Hammer Handles

[Bradley]

I have replaced some of my hammer handles only to have them break shortly after. Is there different grades of handle wood ??? I bought my new ones at the hardware store.

[J-A]

Hello Bradley,
Did you get this situation "handled"? I would like to rehandle my rounding hammer with a slightly larger one and would like to know what you know now.
May God shine a light on you today, Jim

[Bradley]

Hi Jim

I started to answer this the night you post
but something happened and I lost it, and it was late, so:

Funny thing, today before I saw this post I was out in the mobile shop,
“Getting a Handle” on my hammers.

The two in the photo, 2lb, and the driving hammer got store bought handles.
My fav. 1-1/2lb er got a RAT TAIL
from the sail boat that I sold to pay for horseshoeing school.
It is Purple Heart wood and the handle you see is the thickness,
And the length was 4 feet on some of them
and a rat tail is the rung of the stay ladder
that goes part way up the mast.

Anyways on each of them I filed down the part to fit into the head,
and once I had a tight fit, as per the drawings,
filed an angle to each side of the handle that fit inside the head,
so that when the wedge is hammered in,
it will spread the parts and be tight
before the wedge is all of the way home.

Then I sent it home, real tight.
I am thinking it will hold for a few years, now.

[J-A]

Thanks for the reply. That is what I needed. My Jim Poor rounding hammer has the long thin handle which is too small for my hand. I have to grip it too tightly which hurts my wrist. I have a new authentic "Hofi" hammer from Isreal which has a bigger, shorter handle and it feels much better to me.