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Article: Hammer basics.
- Article from:
- Popular Mechanics
- Article date:
- October 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The tool nearly everyone buys first is a hammer. And because hammers are so common, it's easy to take them for granted--after all, what could be simpler than pounding nails? Like most tools, though, there's more here than meets the eye--both in the tool's design and its use.
While there are many different kinds of hammers, the one you should keep on hand for carpentry, repairs and general maintenance is a claw hammer (Photo 1). You'll find two kinds at your local hardware store: those with curved claws and those with claws that are nearly straight. A curved-claw hammer is best for general-purpose use around the house and shop because the claw design provides good ...