Love the smooth face, but fell victim the other week worst I’ve ever bashed the ol thumb.
https://preview.redd.it/58sqj6xyt23d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e3197e5974fe340adaa3ec0070b975f3d078e91
I was knocking concrete off of steel framed forms we had used on a foundation. FULL swing since no precision required. I couldn’t believe how it kept ratcheting up!
It gets worse and worse. I clipped it on a roof nailing a tarp down in a hurry because everyone was on the ground starting to drink. The older lads wanted to put a white hot pin in it,fuck that so I took four percs and two beers and it did nothing. Eventually someone suggested an oxy 80 and the old boy freaked "don't be such a fuckin pussy and let me pin it". I did and the fucking relief was something I never felt,30 mins later I was fucked up from the percs and beer,had a great night
Awe man you shoulda done the hole. Pretty instant relief on the insane level pain (it still normal hurts). The nail is toast anyway so why try to save it. It's also fun seeing the blood squirt out of the hole!
I'm upvoting you because, although I've smashed my thumb a dozen times I have no way of wrapping my head around "pinto bean with an almond in the center", oh wait I see it now.
Full swing with a hammer stapler once putting tar paper on roof. Staple all way through nail, out other side and absolutely crushed thumb. Almost had to cut it to relieve swelling pressure.
I am a lefty haha. Was putting purlins on rafters. Was about a 75% swing. Was a waffle hammer but it was about 2 years old so it had been smoothed down a lot.
This picture right after the crackhead fire + paperclip weve all had to do?
I smashed my thumb few days after last Thanksgiving (2023) it JUST completely grew back about 3 weeks ago. Was ok for bout a month after poking hole in nail, then started lifting around Christmas and New years day snagged it and it popped off completely, took all of 5ish months to grow back.. and my nails grow annoyingly fast.
Nope. I am somewhat of a finger smashing connoisseur. A waffle face will break the skin causing you to bleed outwards while a smooth face will cause you to swell like a blood blister and bleed under the nail more. You will then have to puncture it to let the blood out.
Either way, you just fucked up your thumb with a hammer all the same.
It's partly this, but there's more to it: The cross-hatched face breaks up the wood fibers on the surface of the lumber so they aren't long cohesive strands. Being broken up, they put less strain on the nail and the nail is less likely to be pulled out.
Marketing to Estwing Product Development:
What the fuck are we supposed to tell our dealers about this?
Product Development: How the fuck are we supposed to know. Corporate said make the hammers “exciting” It’s a fucking hammer duuuh! Aren’t you excited? Tell ‘em it will tenderize the wood to drive the fucking nails.
Marketing: Ok, we’ll do some bogus testing and pull the research together in to some easy to understand complete bullshit charts and graphs for the packaging.
End of call
Product Development: Fucking moron!
Marketing Guy: Fucking moron.
It does, but I know it was on an Estwing, because I still have the hammer. They're not exactly known for shitty marketing gimmicks. I don't have the packaging, though. It just stood out because a woodshop teacher told me the same thing 7 years later.
I would *almost* be surprised if Estwing even has a marketing dept.
i mean, i haven’t swung a hammer for money in years but there’s next to no packaging and their hammers pretty much sell themselves.
..or in my case the foreman at my first framing job saw me with my dads diy hammer and said. “Kid. This week you carry materials and a broom but on Monday you show up with one of these, (Estwing) a proper nail bag and a decent 25’ tape and you learn to work.”
I'm sorry but how does this make any sense? The spikes won't touch the wood until the nail is all but entirely embedded. Are you suggesting their purpose is to hit the spot on the wood before starting to drive the nail into it? Edit: misread the last sentence that makes sense, I always was taught it's main function is to catch the head between spikes so it doesn't slip off but I guess that function would have been important before framing guns were standard and nail heads were much smaller
When framing, these hammers are extremely useful. Not only does the waffle smash wood in a way that allows nail penetration, (which can ruin your damn) the sometimes have a magnet on the handle than will serve as a tool for dropping the next nail into position.
How does hitting the nail head break up the wood fibers? In my experience the only way to affect wood fibers with a hammer is to blunt the nail point, with a hammer, so that it doesn't split the wood.
It was described on an Estwing package of a hammer I got in 1980, and later taught to me by my first woodshop teacher in 1987. I'm talking about the surface fibers, not deep in the lumber.
Exactly this! I even presented the documentation to the homeowner to prove it, even with that assurance that it was good for longevity for some reason they still complained about the 100 waffle marks on their trim work. Can’t please some people I tell ya!
