The Hammer

Every object biography in Series D begins with a question: what problem did this tool solve, and what did it change about the trade? The hammer solves the oldest problem in building: how to deliver force to a small point.

From stone to iron

Hammerstones are among the oldest human tools, used for millions of years to break stone and bone. Hafting, fixing a head to a handle, multiplied the force by lengthening the swing. By Roman times iron-headed hammers with claws for drawing nails were common.

The American claw hammer

For centuries, heads loosened and flew off. In 1840 David Maydole of Norwich, New York, made a hammer with an elongated, tapered eye that held the handle firmly. Machine-made nails, cheap after the 1830s, and balloon framing created a mass market, and the claw hammer became the carpenter's signature tool.

Specialisation

A carpenter's toolbox holds several hammers: a finish hammer with a smooth face that will not mark trim; a framing hammer, heavier with a waffled face; a drywall hammer with a hatchet edge; a mallet that will not mark a chisel. Masons use a brick hammer; welders a chipping hammer; ironworkers a sledge and a spud wrench.

Power

Pneumatic nailers arrived on job sites in the 1950s and cordless versions later. They increased speed and reduced repetitive-strain injuries, and they brought new hazards: nail-gun injuries are a leading source of emergency visits among framers. Sequential-trigger nailers are safer than contact-trigger ones.

What it teaches

The hammer teaches a basic lesson of every trade: let the tool do the work. Grip at the end of the handle, swing from the elbow, keep your eye on the nail.