Making a hammer handle at home. Machinist's Hammer and Company - the whole truth about hammers! Types of hammers - functional differences

In this article we will show you how to create a creative hand-shaped hammer handle.

Hello!

This time I came across an old Soviet hammer without a handle, which had been lying around idle in my workshop for a long time.

The Internet is full of pictures with the anatomical structure of bones. We choose a more informative and simple drawing, estimate the dimensions of the hammer and approximate size bones and cut the reinforcement.

In my work I took 12 mm as a basis. round fittings for the handle and 10 mm. for fingers.

The only tools I needed were:

• welding machine.

I used a semi-automatic device, but an inverter for the RDS, which may well be in yours, will also work well here!

The workflow is quite simple, so instead of tons of text, I'll just go through the chapters and mark the process in the photo.

I did all the sampling of the excess on the bones using a grinder's grinding wheel.

For the hammer I made it from 2 pieces of reinforcement. The photo shows that I marked the length of the handle + the segment on which I will subsequently weld the bones + seat under the hammer itself.

I also betrayed the relief of the handle welding machine and tapping a little, it turned out to be a kind of handle for a hammer in garage conditions.

And now when all the individual parts are ready: hammer, fingers, handle; We start assembling and welding.

After the hammer was ready, I decided to oxidize it a little and rust it - so to speak, to give it some atmosphere to the work.
I doused the hammer with water from a sprayer, which made the hammer darken and give it a more interesting look.

Well, you can see the result and the complete process in the video!

Sometimes it happens that the usual appearance of instruments quickly becomes boring and is in no way original, since it does not stand out from the others in any way, which, as usual, looks dull and does not cause any delight. That is why the idea of ​​​​creating a carved hammer handle was undertaken, and I will tell you how the author made it in this article. Before moving on to the process of making a carved handle, you need to decide on the choice of tool, namely in this case a hammer, since it is very popular in the workplace of every homemaker.

In order to make a carved pen with your own hands, we will need:
* The hammer itself has a wooden handle, ordinary, standard, in this case 600 grams.
* Wood cutters.
* Stationery knife.
* Drill with grinding attachments.
* Varnish for wooden products.
* Pencil.

Once you are sure that all the details are there, you can begin the creative process.

Step one.
Armed with a pencil, draw the pattern that you want to see on your handle, in this case it is a diamond-shaped pattern that looks quite original and tasteful.

After all the markings are ready, you can start cutting out the template, the so-called removal of the first layer, we do this using a stationery knife, precisely cutting out a part of the wood along the lines. When working with sharp tools, be careful and also do not forget about safety measures; for this, it is better to protect your hands with gloves. In the process of cutting out patterns, for more precise processing of the ends, it is better to cut them with more force so as not to leave burrs.

Step two.
Next, we use cutters designed for carving in wood, with the help of them you will get a deeper place in the patterns, which will give them greater clarity and will look more impressive than a shallow groove. Chinese-made cutters cannot boast of high reliability and resistance to stress, therefore, during the cutting process, their blades broke several times, so be on alert, and also work with them carefully, since during processing there is a risk of driving the blade into your hand, which is not pleasant outcome of events. After the final work with cutters, the result was something similar to diamonds.

Step three.
The patterns are refined using a drill and a grinding attachment; after this processing process, the handle takes on a more beautiful aesthetic appearance, as well as smooth corners.

When the work with the drill is completed, we make the surface smooth with sandpaper, which must be used to clean all sides of the handle.

Step four.
For greater convenience, the decision was made to make a hole in the handle to place the hammer on a shelf or hang it on a nail next to other tools. We do this using a drill installed in a screwdriver, then we grind this hole and enlarge it with a drill.

Step five.
The final stage is to coat the surface of our carved hammer with a preliminary decorative layer, then varnish it in several layers.

Think you know everything about hammers? What could be simpler - handle, striking part, hammer, and rejoice! There really is nothing complicated in their design, but you can get confused in the varieties. Locksmith's hammer, nail puller, with or without a striker, pickaxes - it's time to learn the whole truth about hammers!

Types of hammers - functional differences

Hammer - ancient instrument, and we can only guess for what purposes the ancient people used it. But today it is a construction tool, without which not a single repair or construction project can be completed. It’s still possible without a nail, but without a hammer it won’t work! Its design is designed to increase the force of a person’s blow by several times and concentrate this force into one point - a person faces this need in almost every area where it is necessary to use force.