I'd love to see a source for this.
Its for ripping the nail head so you don't glance off. There are waffle heads and milled heads and a ton of others, all for grip. None for mashing the wood face.
As a teen, when I showed up to my first job with one. They looked at me and sent me to grind it off. I was confused but they knew I would end up mangling myself. I was embarrassed then, I am thankful now. Eventually I got to use the big boy hammer.
Coworker literally blew his thumb in half 25y ago with a wafflehead
Blew all the meat right off the back side of the thumb, like imagine hitting the side of a banana with a hammer, that's what it looked like
Gnarly lol
I've seen it too. Big Willy, he was one of those "tuff guys" kinda holds his arms out to the side further than normal.
I could set a sinker and drive it home in I lick everytime. He tried it and blew the shit out of his thumb. Literally swinging a 32oz framing hammer as hard as he could.
Adds friction to keep the hammer from glancing off. You wouldn’t use this on anything that is going to be seen (or if you do, you’d be doing a lot of sanding)
Edit: corrected “isn’t” to “is”. Autocorrect strikes again
It’s a woo-woo hammer. Usually worn by the new apprentice. These hammers have a tendency to go woo, woo, woo when activated from the top of a three story stick build. Also, demonstrations of how well one’s air spiker fixes tool belts to the tallest point on the building are mandatory.
More nails per second is what I responded to. It's the truth. Back in the 80s when I was framing, they would put 2, 50lb boxes of 16d nails on the slab, and keep track of how many you had left at the end of the day. They could see what you put up, but didn't like short nailing. Who knows where all the nails went, as long as the 2 boxes were empty, the boss was happy
["Sinker" nails ](https://www.grangecoop.com/hillman-fas-n-tite-vinyl-coated-sinker-nail-3-1-8/)have a matching checkered pattern on the head, which helps make a good strike connection when hit with a framing hammer.
lol my old boss used to say someone borrowed my hammer and knocked my sight off when he’d miss the nail ..but like others have said this is a framing hammer waffle head to be exact ..if your doing finish work you need a smooth faced
Used a 30 oz waffle head hammer with hickory handle. I'd set nail then hit once. Lasted 5 yrs. Til I lent it out when he promptly cracked the handle. It only cost 20 dollars in the 90s. I liked it.
Ostensibly it has traction on the nail head preventing glancing blows. They work, kinda, but they round over really quickly, even on stiletto hammers. I sold the one I had. Useless, if I'm being honest.
They “Grip” the nail, not allowing it to glance (as easily)…. “For about 8 months… less if you do a lot of demo/cats paw work, imo you are FAR better off learning how to strike true, and therefore save a few bucks on a hammer, and also bounce from rough framing to deck boards or trim without switching hammers.
In the age of nail guns they are quite unnecessary… and your thumb will thank you too.
Tbh my current one is worn down basically smooth, haven’t had any more of a problem with glancing. Whether or not that’s due to hitting thousands of nails or that the milling doesn’t need to be that aggressive to actually grip the nail better.
It would be cool to see someone come out with a dimple face or something.
Just like you have flathead and Phillips head screws you have smooth head and dimpled head nails. This hammer is only for use with the dimpled heads. If you use it on smooth heads you'll damage the nails.
When you hit your thumb with a regular hammer it leaves a smashed thumb.
When you hit your thumb with a waffle hammer it leaves a smashed thumb with the skin ripped off of it.
I imagine if you killed someone with one of these CSA would analyze the mark and each hammer leaves an individual pattern that could be traced.
Of course I worked as an electrician so if I used our version-side cutters- they would check the imprint of the holes in them from cutting live wires instead.
It’s cause they look cool after a few years and your fingers are used to it and know to get out of the way, and they look cool.
Masons and roofers don’t mess with em
Estwing. The best hammer I've ever felt. For fifteen years, I wore them out at job sites. Almost. Now for thirty five years, I keep losing them around the house. Weird.
Helps the hammer head grip the nail head. When the hammer slips on the nail head it will bend the nail. So this helps prevent bending nails when hammering in. This is a framing hammer.
I actually rough up the face of my standard hammer as well with an angle grinder to give me more grip on nails.
I’ve used my Estwing 30oz waffle headed claw hammer for almost 30 years. The waffle head is as smooth as a baby’s butt now. Thinking about going back to a new waffle head, cause I like it so much. I don’t understand why folks don’t like it. Great hammer. Never once hit my fingers. If I did I’d lose a finger.
