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March 16, 2010 1:17 PM Subscribe
How do I drive in a nail with a single blow?
I want to be able to, with one blow, sink a nail into a bit of wood.
Priority one is driving the nail in a vertical position, priority two into a wall. Assume I just have a regular hammer, regular 2x4 style wood and like ... a two inch nail, flat head. I can give it a tap to get it seated.
I am a woman of average height and strength. Is there a trick to this? How can I
I want to be able to, with one blow, sink a nail into a bit of wood.
Priority one is driving the nail in a vertical position, priority two into a wall. Assume I just have a regular hammer, regular 2x4 style wood and like ... a two inch nail, flat head. I can give it a tap to get it seated.
I am a woman of average height and strength. Is there a trick to this? How can I
My experienced guess is that you will never be able to do this without more than average strength, a framing (heavy) hammer, reasonably soft wood, and a high degree of accuracy. Practice on a 2x4 set horizontally on plywood, then concrete. Wear safety goggles. Nails can fly off at weird angles.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:23 PM on March 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:23 PM on March 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Practice, practice, practice. Both for the accuracy, and for the strength. I've known many people who could do this, both men and women, but they were _all_ professional tradespeople.
posted by KathrynT at 1:24 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by KathrynT at 1:24 PM on March 16, 2010
Thinking about this in more detail, it would seem that driving a nail in one blow is a function of the force applied to it.
Force equals mass times acceleration.
So if you have average mass in your arm, you will need to swing at a much faster rate of acceleration than a bigger person.
Etc.
posted by dfriedman at 1:26 PM on March 16, 2010
Force equals mass times acceleration.
So if you have average mass in your arm, you will need to swing at a much faster rate of acceleration than a bigger person.
Etc.
posted by dfriedman at 1:26 PM on March 16, 2010
Assuming a seated nail, you need to be really, really accurate. And have a really huge framing hammer.
posted by GuyZero at 1:31 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by GuyZero at 1:31 PM on March 16, 2010
Its a combination of accuracy and the speed of the hammer swing. Do some forearm exercises, meditate, and rewatch the karate kid.
posted by muscat at 1:34 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by muscat at 1:34 PM on March 16, 2010
I know this is possible, but I've never been able to achieve it myself. I do know that you'll need to hold the hammer as far down the handle as you can (fulcrum arm, etc.). If you choke up on it, as most people tend to do, you won't ever get there.
posted by Gilbert at 1:36 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by Gilbert at 1:36 PM on March 16, 2010
Make sure the nail is in a soft spot on the wood, away from knots and close-spaced grain on either side of the board. Swing the hammer with speed and accuracy and swing as if you're swinging through the wood...don't pull back at the end or you lose power. Pactice until you get a good accuracy before you try to add speed and power.
posted by rocket88 at 1:38 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by rocket88 at 1:38 PM on March 16, 2010
Sorry, I should have said above average arm size and an above average sized hammer.
posted by dfriedman at 1:38 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by dfriedman at 1:38 PM on March 16, 2010
you need a very heavy hammer to do such a thing. But you also need to wield it effectively. So dont get something too big. Make sure you know what kind of wood your driving into. Some woods will simply not allow you too. Since there super hard.
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 1:41 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 1:41 PM on March 16, 2010
Best answer: 24oz hammer w/ a friction face (the crosshatches, not a smooth face), hammer held towards the bottom (the bottom of your palm should be touching a little lip that keeps your hand from slipping off), nice pendulum like swinging motion where the motion is almost entirely in your shoulder and a wee bit in your elbow, starting w/ the head just a twee behind your ear...
You're gonna swing that thing w/o letting your wrist move, and you do NOT want to be parallel to the board in question, you're going at a slight downward motion, hitting about maybe 1/8-1/5" below dead center on the striking face of the hammer.
a 2" nail ain't nothin. You can do this unless a 24oz hammer is way more than you can lift. Hell, at 2" you can do this with a 18oz'er. If you do this in a 2x4, do it on the wide side, not the narrow side, and (ideally) against something very secure (even nail the 2x4 to something else), bounce is your enemy.
Back in the day when I worked for an organization that rhymes with Babibat for Bubabity, it's possible to teach fit, coordinated volunteers this w/ 3" 16D's over the course of a day's hammering.