By functional purpose These tools are divided into claw hammers, picks and hammers with strikers. Nail pullers are especially useful in household- this way you can not only hammer a nail, but also, if necessary, pull it out. The peculiarity of the design is that on the reverse side there are two arches bent inwards, which are convenient for hooking the nail head. These hammers are especially popular among carpenters and builders. Hammers with strikers are mainly used for carpentry work, but sometimes tilers also need them. The shape of the strikers can be very different: square, round, narrow and wide, and so on.

The mason's and tiler's hammer is a hammer with a flattened reverse side, which is easy to deliver cutting blows. With their help, you can split stones, remove excess brick or hardened concrete from the surface. Hatchet hammers are similar in design, the reverse side of the strikers is flattened and sharpened so that, if necessary, they can split or chop a thin object.

Much less common are types of hammers that do not bounce off the surface. These are used to work with sheet metal and products requiring high precision. The ability to prevent backward movement is provided by a cavity in the metal part of the hammer, which is filled half or three-quarters with metal shot. When the movement of the tool is directed towards the impact, the balls collect in the rear part of the cavity, while during the impact itself they move forward by inertia, almost completely outweighing the inertia of the rebound.

What kind of hammer can there be - a metalworker's hammer, a soft one, a mallet?

There are hundreds of hammers available in different shapes and sizes. If you highlight the main forms, you get this picture:

• Thanks to their tapered back, locksmith's hammers can hammer even the smallest nails. The material from which the working part is made is chrome vanadium steel. There are two types of machinist's hammer - one has the shape of a rectangle with a square head, the second is slightly convex, round in shape. By weight they are divided into 5 standard numbers. The first number weighs 200 grams, while the fifth weighs all 800. There are also specialized products weighing from 0.05 kg to 1 kg.
• “Soft” hammers are tools for hammering fragile materials. Typically, the strikers of such tools are made of aluminum, copper, rubber, polyurethane, nylon and wood. The most practical purchase will be a hammer with interchangeable heads, thanks to which you can perform a huge range of work.
• A hammer with a notch on the striker prevents the striker from sliding off the nail head when struck. Most often used in carpentry.
• The roofer's hammer is characterized by a special recess on the top of the striker in which nails can be secured different sizes. This simplifies the work when it is not possible to hold a nail with one hand and strike with a hammer with the other. The recess contains a small magnet that holds the nail when struck.
• A hammer with an addition on the back of the striking part in the form of a claw is the so-called claw hammer.
• A mallet hammer is most often used to hammer in chisels, so the material for its manufacture is the same type of wood from which the chisel handle is made. Essentially, a mallet is wooden hammer, often made from one piece of wood.
• Balda is a hammer for strong men! The history of the funny name has been lost for centuries, but the instrument itself does not face such a fate - it is necessary in almost every construction or serious repair. It looks like a huge hammer with a long thick handle and a large, heavy hammer, which is also called a sledgehammer. Usually such big guys are needed to break something, but it’s very difficult to hammer like that without damaging the material itself.

Let's buy the right hammer!

When going to purchase this tool, the most important thing is to decide on the size and weight of its working part. A striker that is too light will not provide the required impact force, and on the contrary, a striker that is too heavy will quickly wear you out during work. In addition, a heavy hammer can cause deep injury or accidentally damage the material itself.

When purchasing, also pay attention to the material from which the working part is made. The head should preferably be forged, hardened and tempered. Hardening is carried out by an increased cooling rate of the material, but such a material has high internal stress. To remove it, tempering is carried out - heating the product in an oven to a temperature of 150-250 ° C, followed by gradual cooling.

Although tempering somewhat reduces the hardening strength, in general, a product that has gone through these stages is much stronger than ordinary metal parts.

Handles in Lately are made from the most different materials: plastic, polyurethane, fiberglass. But a wooden handle, based on the centuries-old experience of craftsmen, remains the most popular material. Firstly, in wooden handle you can drive a peg, which significantly strengthens its adhesion to the striker. Secondly, you can make such a handle yourself if the old one breaks or becomes unusable for some other reason.

How to store and carry a hammer?

The hammer should always be at hand while working, but do not hold it constantly! For these purposes, there is a special belt with a convenient holder, which, however, can be made independently, from wire or a piece of leather. The point of the holder is that it allows the handle to pass through the hole, but the firing pin cannot. Thus, the instrument is placed on the belt with the handle down.