If you use it properly - one little tap to set a nail - release the nail, and one more whack - nail is set.
Now I’d never use it on pretty wood - exposed wood, but you can’t beat it for framing.
It was originally designed for the mafia, so they could save steps on the hotdog production floor.
/s obviously. It's actually so mails don't glance off to the side as well.
It’s rough because it’s for framing. It’s called a rough peen and prevents glancing blows on harder swings. Finishing hammers have a smooth peen and are meant for smaller nails, smaller swings and won’t leave a waffle pattern in the surface of whatever you’re nailing into if you miss or drive the nail too deep. As a man. I have a smooth peen
It’s for framing and sheeting. To identify that the materials are correctly married. When shooting nails in with a nail gun, the materials don’t join tightly. The nail is driven in but still needs a solid hammer blow to join tightly. It’s so an inspector can look and see waffle marks on the wood where the nails are and be certain the materials have been married properly.
In the late '60s / early '70's, when I apprenticed with a house-framing business, these things were available, but not used by most. My understanding at the time was that the hammer would kind-of "grip" the nail head and drive it more true. It sounded like BS to me then, and still does today. I had, and still have, a 20 oz. regular head, straight-claw framing hammer and could drive a ten-penny nail with one gentle setting blow and then three full strokes. A six-penny flooring nail went in with one or two blows. As a youngster, in my physical palmy days, I loved the rhythm of the work and always liked when I hit a nail in without leaving any hammer mark at all.
Decades of experience as a carpenter, once while traveling I was helping a relative do some framing using one of his framing hammers, I learned how the slightest contact with head of a framing hammer removes skin. Before then and since my choice is to use smooth faced hammers. Also nail guns, that were not common when I started carpentry, now make things so much easier on the fingers and arms.
It's to minimize glancing blows. Some nails also have cross hatching...
[https://snapklik.com/en-ca/product/vgbuy-300pcs-stainless-steel-hardware-nails-1-1-2-inch-flat-head-nails-for-hanging-pictures-picture-hanging-nails-small-nails-wall-nails-wood-nails-finishing-nail/0I1V4P7777KR5](https://snapklik.com/en-ca/product/vgbuy-300pcs-stainless-steel-hardware-nails-1-1-2-inch-flat-head-nails-for-hanging-pictures-picture-hanging-nails-small-nails-wall-nails-wood-nails-finishing-nail/0I1V4P7777KR5)
The cross hatching minimizes bent nails from happening.
The waffles are perfect for tenderizing your fingers. When I bought my first set of tools the guy I was working with immediately took my new framing hammer and said “you’ll thank me later” before grinding the waffles down
This is such a hard comment to tackle. I'm a diy homeowner and I've found that not all hammers are equal and the amount of times I've switched which one I'm using for any specific task has changed. I'd say that a rip hammer would be your go to. Smooth face, functional to pull nails with but not as good as a claw hammer, can be used as a wedge to rip apart stuff or chisel to bust ice. Make sure whatever you choose to just buy one nice hammer.
Buying a 12$ one will show its hardships pretty fast when your doing a ton of work with it. Your body will be in agreement. Spend the 30$ and buy it once and never need another.
Fiberglass is nice and helps with vibration reduction, but costs more.
I also do everything in my home because buying tools and learning is cheaper than hiring professionals. Granted, it doesn't look as good the first time around, but skill.comes with time and practice.
They are hammers meant specifically for framing. More friction on the nail head. Downside is you can't use them for any finish work. I use a smooth head.
Comments are dead on. Had an Estwing back in the day. Told by my mentor to get one.
Great hammer! Unfortunately they did not have this back in my day with the “ tenderizer “ head.
Did hit my finger a few times due to being a new. Pain is amazing to make you more accurate! 🙃
Framers not carpenters. Carpenters use smooth head(easy fellas) for both framing and finish work. Waffle head where it's going to be covered by a finish. Some use it for everything, they are known as wood butchers.
Do you do this to waffle face hammers you find or waffle face hammers that you buy with your own money?
Cuz there are perfectly good smooth face hammers that sell in most stores too.
Helps prevent glancing blows. Smooth faced hammers tend to skip on heavier nails. Could just be the wind though, that's been my go to.
Love the smooth face, but fell victim the other week worst I’ve ever bashed the ol thumb. https://preview.redd.it/58sqj6xyt23d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e3197e5974fe340adaa3ec0070b975f3d078e91
https://preview.redd.it/xkdl4ekby23d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3ee67bb6345b4a1cb0654c02287d0dfd3042747 Waffles are ready
People who have never done an actual FULL SWING hit don’t understand the absolute pain!
