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It’s a carpenter’s essential tool for building and demolition. Stainless Lost Head Nails

Think of a hammer, and the picture that likely pops into your head is that of one used for trim carpentry, with a head weight about 16 ounces and a claw with a gentle curve for extracting finish nails. But another—potentially equally useful—version of the tool is the framing hammer. It makes the trim carpentry variety look almost delicate by comparison.

A framing hammer’s head weight ranges from 19 to 30 ounces, with a smooth or milled surface on the face of the head and a vicious straight claw (called a ripping claw) on the back. That claw is suited for piercing between lumber or tearing into it, for the sake of demolition. And the handle is long, anywhere from 12 to about 16 inches, enabling carpenters a long reach above their head, to the side, or to swing down into wall and ceiling cavities. The long handle also contributes to the speed the head travels (for more impact energy) and affords tremendous nail-pulling leverage and prying force when ripping things apart.

Read on for a selection of the best framing hammers we’ve used, a few words on safety, and a guide on whether one of these hammers could suit your nail-driving and pulling needs.

A framing hammer is not a dainty instrument. It can send even gigantic nails (16d to 20d) into framing lumber with a few well-placed hits (also referred to as “licks” or “shots”). It can also send a badly hit nail flying like a bullet. The safety aspects of using the tool are simple and few.

Framing hammers have heads in various shapes, sizes, and characteristics to suit how you like to work. Select a head based not only the work you expect to do, but also on your hand and forearm strength and other preferences, such as whether you intend to do as much demolition as framing with the tool. Of course, a framing hammer is useful for other purposes such as assembling concrete forms and industrial work like erecting shoring and dock building. Normally, those heavy jobs require a heavy hammer.

A traditional Estwing framing hammer (with more than 40 years of use on it). The head and handle are formed from one piece of steel. Overstrike (hitting the handle below the head) will not damage this type of hammer. The straight claw is perfect for demolition.

Vaughan is among the manufacturers that have developed lightweight framing hammers made with titanium or aluminum heads and steel striking faces attached to the heads with set screws.

DeWalt’s new framing hammer is, like the Estwing, forged from a single piece of steel. The head face is milled (also called “waffled”) to increase striking traction on the nail. The head has two nail-pulling slots–one for finish nails and one for framing nails.

A California-style Framer is a type of hammer with an especially long, axe-like handle. Many California-style Framers, like this Vaughan, have a small but powerful rare-earth magnet in the head. This magnet holds a framing spike in position, allowing you to set the nail (stick it into the wood so it stands upright) or reach well above your head, set the nail, then drive it.

Framing hammers come with any number of different type of handles, but they fall into three basic ones: straight, axe, and semi-axe. The best way to tell whether a handle configuration suits you is to go to a store, pick up some hammers, and see which feels the most natural. Of course, don’t be shy about asking a carpenter or other contractor for their opinion about how a handle configuration suits them.

Steel-handle hammers will have a synthetic cushion material molded to the handle. This provides a non-slip grip and helps diffuse the shock that reverberates down the handle when the head strikes a nail or the claw impacts wood. Wood-handle hammers have natural dampening quality and also can be longer, but that also means a little more weight.

Whenever possible, drive nails by positioning your shoulder (of the arm that’s swinging the hammer) over the nail. Also, your hand forms the pivot point, and the length of handle beyond your hand is the lever arm. In most cases, grip the handle as far down as possible to increase the length of the lever arm. This contributes to swing speed as measured at the head. Always maintain your nail-driving concentration by looking where you swing. Look at the nail and focus on its head. Maintaining single-minded concentration on that increases your ability to drive it with fewer blows and decreases the likelihood of an off-center strike and a flying or bent nail.

Traditional framing hammers pull nails with their claws, but some recently designed hammers make use of claws and an additional notch (or notches) in the side of the head. The most important thing to understand about pulling nails is that a hammer is as liable to snap a nail as it is to pull it. Strive for measured force when yanking on a nail. If you’re leaning into a hammer handle with all your might, the nail is liable to snap and send you flying when it does. Sometimes you just need to get a wrecking bar (crow bar) to disassemble.

Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.

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