For easy storage of hammers and mallets, it is best to drill holes at the end of the handle(if it was not provided by the manufacturer) and make a stand with stuffed carnations convenient sizes. If you do not provide this instrument with a permanent “place of residence,” you can be sure that you will spend more than one minute looking for it at the most necessary moment.

Electric version – jackhammer

Although a jackhammer is strikingly different from its older “brother,” the principle of operation is the same - striking one point. It’s just that it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to hammer a nail with the hammer option, at least no one has tried it yet. Its main function is dismantling various surfaces, structures, punching openings and niches in walls, changing road surfaces and much more.

The tool is to some extent similar to an electric one, but a jackhammer has a more reliable and simplified design with increased impact force. The higher the force of the blows and their number, the better tool. The principle of operation of the bump stop is completely simple - inside the striker strikes the working part, which, after being thrown from the blow, returns to its original position. In addition to its destructive function, a jackhammer, with the help of various platform-type attachments, is capable of compacting the surface.

I made this hammer a couple of years ago. It was necessary because I had to tap each paving slabs. It softens the blows, something like rubber mallet. Only a hammer made of rubber does not last long. Since it is not made from rubber, as it should be, at least with the addition of it.

Of course, you can’t boast about the design, but nevertheless, the quality of this hammer is good.

The old mallet (pictured) has become unusable! The wood has already cracked and dried out from long use. It was urgently necessary to replace it with a new one. I drew a model of the future mallet on the computer, printed the picture on paper and got to work.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

For this project we will need several pieces of wood. This is a great opportunity to use unnecessary waste made of wood. Many of my friends don't give waste a chance to be useful, it just ends up either in the trash or burned like firewood.

I am not a master carpenter, but I think anyone can do this with a hammer.

You will need:

1. Saw;
2. Wood glue;
3. Some clamps

I used a circular saw. I think that it is the fastest way to cut pieces of wood. After cutting, take sandpaper and clean the sides.

Step 2: Cut it out

Everyone chooses the size of the mallet at their own discretion. This is not critical. Everyone can also design a hammer independently and to suit their own tastes.

I made my handle length 350mm. Handle width 40 mm. at one end and at the other 30 mm. This size can be achieved easily if you have a table saw. WITH hand saw It will be a little difficult, but everything is possible.

Step 3: Assembling

We place the handle exactly in the middle of one of the 120x90 mm pieces, so that 25 mm is from the thickest side of the end of the handle. It should protrude slightly from the overall head of the hammer. Now we glue all the cut pieces together (Visible in the photo). Don't forget to take out the hammer handle, it should not stick with the hammer.

Use clamps to secure the hammer for better gluing of all parts of the hammer. In places where glue has leaked, remove it. We also clean the glue in the hole where the hammer handle goes in. Before complete drying, you must leave our structure for at least 30 minutes. Somewhat reminiscent of the layers of a sandwich and the condiments oozing out of it. It will, of course, look terrible, but in the next stages magic will happen.

Step 4: Processing the Hammer

Now that you have the hammer (head) and everything is firmly glued together, it's time to make it even more beautiful. I made cuts on the hammer handle in order to cut out small indentations later. This will make it easier for the handle to lie in your hand, and then pleasant work with the mallet.

Let's take a pen and cut out the recesses mentioned above. We process the corners of the handle, making them more sloping (rounded). If your handle is too long, cut it off.

After the work has been done, insert the handle into the hammer.

Step 5: Trimming and Refinishing

Processing sandpaper all the irregularities on the handle, for more smooth surface and avoid future splinters in the hand. I drilled a hole at the end of the handle so that I could store it hanging in the future.

Step 6: Finished mallet hammer

If you want to glue the handle to your head, you can do so, but I didn’t do this, it’s not going anywhere for me anyway.

I look forward to your comments, dear friends!

V.A.VOLKOV. Dedicated to T.V. Cherkasova

Interceptions, Knocks. Changes. Breaks Interruptions Busts Overflows Thunders Rumble. Calls Scream. Murmur. Stomp. Whisper. Laughter...

A percussion tool is a tool that is used to strike during work, directly or through a stand-in tool. Hand percussion instruments include hammers, sledgehammers, and mallets.