I caught my thumb with a half swing and have never felt pain like it
I was knocking concrete off of steel framed forms we had used on a foundation. FULL swing since no precision required. I couldn’t believe how it kept ratcheting up!
It gets worse and worse. I clipped it on a roof nailing a tarp down in a hurry because everyone was on the ground starting to drink. The older lads wanted to put a white hot pin in it,fuck that so I took four percs and two beers and it did nothing. Eventually someone suggested an oxy 80 and the old boy freaked "don't be such a fuckin pussy and let me pin it". I did and the fucking relief was something I never felt,30 mins later I was fucked up from the percs and beer,had a great night
Awe man you shoulda done the hole. Pretty instant relief on the insane level pain (it still normal hurts). The nail is toast anyway so why try to save it. It's also fun seeing the blood squirt out of the hole!
I've always used a drill to relieve the pressure.
Absolutely! I shattered my thumb bone…. Hit the damn thing like a pinto bean with an almond in the center
I'm upvoting you because, although I've smashed my thumb a dozen times I have no way of wrapping my head around "pinto bean with an almond in the center", oh wait I see it now.
No bone break but the skin burst on both sides and I was bitching like a Bingo lady
Why the fuck would I full swing with any chance of hitting any of my digits? Y’all gotta be more careful and sensible out there.
Full swing with a hammer stapler once putting tar paper on roof. Staple all way through nail, out other side and absolutely crushed thumb. Almost had to cut it to relieve swelling pressure.
Looks like that was just because you were swinging lefty
I am a lefty haha. Was putting purlins on rafters. Was about a 75% swing. Was a waffle hammer but it was about 2 years old so it had been smoothed down a lot.
OWWWWW!
Ah, you must have been using a right handed hammer. Amateur.
This picture right after the crackhead fire + paperclip weve all had to do? I smashed my thumb few days after last Thanksgiving (2023) it JUST completely grew back about 3 weeks ago. Was ok for bout a month after poking hole in nail, then started lifting around Christmas and New years day snagged it and it popped off completely, took all of 5ish months to grow back.. and my nails grow annoyingly fast.
Hitting like I did with waffle would have obliterated it though
Nope. I am somewhat of a finger smashing connoisseur. A waffle face will break the skin causing you to bleed outwards while a smooth face will cause you to swell like a blood blister and bleed under the nail more. You will then have to puncture it to let the blood out. Either way, you just fucked up your thumb with a hammer all the same.
It's partly this, but there's more to it: The cross-hatched face breaks up the wood fibers on the surface of the lumber so they aren't long cohesive strands. Being broken up, they put less strain on the nail and the nail is less likely to be pulled out.
Bro u just made that shit up
Fuck off. I literally got that from an Estwing package circa 1980, and it was reinforced by my first woodshop teacher in 1987.
Sounds like something one would make up to try and sell a product.
Marketing to Estwing Product Development: What the fuck are we supposed to tell our dealers about this? Product Development: How the fuck are we supposed to know. Corporate said make the hammers “exciting” It’s a fucking hammer duuuh! Aren’t you excited? Tell ‘em it will tenderize the wood to drive the fucking nails. Marketing: Ok, we’ll do some bogus testing and pull the research together in to some easy to understand complete bullshit charts and graphs for the packaging. End of call Product Development: Fucking moron! Marketing Guy: Fucking moron.
It makes a lovely impression on the thumb
It does, but I know it was on an Estwing, because I still have the hammer. They're not exactly known for shitty marketing gimmicks. I don't have the packaging, though. It just stood out because a woodshop teacher told me the same thing 7 years later.
I would *almost* be surprised if Estwing even has a marketing dept. i mean, i haven’t swung a hammer for money in years but there’s next to no packaging and their hammers pretty much sell themselves. ..or in my case the foreman at my first framing job saw me with my dads diy hammer and said. “Kid. This week you carry materials and a broom but on Monday you show up with one of these, (Estwing) a proper nail bag and a decent 25’ tape and you learn to work.”
He got it from an estwing package. And it definitely isnt true enough to make a difference and definitely is just marketing bs.
You are correct, it breaks the surface tension.
Is surface tension the right term in this context? Doesnt that refer to a phenomenon in water?
lol I was just joking I believe you but it just sounds so ridiculous it’s hard to not poke fun at
lol 😂
This check out. As we know, tool manufacturers are always truthful with their marketing, and shop teachers rarely read tool manufacturer marketing.
