balanced with its short traditionally contoured handle. It is much easier to aim or hit without the unnecessary long handle and it feels right in the hand with lots of feedback.

I have spent years using hammers and picking this one up seems so natural. I love it.

Setting hammer - Handle sleves in production.

Setting hammer - Components.

Setting hammer - Handle sleeve in final stages and finish.

Setting hammer - These are the ferrels.

Setting hammer - The neck - fore end of the shaft.

Setting hammer - Boxwood and Lignum Vitae impact pads near completion.

Setting hammer - The hexagon centre shaft.

Setting hammer - Turning the contour on to the impact pad.

Setting hammer - Components.

Setting hammer - Finished hammer with Lignum Vitae pads and smoky boxwood handle.

Setting hammer - Turning the waist on the hammer neck.

Setting hammer - These are the T nuts.