A hammer is the most common tool. It is found in virtually every apartment and house. But precisely because of their necessity and versatility, there are many designs of hammers for a specific purpose: metalworking, carpentry, carpentry, etc.

Locksmith's hammers

They (Fig. 1) are the most widely produced. They are convenient for delivering blows for a variety of jobs: hammering, bending, flattening, etc.

Rice. 1. Bench hammers: a - with a round head; b - with a square striker

Bench hammers (Table 1) are produced with round (Fig. 1a) and square strikers (Fig. 16).

Table 1

Note. Hammer heads with a square striker are also manufactured with a mass of 50 and 100 g, respectively, with L 200 and 250 mm at H equal to 75 and 82 mm under No. 1 and 2.

Hammer No. 1 with a round striker is recommended for “delicate” work such as marking, wallpaper, etc., and hammers No. 2, 3, 4 - for metalwork, “nailing”, etc. home loads. Hammers No. 5 and 6 with the same striker are used for “heavy” tasks, for example, driving staples into logs.

A number 1 square hammer is suitable for nailing when glazing. Only the nail should be placed parallel to the glass, otherwise it will crack.

Steel construction hammers

These hammers, depending on their purpose, are manufactured in many types, which are listed in table. 2 and in Fig. 2.

Carpenter's hammers are used for woodworking using chisels, chisels and other tools. The main part of the body (Fig. 2a) is the firing pin, the auxiliary part is a wedge-shaped (with a one-sided concave bevel in the past) toe. The last ones to hammer in are nails in grooves, narrow places, etc.

Rice. 2. Steel construction hammers: a - carpentry type MST; 6 - carpentry type MPL-1; c - carpenter type MPL-2; g - pickaxe type MKI-1; d - pickaxe type MKI-2; e - plaster type MShT-1; g - plaster type MShT-2; h - parquet type MPA; and - parquet type MPA VNIISMI Minstroydormash; k - roofing type MKR-1 and MKR-2; l - roofing type MKR-3; m - slate type MSHI 1; n - slate type MSHI-2; o - slate Yushchenko; n - tiled MPLI-1 type; r - tiled type MPPI-2; c - entrench type MSHA-1; t * - trench type MSHA-2; f - cam type MIU-1; x - cam type MKU-2; c - for notching concrete and brick surfaces; h - automated, driven by an internal combustion engine; 1 - body; 2 - wooden handle; 3 - to the stumps; 4 - tubular rod; ! S - rubber handle; 6 - fitting; 7 - ring | see fig. 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5)

The MP L-2 carpenter's hammer (Fig. 2c) is much more practical than the MPL-1 carpenter's hammer (Fig. 26). The body of the MPL-2 hammer is hot pressed onto a tubular rod. There is no need to worry about locking the body on the rod. Attention to the position of the wedge in the wooden handle of the MPL-1 hammer is necessary from a safety point of view. Bumpiness of the body on the handle

leads to it jumping off during the swing to strike. A body "floating" in the air causes terrible injuries. The rubber handle is glued tightly onto the shaft of the MPL-2 hammer. It slows down the sliding of the palm and softens the recoil upon impact.

Hammers of the MPL-1 type were produced in weights of 0.35 and 0.5 kg, now - up to 0.8 kg.

Pick hammers (Fig. 2d, e) were produced with a weight of 0.4; 0.5; 0.6 kg with toe length up to 200 mm. If bricks are used as the material for these hammers, then the brick is crushed with a square striker, for example, when filling voids. Using a flat toe, they chop bricks into incomplete pieces when bandaging seams, laying jambs, belts, etc. The weight of modern hammers MKY-1 is up to 0.7 kg, MKI-2 is up to 1 kg.

Parquet hammers (Fig. 2h, i) are made different designs and masses.

Thus, the hammer (Fig. 2i) of the Georgievsk Stroyinstrument plant has a mass of 0.47 kg. Thanks to the solid total area, the narrow strip of the protruding toe of the body does not crush the wood along the edges of the parquet flooring. But with such a toe it is sometimes difficult to hit the head of a nail when laying parquet. The doboynik corrects the shortcomings of the hammer.

Roofing hammers (Fig. 2k, l), unlike most other types of hammers, are forged (Table 4). They maintain the integrity of the handle near the body. The sharp edges of the processed sheets would gradually split the handle.

Table 4 Roofing hammers according to GOST 11042-83

Note. The dimensions of the MKP-3 hammer are shown in Fig. 2l, its weight is up to 1.5 kg.

