Posted by A while ago I realised that a little hammer can be really useful for fine adjustment of planes. While I really admired some of the cute little hammers others use, I couldn’t justify buying a hammerette when there were plenty of other needs (well, they’re all really “wants” but who’s counting).
As such, I started using the one general ball-peen hammer we have. But as it is used for many tasks by many family members, it was seldom there when I needed it.
Then one day, whilst digging through the tool drawer, I discovered a little upholsterers hammer my wife bought years ago for a project. It seemed a suitable size and weight, and best of all, it would live with my planes as a specialist adjustment hammer.
So how is it my most musical tool? One end has a fork, which I understand is magnetised to aid in holding tacks when your second hand is busy keeping fabric in place. It also behaves exactly like a tuning fork! So every time I strike anything metallic with the hammer, it rings a lovely clear C# (well a little sharper than perfect, but it’s always a solo performance, so who cares).
It’s been in use now for three to four months, and every time I use it it doesn’t fail to put a smile on my face. With my recently acquired #043, it is making plenty of music.
Update: It’s been pointed out to me that I really should be hitting my steel tools with a softer metal such as copper or brass. As such there are plans afoot to make up something in the near future.
Lance
November, 2019
