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3,634 Posts
When I was a 6'-6" 260 pound framer as a young man, I was into the macho silliness of using a huge hammer.
I went with Bluegrass and Vaughan hickory handle monsters mainly. I had a 28oz for a year or so. Even tried a 32 oz for a couple of months. But I settled on a 22 oz. All of them had handles about 20 inches long.
Estwings will last forever. But if you are ever in a position to have to always use a framing hammer (no nailguns) they will eventually take their toll on your elbow. But today, we hardly ever use a hammer as our exclusive tool for framing, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Waffle heads are best if you are not a VERY experienced nailer. But they have a drawback that relates to that very inexperience... when you miss, and gouge down the side of your thumb, flattening the tip... you are going to KNOW it like you've known nothing else in your life if you're using a waffle head. They don't call it The Meat Grinder for nothing.
I went with Bluegrass and Vaughan hickory handle monsters mainly. I had a 28oz for a year or so. Even tried a 32 oz for a couple of months. But I settled on a 22 oz. All of them had handles about 20 inches long.
Estwings will last forever. But if you are ever in a position to have to always use a framing hammer (no nailguns) they will eventually take their toll on your elbow. But today, we hardly ever use a hammer as our exclusive tool for framing, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Waffle heads are best if you are not a VERY experienced nailer. But they have a drawback that relates to that very inexperience... when you miss, and gouge down the side of your thumb, flattening the tip... you are going to KNOW it like you've known nothing else in your life if you're using a waffle head. They don't call it The Meat Grinder for nothing.