In the past, roofing hammers were made weighing 0.4; 0.5; 0.65 and 1.4 kg.

A modern automated hammer (Fig. 2h) is even different in appearance from a traditional one. They don't need to swing and hold the nail. It is enough to bring it to the selected point. The hammer will do the rest on command. The nail will be supplied from the store. The striker itself, with one blow, will drive the nail to the head.

The hammer mechanism is a cross between a pistol and... an internal combustion engine! The trigger is pressed, and at the same moment a portion of fuel is injected from a special pressure cylinder into the working chamber. An electric spark ignites it. A microexplosion occurs in the chamber. Its strength is transferred to the striker, which moves reciprocatingly.

The charge in the batteries and the fuel in the cylinder are enough for several hours of intensive work. Replacing the cylinder and battery is a matter of a few minutes. Such “toys” are produced in Finland.

A similar “work” can be made independently from a household tool with an electric drive that has a reciprocating motion. Well, let's say, from a hammer drill. The pneumatic drive is also applicable for the construction of “self-driving” hammers. But to use them, undoubtedly, you need a monotonous field of activity.

Sledgehammers

One hand usually operates the hammer. Although entrenching hammers (Fig. 2c, t) weighing up to 2... 2.5 kg cannot be moved without the application of the other hand when a series of blows is needed. The cam hammers are also approximately the same weight (Fig. 2f, x).

Sledgehammers are used to deliver strong blows with two hands. Blacksmithing is the main purpose of a sledgehammer. But you can’t do without a sledgehammer in garden and estate plots. It is the main tool for driving fence stakes, constructing a greenhouse, etc.

Blunt-nosed (Fig. 3) and sharp-nosed (Fig. 36) - this is the division of sledgehammers (Tables 5, 6). The first ones are more common in everyday life.

Blunt sledgehammers

Table 5

Weight, kg	Dimensions, mm

Sharp-nosed sledgehammers

Table 6

Weight, kg	Dimensions, mm

The hole on any type of sledgehammer is located at its center of gravity. According to figures 3a and 36, it has an oval shape with a two-sided slope of 1:10. This is done for better wedging of the wooden handle. Therefore, with independent creativity, the displacement of the hole in the sledgehammer along the limit axis is permissible within ±1.5...2 mm, and along the transverse axis - up to ±0.4...0.6 mm.

The length of the sledgehammer handle reaches 750... 900 mm. The wooden handle is good for small one-time jobs. There are many tricks for securing a sledgehammer to the handle. But they don’t last long and the fasteners come back. Yes! A sledgehammer that jumps off the handle during a swing will kill or “spectacularly” injure the sledgehammer himself or someone standing next to him...

Follow safety precautions!

Secure the sledgehammers to the handle!

It is permissible to forget about the “friendship” of the sledgehammer and the handle when they are tightly connected. To achieve this, the handle is selected from a suitable steel pipe. A seamless water and gas pipe is preferable. The absence of a longitudinal seam on the outer surface of the pipe indicates that it is seamless.

Rice. 3. Sledgehammers: a - blunt-nosed; 6 - pointed-nosed.

The end of the metal handle is slightly flattened so that it fits into the oval hole of the sledgehammer. Then the “queen” - electric welding will complete the deed. I warn you right away that you can’t do without welding! The end of the pipe handle does not need to be welded. There, while the sledgehammer is “resting,” you can place the tool.

Homemade hammer bodies

It is not always necessary to use a hammer. It all depends on what kind of bullshit is needed. This is what the sledgehammer was called back in the last century. Naturally occurring cobblestone is sometimes sufficient (Fig. 4) to hammer something down. Brick rarely fits; it crumbles too quickly. This is a modern brick, but in the Middle Ages and earlier the brick was 2... 3 times smaller and stronger. Drive the nails calmly.

A piece of pipe, a piece of hexagon or square steel, a railway spike for securing rails to wooden sleepers, a large bolt, etc. - all this replaces the hammer in certain circumstances.

A piece of water and gas pipe with an outer diameter of, say, 21 mm, a length of 200... 300 mm, with pipe thread, onto which the valve body is screwed (Fig. 4), or the valve assembly with a shortened or removed stem, completely resembles a hammer.

