Hammer

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(Redirected from Sledgehammer)
A claw hammer

A hammer is a tool for putting nails into objects such as wood. It has a long handle, and a tip with a flat end for hitting nails. The most common type of hammer (sometimes called a claw hammer) has a curved end (on the other side of the hitting end) for pulling nails out.

A sledgehammer is a hammer that has a longer shaft, and a more massive head. The user can swing it with two hands and apply more force.

History[change | change source]

Hammers were used around 3.3 million years ago.[1][2] The first hammers were made without handles. Stones attached to sticks with strips of leather or animal sinew were being used. Hammers with handles were made in 30,000 BCE during the middle of the Paleolithic Stone Age. The hammer was used for building, food and protection.[3]

Classification of hammers[change | change source]

Hammers can be classified into two. They are:

Hand-powered hammers[change | change source]

Swinging a sledgehammer

Hand-powered hammers are hammers that are used with the hand. Examples include:

Mechanically-powered hammer[change | change source]

Mechanically powered hammers are hammers that are used with a machine. Examples include:

Hammers as weapons[change | change source]

Big hammers were sometimes used as weapons. A tiny hammer is also used inside most small arms.

References[change | change source]

  1. Wong, Kate. "Archaeologists Take Wrong Turn, Find World's Oldest Stone Tools [Update]". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  2. Hovers, Erella (2015). "Tools go back in time". Nature. 521 (7552): 294–295. doi:10.1038/521294a. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 25993954. S2CID 205085058.
  3. "The history of the hammer from its prehistoric beginnings. | Tool Blogger UK". langs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-10-21.