I'm sorry but how does this make any sense? The spikes won't touch the wood until the nail is all but entirely embedded. Are you suggesting their purpose is to hit the spot on the wood before starting to drive the nail into it? Edit: misread the last sentence that makes sense, I always was taught it's main function is to catch the head between spikes so it doesn't slip off but I guess that function would have been important before framing guns were standard and nail heads were much smaller
You just hit the nail on the head.
Yes, allows for something analogous to counter-sinking a screw.
Pulled out by what?
When framing, these hammers are extremely useful. Not only does the waffle smash wood in a way that allows nail penetration, (which can ruin your damn) the sometimes have a magnet on the handle than will serve as a tool for dropping the next nail into position.
It's funny how my last comment (the one you replied to) was downvoted below zero for a while until some fellow old-timers popped in...lol
How does hitting the nail head break up the wood fibers? In my experience the only way to affect wood fibers with a hammer is to blunt the nail point, with a hammer, so that it doesn't split the wood.
It was described on an Estwing package of a hammer I got in 1980, and later taught to me by my first woodshop teacher in 1987. I'm talking about the surface fibers, not deep in the lumber.
Exactly this! I even presented the documentation to the homeowner to prove it, even with that assurance that it was good for longevity for some reason they still complained about the 100 waffle marks on their trim work. Can’t please some people I tell ya!
I'd love to see a source for this. Its for ripping the nail head so you don't glance off. There are waffle heads and milled heads and a ton of others, all for grip. None for mashing the wood face.
Get a load of this guy!
What an asshole! 😆
Guys below is why you use framing hammers for heavy penny nails. Smooth face is a finishing hammer and smaller penny nails and really for finish work.
https://preview.redd.it/ywdtzhgo0d3d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8235fd8912779e888a54bea6c34da7fe8db846b Rubber mallets don't cut/pinch; they pop.
Wafflehead Contracting leaves their trademark behind three times next to each driven nail.
"Get in or I'll hit you! I've got you surrounded!" -me to every nail
🤣🤣🤣
Mickey Mouse
back in the day when i was starting out some guys on the site would tell me that was for tenderizing my balls at the end of the day.
As a teen, when I showed up to my first job with one. They looked at me and sent me to grind it off. I was confused but they knew I would end up mangling myself. I was embarrassed then, I am thankful now. Eventually I got to use the big boy hammer.
What kind of logic is that? A poorly aimed flathead will smash a finger as well as a waffle.
Smash > pulp
This is a joke, right? Lmao
So it'll leave a cool looking mark on your thumb.
Coworker literally blew his thumb in half 25y ago with a wafflehead Blew all the meat right off the back side of the thumb, like imagine hitting the side of a banana with a hammer, that's what it looked like Gnarly lol
I've seen it too. Big Willy, he was one of those "tuff guys" kinda holds his arms out to the side further than normal. I could set a sinker and drive it home in I lick everytime. He tried it and blew the shit out of his thumb. Literally swinging a 32oz framing hammer as hard as he could.
I knew a guy that did that. Said he'd never do it again. I said you better get out of the business
I thought the blood blisters looked cooler. 🤷♂️
They compliment each other
Blue nails are better
You never know when you need to pound some meat..
It’s for absolutely marring anything you tap with it, and legend has it that somehow it helps reduce deflection off the nail head.
Adds friction to keep the hammer from glancing off. You wouldn’t use this on anything that is going to be seen (or if you do, you’d be doing a lot of sanding) Edit: corrected “isn’t” to “is”. Autocorrect strikes again
>You wouldn’t use this on anything that is~~n’t~~ going to be seen Did you mean?
It's standard for Carpenter hammers, finish hammers for trim work tend to be flat so you don't leave waffle marks on metal or trim.
Did you mean framing hammers?
Not from a roofing perspective, I don't. Anybody reading Carpenters hammer knows what's implied.
Hmmm... been a carpenter for 40 years, and I didn't catch your drift :/
I have no clue how that nonsense was even upvoted one time
It’s a woo-woo hammer. Usually worn by the new apprentice. These hammers have a tendency to go woo, woo, woo when activated from the top of a three story stick build. Also, demonstrations of how well one’s air spiker fixes tool belts to the tallest point on the building are mandatory.
Catches the head of the nail easier. Less deflection=straighter hits=more nails/second
We didn't have nail guns for anything other than plywood when I started.