Rice. 4. Quickly made homemade hammers: 1 - cobblestone (primitive design); 2 - valve; 3 - steel pipe; 4 - flywheel-crossbar

The flywheels (Fig. 4) of some water taps and valves are a brass crossbar with a square hole in the middle. This flywheel just begs to be turned into a miniature hammer. Sharpening one end of the flywheel with a file or sharpener will create the toe of the hammer body. Giving the striker a square shape will also expand the applicability of the production tool.

Semenikhin's hammer is made of a steel rod (Fig. 5) of square or hexagonal cross-section with dimensions between parallel edges from 16 to 24 mm. It is advisable to use the following steel grades for the manufacture of the hammer body: U7, U8, 45, 50, 60, etc. An electric sharpener allows you to fairly accurately determine the grade of steel by sparks. “Ordinary” steel with a low carbon content, if the striker is used frequently, will lead to the appearance of “roses” on its edges.

The striker of Semenikhin's hammer, like the factory strikers, has a spherical convexity, which allows for better contact with the object being struck. Instantaneous load - at the axis point of the striker. This axis passes through the center of mass.

Rice. 5. Semenikhin’s hammer: a - distribution of impact load across the striker; b - body; c - base of the handle; g - handle assembly (option); d - diagram of the connection between the body and the handle (option)

In addition to the composition of the steel material, hardening also contributes to strengthening the toe and striker of the body. Brought to required sizes the body is heated in a muffle or some other suitable furnace to a temperature of 730... 830°C. The temperature can be determined by the color of the body, which is close to cherry.

The body is taken with pliers with long handles and the hands are smoothly lowered into the water, raising the head proudly. Hot splashes may occur. Goggles are the preferred eye protection. Mittens are put on hands.

The cooled and dried body is cleaned with abrasive sandpaper. But the body is also colored using tarnished colors. The cleaned body is placed back into the oven for heating. The colors on the body will appear in the following sequence: light and dark yellow, brown and purple-red, violet, cornflower blue, gray. The desired color is “grabbed” by removing the body and placing it on a metal base. Wiping with an oily rag forms a resistant film on the body, which will also protect against corrosion. The entire range of colors listed is achievable within the heating range of the housing from 220 to 330°C.

Making a hammer body yourself is a labor-intensive undertaking. A vice, an electric drill, files, a hacksaw, a caliper, a ruler - this is the minimum set of tools. A piece of metal for the body blank is marked according to the drawing or the drawings given here. Depending on the available equipment, they begin with filing surfaces or drilling holes. The final hole for the handle is made at the minimum of two in advance drilled holes, because it is oval.

A number of hammer designs (Fig. b) are “dedicated” to eliminating impact recoil. Various moving masses (liquid, shot, mercury, rod, etc.) inside the body or handle absorb recoil. Making the handle or part of it in the form of a flat spring also helps reduce recoil (Fig. b). Rechitsky told readers about similar hammers in his book “Profession - Inventor.” The production of such hammers is quite accessible to craftsmen.

Homemade handles

The handle plays no less a role in the productive operation of the hammer than the body. Although in isolated cases the body will fulfill its purpose without a handle. Its dimensions largely depend on the age, height and physique of the “manager” of the hammer. It is customary to say that one hammer is handy, the other is not. Why? Few will answer this question. Let's add an explanation.

Rice. 6. Homemade hammers that absorb recoil from impact: a - with a ball; 6 - mercury; c - a weight with a spring; g - rod; d - fraction; e - flat spring part of the handle

The thickness of the handle depends on the length of the fingers of the “user”. Anyone can choose the best thickness without difficulty (Fig. 76). The length of the handle is also selected by touch, which only partly depends on the weight of the hammer. The hand experiences a shock or sharp shock with each blow from a short or too long handle. Vibrations cause rapid fatigue and affect the strength and confidence of the fight. Therefore, first they plan out a deliberately long handle. In a trial battle, they find the most convenient capture site. The excess part of the handle is sawed off so that a free end 35 cm long remains behind the hand. In general, the heavier the body, the longer the handle is made.

Rice. 7. Homemade handles: a - defective; b - choice of thickness and length; c - handles modern style; g - old design; d - with indentations on the ax handle to prevent palms from slipping

Not everyone loves experiments. Well, there are recommendation tables. One, tab. 7, - about modern-style handles (Fig. 7c) of a cone shape. The second is table. 8 - about the handles of an old model (Fig. 7d). This handle, among other advantages, is safer. Its thickened end prevents the tool from slipping out of the fist.

