Hammer Handle Supplier??

The Men's Shed get given a lotof tools that need new handles. Nowadays it is cheaper to buy a complete new tool.

As for using hickory, surely that;s only in America and ash is the norm in the UK.

A long time ago I bought a 2lb ball pein hammer and cut about 3 inches off the shaft. I found it suited me better, and I used the offcut to make a temporary handle for an old power hacksaw blade to cut out an exhaust pipe that had rusted into a fitting on the stern of a PLA launch. I think that I still have both tools - the hammer still has the hole in the shaft for the piece of string in case I dropped it in the Thames.

...I think every Ash tree in Gloucestershire got cut down before Christmas...

Mole country stores, or any good ironmonger, should have a selection. Buying from the net, for something like this is just asking for failure.

Ash might be the UK material of choice BUT in line with the rest of my obviously miss placed humour doesn't rhyme when applied to the 'English?' one with regards to Mice and Clocks.

Regards Ian.

David - glad to hear I am not the only one who has cut a hammer shaft down. I also have a 2lb - or perhaps it is a 13/4 lb, not sure now - that I have had since about 1974, which I soon cut down on the handle length. Standard length was far too long, the shorter handle made it much easier and better to use, it has been my favourite go-to hammer ever since!

Chris

I read an article about hammer handles a while back and it seems grain orientation is not always correct. Hand selection in person being virtually the only way of getting the best material. Ash has only been the preferred material here for several hundred years so I suspect it’s more than up to the job. Another timber, other than Ash or Hickory is popular in Germany but I can’t remember the name of it.

Regarding reducing the length of hammer handles, it's certainly very common in the shipbuilding & repair business. There are places you have to wriggle into, to flog up a flange for instance, where a full length handle would not be usable. I don't imagine that shipbuilding is unique in this practice.

Andy

There is an ironmongers in Montgomery which stocks all sorts of useful things, and will sell you a single 2BA brass washer as well as what they describe as 'loose paraffin'. So when you are next passing...

That is Montgomery UK, the ancient county town of Montgomeryshire, roughly bang in the middle of Wales. Which is the bit of England which isn't England at all and sticks out in the West towards Ireland.

Cheers, Tim

I just googled "wooden hammer handles" and got matches with Zoro, tradecounterdirect and even Amazon. Most seem to be Hickory.

Yes Andy - I was working on ships all through the 1970's, as you say, a short handled hammer was extremely useful in many on-board situations where a 'normal' hammer would not be useful at all.

Chris

Yep I also worked in a shipyard in the 1970’s…toughened me up working out in all weathers. Mind you my hearing is not what it was !

all the best

Derek