Ok, I need a real plane hammer. Any tips?

[Allen Jordan]

Thanks Stan. When driving in the wedge, you set the butt of the handle on the workbench (using a rubber anti-slip mat to avoid marring) with the handle haft vertical, then use another hammer to tap the wedge in from above. The kerf for the wedge is about 2/3 the height of the hammer eye, leaving enough wood for strength in the eye, and avoiding splitting the wood thanks to the metal support. Nothing shifts this way and it ends up very tight. I've made many hammers this way without issue.

[Brian Holcombe]

Kees, if you have a shoulder on that handle you may have trouble with the wedge working itself out. If the hole in the hammer head is straight you may want to taper it on both entrance and exit. You can then knock the handle through, the taper will compress the grain and when it expands again on the exit it will lock the hammer head on.

[Kees Heiden]

Yes it has a shoulder. The outside is tapered. It's also glued with epoxy. I will see what happens. It's a prototype anyway.

[Brian Holcombe]

The epoxy will probably prevent it from coming loose. I know about this from having a wedged hammer head come loose ....one of the events in the shop I didn't take photos of, hehehe.

[Kees Heiden]

That must have been an exiting moment! You should have made a video.

[Bruce Page]

This bronze hammer serves two important functions.
http://goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2014...er-peen-hammer

[Kees Heiden]

The endurance test didn't last very long.

Kapot.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

I do not recall if you said what wood was used.

Can you get a small piece of lignum vitae?

Maybe some other dense wood would work.

Some plastics might also make a better striking surface.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

I needs a redesign. The wood isn't supported well enough and gets sheared of right at the edge.

Never mind, I have more brass, and if I find a little time I will make a new one next week with a better surface for the wood.

[Brian Holcombe]

What if the brass were made with a double tapered hole to receive the wooden stub? If the wood were fit with a compression fit I'm sure it would do well.

[Derek Cohen]

The endurance test didn't last very long.

Kapot.jpg

Kees and all

Been there, done that.

ALL my mallets and plane hammers (except for the gennou) are nylon-tipped. This offers great impact-resistance, excellent protection (even for Ebony handled chisels), and excellent feedback ...



And see my earlier post for the picture of attachment to brass.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

Yes nylon would fair a lot better, but I wanted to make it somewhat special and nylon isn't the nicest looking stuff in the world.

It's really no problem, I learned a lot from this one and the next will be better.

[James W Glenn]

I made one a while back from a small ball peen hammer. I ground the ball down to a blade to fit cap screws. I cant say I used any of my wooden planes enough to damage them with this little tappytappy.

[Pat Barry]

Seeing the failure mode, rev 2 should provide a shoulder of brass to support the wood all around. As it is a new piece of wood will fail again the same way. This is typical design iteration process - every design needs a few real world tweaks to make it right I like the idea of wood

[Derek Cohen]

Yes nylon would fair a lot better, but I wanted to make it somewhat special and nylon isn't the nicest looking stuff in the world.

It's really no problem, I learned a lot from this one and the next will be better.

Kees, I have used several types of wood on the end of a brass head (three different hammers), both end and face grain. They all crack. I have tried leather - thick, thin and hard horse butt. It all gets squashed and eventually peels off. The only material that does not deform yet both protects and has feedback is the nylon. It is epoxied and nailed into wood and screwed into brass. I would have preferred a black nylon, but could not get any. I think the white looks good.

Regards from Perth

Derek