Table 7 Handles for round hammers

				Dimensions, mm

Notes: 1) some sizes are rounded; 2) the table has been shortened.

Homemade handles, sadly enough, are made from found “scavenger” material. And there is no breed autograph on it. How to be? I advise you to check the “nationality” of the wood with a nail. It will even penetrate dry coniferous wood without difficulty under the influence of something heavy. Relatively rare deciduous “aristocrats” (beech, hickory, etc.) will yield only to the prolonged onslaught of the “plebeian” nail. How can one not remember its merits?

The second sign of purebred, “blue blood” wood is the purpose, shape, and finishing of the found piece. They still try to produce furniture from noble breeds. Therefore, legs and crossbars, such as chairs and tables, are excellent materials for handles.

Broken hockey sticks also apply for further use. They are, however, made of multi-layer plywood. This requires a variety of tools to process them, and securing the body to the hammer handle will not be entirely ordinary (Fig. 8h).

Handles for hammers according to OST 90028-39, mm

Table 8

Handles for hammers with square heads have slight differences in size with the data given in table. 7. Therefore, there is no special table on handles for hammers with square heads. The material for the handle plays an important role in its quality. Solid lumber hardwood for hammer handles, GOST 11 042-83 is allowed to be used. Young oak, white beech, maple, etc. go to the production of handles. Birch and ash are less acceptable.

The handles are made exclusively from dry and viscous material, which can subsequently take on a natural polish. Cracks, rot, sprouts and wormholes are unacceptable. Two fused healthy knots with a diameter of no more than 5 mm at a distance of 2/3 of the length of the handle from the side of the free end can still sometimes be seen, but not on handles for tile hammers. Knots on the handles of these hammers are generally prohibited. Sagging, cavities, bubbles, dents and wallpaper are also not found on factory-made handles.

Suitable branches of purebred trees will give and increase the longevity of the handle. The bark here will act as a constriction tube. Such handles, however, will not correspond to the recommended ones (Fig. 7). Moreover, the handles will be rough, which, according to our “guide” books, will cause calluses. Maybe. It all depends on how and how much you work. However, you should sometimes look around for comparison. No. There is no need to move beyond the cordon. The shelves of domestic stores will surprise you. The handles of overseas axes, say, at the grip site, have specially drilled recesses (Fig. 7d), which prevents the palm from sliding. A number of domestic hammers with tubular rods (Fig. 2 c, e, g, n) are equipped with rubber handles for this purpose. By the way, spitting on the palm also slows down their “shift”.

Rice. 8. Fastening the body to the hammer handle: a - slopes of the body hole; 6 - wooden wedge; c - a metal wedge with “petals” along the edges; g - with one click; d - two wedges; e - three wedges; g - screws or nails; 3 - steel wire.

The standard technology for manufacturing the handle is as follows:

• 1) marking the workpiece according to the drawing, taking into account the processing allowance;


• 2) filing the surface leaving an allowance;


• 3) planing of the workpiece leaving a minimum allowance;


• 4) surface treatment with sandpaper until the minimum allowance is removed;


• 5) covering the surface with brightly colored enamels or varnish; oiling is also acceptable.

A freshly made handle can also be dried in hot smoke or heated strongly in front of a fire. Then - sanding with medium-grain sandpaper and the finest emery cloth. Rubbing with wood shavings until a gloss appears is the last operation in surface finishing. If there is no skin, the surface of the handle is smoothly scraped with fragments of window glass.

Attaching the body to the handle

Bench hammers (Fig. 1) are the most common in everyday life. If you carefully examine the holes in the housings, you will see that each hole at the inputs has an expansion-slope (Fig. 8a), and between the expansions there is an oval belt. Clear? The narrowed part of the handle is squeezed through the belt until it comes out on the other side of the hole to a length of approximately 2 mm (GOST 11042-83, p. 21). To make it easier for the handle to enter the hole, the narrowed part is slightly rubbed with fat and tapped on the end of the thickened part. The cone facing the main part of the handle will be filled to some extent. But between the opposite cone in the body and the protruding part of the handle there will be an oval gap. It will be filled by the end of the narrowed part after driving, say, a wooden or metal wedge into it (Table 9).

Wooden wedges

Table 9

body, g			Dimensions, mm						Number of teeth

Note: 1) the table is partial; 2) some sizes are rounded.

