When a hammer handle wears out, do you replace the handle or buy a new hammer? What about for kblades and shovels? I tend to replace them. I want a wood handle on my tools. Feels natural to my hand. I replaced my 3lb hammer head with a new handle today. Didn't take long. The handle separated from the head last week. Fact is I needed to for 3 months ago. Once they get loose it never gets better. I forgot this one on a job overnight thinking I'd never see it again. It got run over by a lawnmower on school property. But I found it with a chunk out of the handle. It worked, but was always loose after that. Got a new hickory handle yesterday. Drove the new handle into the head by driving the handle side into the head. Cut the excess off with my hacksaw. Drove the wooden wedge in the slot. Sanded it smooth, then drove a round wedge in the top to expand it even more. The handle came with a metal wedge, but the hammer came new with a round wedge. I liked the round wedge better. I then mixed up some JB Weld to seal the exposed wood. Should be good for a few years. Kblade handles are easy to replace. Now that I'm the only one using mine I don't have to replace the handle as often. It's been on for 5 years or more. I replaced the handle on my sharp shooter 4 or 5 years ago. I've had that shovel for well over 25 years. I don't like the Fiberglass handles. It's got to be wood.
My first day in the field I was given the choice of two hammers. One had a wood handle and the other was Fiberglas. Both had half a roll of duct tape on the handle near the head because someone had missed a rebar and blown out half the handle. When I saw the Estwings at the equipment store I knew I had to have one.
The handle on the Estwing is solid steel and narrow. The worst damage I've seen in 17 years was a burr on the handle near the head from a rebar strike. I fixed it in a couple of minutes with a file.
I always replace mine, and I alway have a spare around.I believe in recycling everything.
Good handles are getting hard to find, many are wide grain or a bit of cross grain. I often check what is on hand, if I see a good quality one I buy it even if it will be stored for quite a while.
also I usually keep a fresh short sledge hammer handle under the front driver's seat of may cars too. a tool handle is not an illegal weapon.
fiberglass breaks just as easy as wood and makes very nasty splinters.
metal does not feel right, wood lasts forever if you are not a klutz
This is the kind of worry I stopped worrying about after the kids left home. Suddenly there was money to do all those things that I had been doing without for nearly 30 years. BTW, I have a garage full of tools that others might like to recycle......or maybe not.
I have my grandfather's hammer.
Two new heads and three new handles but it's my grandfather's hammer.
Stephen Ward, post: 335330, member: 1206 wrote: My first day in the field I was given the choice of two hammers. One had a wood handle and the other was Fiberglas. Both had half a roll of duct tape on the handle near the head because someone had missed a rebar and blown out half the handle. When I saw the Estwings at the equipment store I knew I had to have one.
The handle on the Estwing is solid steel and narrow. The worst damage I've seen in 17 years was a burr on the handle near the head from a rebar strike. I fixed it in a couple of minutes with a file.
Like those Estwings. Have a hatchet. Too bad they don't make larger sledges, at least I haven't seen any.
You never have to replace the handle of an Estwing hammer. You just need to replace the whole hammer when it sprouts legs.
It just doesn't make sense to work with crappy, patched up tools. Ever.
I hardly ever use the large sledge. No need.
The large sledge hammer is to tenderize the hard surface so a rebar or nail can penetrate and be set in place.
B-)
A Harris, post: 335710, member: 81 wrote: The large sledge hammer is to tenderize the hard surface so a rebar or nail can penetrate and be set in place.
B-)
Is that what you tell the new guy as you pack tamp soil down before he tries to drive a hub?
I always had a large sledge in the truck out of respect for tradition. It would go months between uses. When I did use it it was usually to dislodge a rusted manhole lid.
Norman Oklahoma, post: 335726, member: 9981 wrote: to dislodge a rusted manhole lid
I carry a 6 lb. long-handle sledge in my truck. It's mostly for burping manholes, but occasionally I need it to drive a stubborn rebar.
Tom Adams, post: 335719, member: 7285 wrote: Is that what you tell the new guy as you pack tamp soil down before he tries to drive a hub?
You would be amazed at what a proper pounding can accomplish when it comes to asphalt and other paved surfaces. Especially in the cold months when they feel like concrete and reject 60d Nails at will.
I just buy a new hammer. I have a bunch of hammer heads laying around. for some reason it's easier to hit the rebar with the handle than with the hammer head.
Estwing....A little more expensive, but you don't have to worry about buying another hammer ever
I use a 6 lb. sledge for rebars most times. If you can drive a 30" #5 in tight clay loam with less, GBY. I was burning thru handles because of my tendency to hit-hit-nearmiss, hit-nearmiss-hit, etc.
Then, the last time I bought a new handle, I also bought a coil of 8 ga. steel wire. Replaced the handle then drilled a slightly larger than 1/8" hole, 3/8" deep near to where the wood meets the metal. Filled hole with quick set epoxy and inserted end of wire. After glue set, bent wire over and spiraled wire down handle from head for 3". Drilled second 1/8"+ hole, cut wire, bent end over and inserted in epoxy filled hole. Slathered more epoxy over wire wrapping. Works well for me.
Estwing hammers are nice but the Estwing axe is useless against Redwood bark, it just bounces off.
A Fiskars axe on the other hand, now that's a mean axe. Swing it at a Redwood and it sinks into the bark 2 inches.
Someone sells what amounts to a big rubber donut that slips onto a hammer handle and nestles up against the head to absorb missed blows. I've never used one, but it looks like a good idea.
Jim Frame, post: 335830, member: 10 wrote: Here's one, made by Klein Tools:
I have used that. I like it. It will pay for itself many time over in preventing busted handles. At least for me. With full swings I seem to miss/nearmiss about 1:3.
If you hold a rebar for me, use 12" or larger Channel Locks.
Sergeant Schultz, post: 335809, member: 315 wrote: I use a 6 lb. sledge for rebars most times. If you can drive a 30" #5 in tight clay loam with less, GBY. I was burning thru handles because of my tendency to hit-hit-nearmiss, hit-nearmiss-hit, etc.
I used to use an 8 pound sledge to drive 2" iron pipes, and would carry spare wood handles and wedges in the truck. Nothing like having the head fly off in a full windup swing ...
