The Parts of a Curved Claw Hammer

Basic Anatomy

• The claw hammer has a simple basic construction with two primary elements called the handle and the head. The hammer head has four primary parts, consisting of the eye (adze), where the handle meets the head, the sides of the head (also called the cheeks), the striking surface (called the face), and the claws (which are opposite to the face). The primary acting forces of the hammer come from the handle, face and claw.

The Handle

• Manufacturers usually construct the handle of a claw hammer with wood. For most home applications, the wooden handle will suffice. Depending upon the application, however, you may wish to use a hammer made with a handle made of modern materials such as steel, fiberglass or metallic alloys. Such handles create a hammer with greater strength or versatility. The most common handle shape is straight, but some modern handles utilize an ergonomic grip for better control or curved design to maximize pulling torque.

The Face

• The face of a hammer is the striking surface of the hammer's head. Most hammers have flat (or plain) faces, which provide a straight striking surface. Hammers with a slightly curved, convex face are called bell-faced and require more precision to strike the nail accurately but also do less damage to the surface of the wood. A hammer with a crosshatched pattern on the face is called a checked face. This design reduces glancing blows with the hammer, but also leaves a checked pattern on the surface of the wood, making it most useful for rough construction but not for fine work.

The Claws

• Clawed hammers come in two basic designs, the flat claw and the curved claw. The curved claw hammer has the advantage of being able to pull nails with much more ease and remove nails of greater length than the flat claw. The curved surface of the claw also provides a levering wedge that shifts as the nail rises to ease nails out of wood evenly. The teeth of the claw are usually narrow to allow it to slip under the head of the nail and retain a solid grip as the nail is eased out.