Plane Hammer

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
I recently finished making a plane hammer to use when adjusting wooden planes. One head is brass to tap the steel iron when making adjustments. The other end is wood (mahogany) to tap the plane body and wedge. Each head is detachable so they can be replaced if broken or worn. The head itself weighs 5-6 oz and the handle (cherry) is 10" long.

Interestingly, the head is recycled from an ornamental gavel I found in an estate sale. I tapped threads into each end, drilled and filed out an oval eye for the handle, then used cross wedges to lock it in place. The brass button used for the head is part of a furniture knob.
Plane Hammer.jpg
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
YUP!
Looks good and that right there is potential for being copied!
did you craft the handle or was it from something else?
Can you put a ruler down or something and take another picture for scale or give some dimensions?
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
Looks good and that right there is potential for being copied!
did you craft the handle or was it from something else?
Can you put a ruler down or something and take another picture for scale or give some dimensions?

Here's the picture of the dimensions.
IMG_2744.jpg


I find handles a bit tricky to get right. A good handle has to "feel" right after the head is attached. The easiest approach I've found is to find a similar hammer that I like and has the right feel then use its handle as a pattern. In this instance I used a small ball peen hammer. I traced the basic shape of the handle and roughed it out on the band saw. From there it was freehand and eye with a spokeshave to get the final rounded form. I'm sure you could buy one as well. It took me about an hour to make this handle.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Here's the picture of the dimensions.
View attachment 199526

I find handles a bit tricky to get right. A good handle has to "feel" right after the head is attached. The easiest approach I've found is to find a similar hammer that I like and has the right feel then use its handle as a pattern. In this instance I used a small ball peen hammer. I traced the basic shape of the handle and roughed it out on the band saw. From there it was freehand and eye with a spokeshave to get the final rounded form. I'm sure you could buy one as well. It took me about an hour to make this handle.
Thanks - looks GREAT, but at 3" in length, (guesstimating the brass body around 3/4" dia.) it seems like it would "Feel" a little too large? (does it?)
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
Thanks - looks GREAT, but at 3" in length, (guesstimating the brass body around 3/4" dia.) it seems like it would "Feel" a little too large? (does it?)
The body is about 1" in diameter. I had in mind the plane hammer by Sterling Toolworks when I was making this (Plane Hammer | Sterling Tool Works – Fine Tools That Inspire!). I really like their hammer, but I don't have $150 to spend on one ;-).

The one thing I may change is the length of the head -- either shorten the wooden button or extend the brass button. That's one nice feature of making these removable. I need to use it more first. It definitely works better than my previous method, which was to use a tack hammer or chisel mallet when making adjustments.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
The body is about 1" in diameter. I had in mind the plane hammer by Sterling Toolworks when I was making this (Plane Hammer | Sterling Tool Works – Fine Tools That Inspire!). I really like their hammer, but I don't have $150 to spend on one ;-).
LOL!!! (I don't have $150 to spend on one) Me either!

I also saw a damascus square headed version that was cut on an angle and a hardwood made-up the other half of the head - it was REALLY cool, but like a Sterling, I think it was was pretty high priced!
 

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