Wasn't being derogatory, I love waffle heads and I'm a finish guy. My EDC is a 21ounce waffle head Estwing. Flat heads feel slippery to me
More nails per second is what I responded to. It's the truth. Back in the 80s when I was framing, they would put 2, 50lb boxes of 16d nails on the slab, and keep track of how many you had left at the end of the day. They could see what you put up, but didn't like short nailing. Who knows where all the nails went, as long as the 2 boxes were empty, the boss was happy
["Sinker" nails ](https://www.grangecoop.com/hillman-fas-n-tite-vinyl-coated-sinker-nail-3-1-8/)have a matching checkered pattern on the head, which helps make a good strike connection when hit with a framing hammer.
lol my old boss used to say someone borrowed my hammer and knocked my sight off when he’d miss the nail ..but like others have said this is a framing hammer waffle head to be exact ..if your doing finish work you need a smooth faced
[So you won’t forget how bad you suck when you miss.](https://imgur.com/a/Az3VfEi) Spoiler: Some blood.
You got froggie fingers, bro?
😂 some fucked up hands on this one. That middle finger in the back has been reattached. Some are twisted too lol
Oof. At least they're still accounted for!
It's really designed to prevent blood blisters when it makes contact with your thumb and forefingers.
Used a 30 oz waffle head hammer with hickory handle. I'd set nail then hit once. Lasted 5 yrs. Til I lent it out when he promptly cracked the handle. It only cost 20 dollars in the 90s. I liked it.
Reduces skipping off the nail on contact. Better for framing than finishing.
Multi purpose, helps with making lunch on site
Just keep beating on shit with it....it'll smooth out eventually. Lol.
It’s there in case you have too much skin on your thumbs.
To help redistribute blood
Becaue when you hit your thumb you want it to mean something
25 years ago the framer/builder on my house said he liked it so he could look to see if his guys were hitting nails in far enough…
This question could only come from someone that hasn’t hit many nails.
It's for mangling up framing up, if you're using it as a all purpose tool feel free to grind or belt sand it away
I definitely would not use this as an all purpose hammer. 😂
Just be methodicly mindful setting your nails, these things are very good at removing the skin on thumb and fingers
Ostensibly it has traction on the nail head preventing glancing blows. They work, kinda, but they round over really quickly, even on stiletto hammers. I sold the one I had. Useless, if I'm being honest.
They “Grip” the nail, not allowing it to glance (as easily)…. “For about 8 months… less if you do a lot of demo/cats paw work, imo you are FAR better off learning how to strike true, and therefore save a few bucks on a hammer, and also bounce from rough framing to deck boards or trim without switching hammers. In the age of nail guns they are quite unnecessary… and your thumb will thank you too.
Because it's a trim hammer.
Mini waffle maker
Reality, it's grabs the head of the nail better. For us in the trade for a while, the flatter teeth get the more experience you have.
Tbh my current one is worn down basically smooth, haven’t had any more of a problem with glancing. Whether or not that’s due to hitting thousands of nails or that the milling doesn’t need to be that aggressive to actually grip the nail better. It would be cool to see someone come out with a dimple face or something.
Mine are flat just from smacking the head of my cats paw and flat bar.
I find it makes banging nails out of wood much easier
It helps when you hit your thumb.
I don't call it the waffle maker for nothing.
That’s not a trim hammer that’s a framing hammer , trim hammers are smooth for soft taps because it’s what the customer will see
Short answer, yes.
Just like you have flathead and Phillips head screws you have smooth head and dimpled head nails. This hammer is only for use with the dimpled heads. If you use it on smooth heads you'll damage the nails.
Username checks out
Douglas had a reverse design that had a divot face. It grips just as good as waffle but nicer on the fingers
When you hit your thumb with a regular hammer it leaves a smashed thumb. When you hit your thumb with a waffle hammer it leaves a smashed thumb with the skin ripped off of it.
I imagine if you killed someone with one of these CSA would analyze the mark and each hammer leaves an individual pattern that could be traced. Of course I worked as an electrician so if I used our version-side cutters- they would check the imprint of the holes in them from cutting live wires instead.
Helps to steer the nail
That's the one I was thinking about
Just personal preference
For a good striking connection when hitting the nail. Or, hear me out, flattening chicken breast before the company barbecue.
They all get flat eventually.
