The first tool most of us probably learned to use was a hammer. But this fact apparently hasn&#;t contributed much toward making us experts at using a hammer safely.
A lot of jokes are made about hitting your thumb with a hammer. In cartoons, the thumb usually swells to the size of a balloon. This is still one of the most common injuries resulting from using a hammer, and probably the only one many people are concerned about. But actually there are a lot of other ways of get hurt with a hammer.
Not long ago a man, working in a garage struck an auto body with a hammer. A piece of rust hit him in the eye, sidelining him for three weeks.
A construction company employee suffered a fracture when he hit his hand on an object adjacent to the nail he was hammering.
A factory employee accidentally struck the handle of a nearby machine with a hammer and a piece of metal hit him in the eye.
Two of these injuries would have been avoided if eye protection had been worn, and in all three incidents safety awareness would have contributed toward preventing the injury. Actually, there are a number of safety precautions that can be taken. Like any other tool, a hammer should be checked before use. The handle should be checked for cracks or defects and to make sure it is set tight in the head. Always use the right hammer for the job. Use of the wrong hammer could damage materials or cause an injury.
Eye protection should be worn when using a hammer to strike a chisel or any other metal object, or any time there is a chance that flying objects may result.
Always grasp a hammer firmly, close to the end of the handle. Holding a hammer close to the head makes it difficult to hold the head upright.
Make sure the face of the hammer is parallel to the surface to be struck. This will prevent damage to the edges of the hammerhead and will also lessen the chance of the hammer slipping off or marring the work surface.
To strike the object correctly with a hammer requires practice and good judgment. To strike a light blow, move your arm back only far enough to provide the correct force. To strike a heavy blow, bring your arm straight back from the object, then bring the hammer down with a sharp, quick motion.
This may sound elementary. It&#;s about as elementary as the mechanics that go into a good golf swing &#; and maybe just about as hard for some to master.
However, correct use of a hammer is not the only safety element. Care and maintenance are equally important.
The face of the hammer should be kept clean. The edges of the hammerhead should be dressed regularly to remove battered edges. The face shouldn&#;t be ground unless absolutely necessary because grinding might destroy the hardness specifications.
The head of the hammer should always be attached securely to a proper handle. If a handle is defective, discard it and use a new one.
Make sure the steel or hardwood wedges which secure the head to the handle are tight. If the wedges work loose, drive them back into place or replace them promptly if they are lost. Don&#;t use screws or nails as wedges because they could come out or split the handle.
Keep the claws of claw hammers sharp enough to grip nail heads firmly. Don&#;t use claws of a hammer as a chisel by pounding on the head of the hammer, or don&#;t use them as a pry bar. Like all hand tools, hammers should be protected when not in use. Keep them in a toolbox or in their proper place in a tool rack. A hammer left on the floor can be damaged or cause someone to trip and fall. Likewise, a hammer left on a ledge or bench may all off and injure someone or become damage.
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Hammers are simple, striking tools for hammering a nail into many surfaces, such as wood, concrete, and masonry. Several tricks of the trade, like where to hold the hammer and the nail and how to apply force, will help you hit the nail squarely on the head. These helpful pointers prevent bends to the nail and avoid splitting the wood.
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Here are essential tips for how to hammer a nail into various materials.
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