The overall dimensions of metal wedges are approximately the same as those of wooden ones (Fig. 86). On wooden wedges, the teeth-steps are made in such a way as to prevent the handle from coming out of the hammer on its own; on metal wedges, notches are made with a chisel. To do this, the metal plate is clamped in a vice. Safety precautions are needed here too. A plate simply resting against something “resistant” can slip out and injure. Ruff notches are also created by welding. The holes in the plate of the future wedge also slow down its exit from the wooden handle. The petals along the edges (Fig. 8c) of the wedge will successfully replace the notches. The cuts to create the petals are made with a hacksaw, and the bends are made with pliers or a hammer.

The number of wedges for fastening the body and handle is different. If the hammer hole has only a lateral expansion-slope between the points GB and VL, then one longitudinal wedge is hammered in (Fig. 8d). Moreover, not surprisingly, GOST 11042-83 says: “Tolerance for the symmetry of the thrust axis relative to the plane of symmetry of the hammer body: 0.3 mm for a hammer body weighing up to 0.2 kg; 0.5 mm - for a hammer body weighing from 0.2 to 1.0 kg...". It's clear. The layers of wood in the handle should extend parallel to its axis. When this parallelism is too distorted, and even the gap under the wedge is crooked and at random, then there is a possibility of the handle splitting when driving the wedge.

The expansion-slope between points BV and GD occurs only along the hole. Two wedges are then hammered in (Fig. 8e). Three wedges are “driven” into the handle when the expansion is inclined along the entire oval hole. Two wedges are placed parallel to each other, and the third is perpendicular to them and between them (Fig. 8a, e). By the way, GOST 11042-83 states: “The number of wedges, the position of the wedge and the method of wedging are not established by the standard.” The body is considered to be correctly mounted on the handle when a right angle is formed between their axes. It is important to maintain this angle when using the hammer. The body very often wobbles on the handle depending on the impacts, changing the angle of the nozzle.

Many people, instead of a wedge made according to all the rules of art (Fig. 86), use a sliver of a suitable shape. You can't save time. The chip will soon fall out and it will be good, if not with the body. In addition to everything, you still need to systematically check the “health” of the wood chips. She, heartfelt, restrains the body, which is “free” in the process of soaring and is capable of killing. No! I'm not scary! And a legitimate wedge can pop out when some trick is not used.

Before “pushing in”, the WEDGE SHOULD BE LUBRICATED WITH COOKER'S GLUE or some other suitable, but, without a doubt, not office glue.

Are there other ways to secure the body to a wooden handle? Of course there is. Two or three screws are chosen so long that it is approximately 1/2...2/3 of the depth of the housing hole. Two or three holes several millimeters deep are drilled into the end of the handle along the axial plane of the hammer (Fig. 8g). Similar depressions are also made with a nail. It would be good to screw in the screws without hammering them in. To make it easier to screw into a dry handle, the screws are lubricated or deeper holes are drilled with a drill with a diameter two to three times smaller than the diameter of the screws.

Nails are also a kind of wedges, but not just any kind. Tar nails come closest to this purpose. The diameter of their rods is 2...3 mm, length - 20...400 mm. If there are no such nails, then shorten construction nails of the appropriate diameters. Light, thermally untreated low-carbon steel wire is used for stamping. Therefore, notches are not so difficult to make on them. When making nicks is a problem, then use rusty nails of the recommended sizes. The rust will provide at least some resistance to popping out. Like screws, nails should not be driven into the end of the handle more than half the depth of the hole. If the nail is large, it is cut off with a chisel, an ax or a hacksaw. The stump is sharpened. This operation is eliminated when the shortening is “performed” not perpendicular to the axis of the rod, but at an angle. The smaller the angle between the axis of the rod and the chisel blade, the sharper the stump. By the way, a wedge nail head is not required. Consequently, the cut off part will not greatly damage the nail, which is then used for its intended purpose.

A steel wire with a diameter of 3...4 mm closes the body well to the hammer handle (Fig. 8h). The hole for passing the wire is drilled at a sufficient distance from the end in the handle. When the wire is too steely to bend, it is annealed a little on any fire. Two grooves in the handle are threaded for laying the wire. Then the “collective” is passed into the body and the ends of the wire are bent. They are sometimes made longer in order to wrap around a body of a suitable shape, for example, a mechanic's hammer with a round striker.