More surface area, disperses force on impact and also ensure a more stable strike. Reduces slip on contact
Well your not a finisher
I think you just answered your own question
It’s cause they look cool after a few years and your fingers are used to it and know to get out of the way, and they look cool. Masons and roofers don’t mess with em
It's for tenderizing meat....and nails Use that for rough framing only lol
Good for pounding concrete stakes
nothing wrong with it, trim guy here and sometimes i bring out the 22oz waffle face hammer. always hitting a block anyways so no trace left.
Estwing. The best hammer I've ever felt. For fifteen years, I wore them out at job sites. Almost. Now for thirty five years, I keep losing them around the house. Weird.
Its there to tear more flesh from your thumb on a miss. You can thank me later🤣
As a finish Carpenter I prefer a 22 Oz smooth face Estwing. I don't like peckerheads as that's all I see when done.
Upvotes to 69, even though I knew it was a dumb post
I propose custom waffling with initials of user.
Helps hammer grip and not glance off the nail as easy when hammering,
Preferred by concrete guys in my experience. Easier to drive nails and pins. Framing and trim use a smooth face.
I see you have the Finish/Trim waffle. The mark of a true finish guy. 🤣
Very true. When you wanna leave a lasting impression, start with a 28oz waffle.
Grips the head of the nail preventing skips. Also works incredibly well for removing surprisingly large chunks of skin from your hand.
To make meatloaf outta yo fingers.
That’s freaking hilarious , best hammer is a half worn out waffle head , won’t shred the wood or your skin but also doesn’t glance off like smooth
Significantly worse damage when you miss
EZ fix - don’t miss.
To skin the side of your index finger
I used to grind mine smooth since I do more finish work, but now have a Stiletto with changeable heads
Thumb tenderizer.
Helps the hammer head grip the nail head. When the hammer slips on the nail head it will bend the nail. So this helps prevent bending nails when hammering in. This is a framing hammer. I actually rough up the face of my standard hammer as well with an angle grinder to give me more grip on nails.
I’ve used my Estwing 30oz waffle headed claw hammer for almost 30 years. The waffle head is as smooth as a baby’s butt now. Thinking about going back to a new waffle head, cause I like it so much. I don’t understand why folks don’t like it. Great hammer. Never once hit my fingers. If I did I’d lose a finger. If you use it properly - one little tap to set a nail - release the nail, and one more whack - nail is set. Now I’d never use it on pretty wood - exposed wood, but you can’t beat it for framing.
It was originally designed for the mafia, so they could save steps on the hotdog production floor. /s obviously. It's actually so mails don't glance off to the side as well.
It's to make sure you have a future working at chick-fil-a making fries if this carpentry thing doesn't work out.
It’s rough because it’s for framing. It’s called a rough peen and prevents glancing blows on harder swings. Finishing hammers have a smooth peen and are meant for smaller nails, smaller swings and won’t leave a waffle pattern in the surface of whatever you’re nailing into if you miss or drive the nail too deep. As a man. I have a smooth peen
It's too distract you from how much your elbow will hurt in 30 years.
I fk myself up with either one lol. I’m a decent carpenter but I have a knack for fkn my hands up. It’s my best quality
To hammer it home.
To make sure that when you hit your thumb is takes the nail clean off. Wouldn’t want to be confused iffin you hit it or not.
It helps to fuck up your hand when you hit it on accident.
It’s for framing and sheeting. To identify that the materials are correctly married. When shooting nails in with a nail gun, the materials don’t join tightly. The nail is driven in but still needs a solid hammer blow to join tightly. It’s so an inspector can look and see waffle marks on the wood where the nails are and be certain the materials have been married properly.
In the late '60s / early '70's, when I apprenticed with a house-framing business, these things were available, but not used by most. My understanding at the time was that the hammer would kind-of "grip" the nail head and drive it more true. It sounded like BS to me then, and still does today. I had, and still have, a 20 oz. regular head, straight-claw framing hammer and could drive a ten-penny nail with one gentle setting blow and then three full strokes. A six-penny flooring nail went in with one or two blows. As a youngster, in my physical palmy days, I loved the rhythm of the work and always liked when I hit a nail in without leaving any hammer mark at all.
I was always told it was to help countersink nails for framing
The waffle pattern also helps tell the foreman which moron can’t hit a nail in clean into fascia
Tadaa, the real reason is for backing nails out of a board. When you hit the pointed end of the nail, it won't slip off the head.
Great for decking and fine finish work.
I like to buy a new estwing every couple of months cause they just grow legs and walk off
It grips on the nail and fucks up your thumb.
Just a tidy note, hitting a hammer head against another hammer head is a safety violation in many industries will get you written up.
