From: Robert Bastow <teenut@home.com>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Hammer handles
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 16:14:12 GMT

Ideally the hole should have taper in BOTH directions with a goodly radius at
the handle side.  About 2 1/2 deg of taper per side should do it.

The handle should be VERY carefuly shaped//parallel portion to clear the
narrowest point and a taper fitting the underside taper in the head.  It should
then be sawn down 2/3 of the thickness of the head along the widest axis of the
handle, and fitted with a wooden wedge, properly sized, and glued in place.

Put your hammer handle in a warm dry place for a couple of days before fitting
it, to get the moisture content down as low as possible.  Then as humidity
changes it will only tend to get tighter.

I have fitted hammer shafts this way that have withstood a third of a century of
hard usage with never a wobble or a metal wedge in sight!!

teenut

Christian Darce' wrote:
>
> I am looking to make something very simiar to a hammer head.
> I plan on putting a hickory handle on it and attaching it with a wedge
> as is normally done.
>
> My question is should the hole in the casting of the hammer head have a
> slight taper to it in order to hold the hammer head on?  Or is just a
> straight hole OK?
>
> To reword it some, should the radius of the top of the hammer hole be
> larger or smaller than the bottom of the hole where the handle enters
> into the head?
>
> It seems it would be stronger if the top hole is larger than the bottom.
>  But I measured one of my hammers and it seemed the opposite.
>
> If there is a slight taper, about what angle should it be?  I can get a
> 1 degree taper mill that may do the job if that is enough.
>
> Thanks ahead,
> Christian Darce'
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.