Hart hammers are usually framing hammers. Framing hammers are used for framing wooden houses, and are heavy duty rip hammers with a straight claw. The hammer heads typically weigh from 20 to 32 oz. (567 to 907 grams) for steel heads. Heavy heads, longer handles and milled faces allow for driving large nails quickly into dimensional lumber. Typically the head will be made of steel and the handle of wood. Light weight titanium heads with longer handles allow for increased velocity, resulting in greater energy delivery, while decreasing arm fatigue and risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The milled face of the head consists of a waffle-like grid of small four sided pyramids. The raised marks on the head of the hammer grip this grid, which helps to prevent the hammer from sliding off the nail head when striking a nail.
Wooden handles are usually made of hickory, an extremely tough wood, but can be readily broken if one misses the nail and hits the handle instead, since they don’t absorb the shock of the hammer blow too well, they are being gradually replaced by fiberglass. So if you have a framing project planned it and are looking for a good framing hammer, check out the Hart Tool Framing Hammer — 24 oz. it has a unique head design which creates an arm-saving centerline balance, while the 19 in. curved axe handle which is designed to fit the user in the workplace. It has a serrated face which good for precise hammering of nails. It comes with a premium hickory handle with double barrel wedges secure head to handle. This product also comes with limited lifetime warranty. Another hart hammer product is the 25 oz hart hammer priced at $9.95, it features a fiberglass handle which is unbreakable, water proof, shock absorption, and will resist wear. The drop-forged machine heat treated steel heads are made to last. Its overall length is 16-1/2″. These products are available at various hardware stores.
Hart framing hammers are substantially heavier than regular hammers and they are mostly designed for professional carpenters. Their claw bars and nail pullers are usually used as a pry bar to separate different dimensional lumber. Framing hammers are used mainly for woodworking while planishing hammers and riveting hammers are used on metal. Hart framing hammers have a 17-18 inch handle which increases the user’s swing velocity. This allows the user to drive the nails in fewer swings and reduces fatigue. The hammer face is milled with a raised, multi-diamond or pyramid pattern. This helps prevent the striking face to glance off the nail; however, the resultant waffling of the lumber is why this hammer is not used for finishing projects. This framing type of hammer is indeed the ones to go with when doing any woodwork framing project.