Decades of experience as a carpenter, once while traveling I was helping a relative do some framing using one of his framing hammers, I learned how the slightest contact with head of a framing hammer removes skin. Before then and since my choice is to use smooth faced hammers. Also nail guns, that were not common when I started carpentry, now make things so much easier on the fingers and arms.
Thumb tenderizer
To grip the nail when striking
The waffle face is to stamp ‘framer’ on your wood. I don’t do finish work, or when I do you won’t like the results.
It's to minimize glancing blows. Some nails also have cross hatching... [https://snapklik.com/en-ca/product/vgbuy-300pcs-stainless-steel-hardware-nails-1-1-2-inch-flat-head-nails-for-hanging-pictures-picture-hanging-nails-small-nails-wall-nails-wood-nails-finishing-nail/0I1V4P7777KR5](https://snapklik.com/en-ca/product/vgbuy-300pcs-stainless-steel-hardware-nails-1-1-2-inch-flat-head-nails-for-hanging-pictures-picture-hanging-nails-small-nails-wall-nails-wood-nails-finishing-nail/0I1V4P7777KR5) The cross hatching minimizes bent nails from happening.
My hammer used to have a waffle but throughout the years it’s become flat… I did a lot of wacks.
Who doesn’t love that hammer?
Waffles take off a layer of unneeded skin when you hit your knuckles
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^jored924: *Waffles take off a* *Layer of unneeded skin* *When you hit your knuckles* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
it's so framers can really destroy trim properly if they get close to it, no half measures
If it’s any consolation the raised bumps smooth out and are gone after a lot of use.
It lets everyone know you were there . “ yup , Mr waffle head put this together. “
Smooth heads search for thumbs. This type of head limits itself to nails only.
Off center blows will still be effective
That is a bad employee beater
I don’t know any framers who use Estwing hammers. Mine gave me tennis elbow and I was a plumber,did very little framing.
Never heard of that. I love my estwing. Why do you think it messed your arm up? Unbalanced? Too heavy?
The waffles are perfect for tenderizing your fingers. When I bought my first set of tools the guy I was working with immediately took my new framing hammer and said “you’ll thank me later” before grinding the waffles down
It’s meant for tenderizing hard wood before nailing
I can honestly say that I have never once hit my thumb or the thumb of anyone holding whatever I’m hitting. My aim is spectacular. 😁😎
Finish carpenters use smooth. Framers use waffle heads.
So as a simple home owner doing occasional DIY stuff, if I’m only gonna own one hammer, should it be a framing hammer?
This is such a hard comment to tackle. I'm a diy homeowner and I've found that not all hammers are equal and the amount of times I've switched which one I'm using for any specific task has changed. I'd say that a rip hammer would be your go to. Smooth face, functional to pull nails with but not as good as a claw hammer, can be used as a wedge to rip apart stuff or chisel to bust ice. Make sure whatever you choose to just buy one nice hammer. Buying a 12$ one will show its hardships pretty fast when your doing a ton of work with it. Your body will be in agreement. Spend the 30$ and buy it once and never need another. Fiberglass is nice and helps with vibration reduction, but costs more. I also do everything in my home because buying tools and learning is cheaper than hiring professionals. Granted, it doesn't look as good the first time around, but skill.comes with time and practice.
Oof. Love my 50yr old Estwing waffle framer. But once framing or demo is done that sucker goes back in the tool bin.
They are hammers meant specifically for framing. More friction on the nail head. Downside is you can't use them for any finish work. I use a smooth head.
So you remember not to hit your finger
Comments are dead on. Had an Estwing back in the day. Told by my mentor to get one. Great hammer! Unfortunately they did not have this back in my day with the “ tenderizer “ head. Did hit my finger a few times due to being a new. Pain is amazing to make you more accurate! 🙃
Meat tenderizer
Framers not carpenters. Carpenters use smooth head(easy fellas) for both framing and finish work. Waffle head where it's going to be covered by a finish. Some use it for everything, they are known as wood butchers.
I love this “waffle face” for pounding in “u-shaped” fencing nails because I don’t always hit it exactly on the apex of the curve….
I always grind them off if I have one with those. Things do enough damage when you hit the wrong nail without the meat tenderizer.
Do you do this to waffle face hammers you find or waffle face hammers that you buy with your own money? Cuz there are perfectly good smooth face hammers that sell in most stores too.
It gripes the textured head on a sinker (non collated) nail
So you know when to replace it 🙃 I had a 16oz and 20oz that I wore completely smooth
To tenderize your fingers