Oh, and lastly, keep your other damn hand far away, and wear eye protection. Nails can break, shear off, spark, etc. And try not to flinch. Try.
One last thing, give the nail point a firm whack to flatten it slightly before starting it in the board.
posted by TomMelee at 1:42 PM on March 16, 2010 [6 favorites]
You're gonna swing that thing w/o letting your wrist move, and you do NOT want to be parallel to the board in question, you're going at a slight downward motion, hitting about maybe 1/8-1/5" below dead center on the striking face of the hammer.
a 2" nail ain't nothin. You can do this unless a 24oz hammer is way more than you can lift. Hell, at 2" you can do this with a 18oz'er. If you do this in a 2x4, do it on the wide side, not the narrow side, and (ideally) against something very secure (even nail the 2x4 to something else), bounce is your enemy.
Back in the day when I worked for an organization that rhymes with Babibat for Bubabity, it's possible to teach fit, coordinated volunteers this w/ 3" 16D's over the course of a day's hammering.
Oh, and lastly, keep your other damn hand far away, and wear eye protection. Nails can break, shear off, spark, etc. And try not to flinch. Try.
One last thing, give the nail point a firm whack to flatten it slightly before starting it in the board.
posted by TomMelee at 1:42 PM on March 16, 2010 [6 favorites]
As others have said, it's not the arm, it's the hammer.
If you want to work all day, you don't hit a nail by forcing the hammer down with your arm. All that should happen is the hammer falls, pivoting at your elbow. The effort you do is to lift the hammer---the blow falls on it's own. You swing and aim, but you don't strike, the hammer does.
So, if you want to sink a nail in a single blow, you need a big hammer, one with a 20 or 22 oz head. It's not a great idea though: you'll have less control and so leave hammer marks. Better to take two or three blows, one to sink most of the way, and a soft tap to just seat the nail.
posted by bonehead at 1:46 PM on March 16, 2010
If you want to work all day, you don't hit a nail by forcing the hammer down with your arm. All that should happen is the hammer falls, pivoting at your elbow. The effort you do is to lift the hammer---the blow falls on it's own. You swing and aim, but you don't strike, the hammer does.
So, if you want to sink a nail in a single blow, you need a big hammer, one with a 20 or 22 oz head. It's not a great idea though: you'll have less control and so leave hammer marks. Better to take two or three blows, one to sink most of the way, and a soft tap to just seat the nail.
posted by bonehead at 1:46 PM on March 16, 2010
It hasn't been mentioned yet, but all hammers are not created equal.
If your hammer has a flat face, then it won't be very forgiving if it strikes the nail at anything other than 100% straight-on.
Get yourself a hammer with a slightly convex head. If it strikes the nail slightly off the perfect angle, the curvature will help make up for your inaccuracy.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:50 PM on March 16, 2010
If your hammer has a flat face, then it won't be very forgiving if it strikes the nail at anything other than 100% straight-on.
Get yourself a hammer with a slightly convex head. If it strikes the nail slightly off the perfect angle, the curvature will help make up for your inaccuracy.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:50 PM on March 16, 2010
Best answer: Obviously this will vary greatly with the hardness of the wood and the size of the nail. But for sinking a framing nail in the a stud when the swing is unobstructed, I like the following.
Don't choke up on the hammer - the handle is that long for a reason. Your pinky finger should be near, but not over the end. Think baseball bat without the knob on the end. Swing it such that the head is coming straight down on the head with no angle. That means at the point of contact, the blow is powered by the forearm and the wrist is only controlling the angle of the head. That doesn't mean that the wrist doesn't flex ever - some back flex is great to get some speed going at the start but on contact, you've timed it to be in position - quite the same as swinging a driver onto a golf ball. Also, picture in your mind the nail moving straight to the point where you'd like the middle of the nail to end up. That always helps me land it.
Delivering the deeply satisfying hammer blow you describe is delicious. Like a great golf swing - it takes practice.
posted by buzzv at 1:51 PM on March 16, 2010
Don't choke up on the hammer - the handle is that long for a reason. Your pinky finger should be near, but not over the end. Think baseball bat without the knob on the end. Swing it such that the head is coming straight down on the head with no angle. That means at the point of contact, the blow is powered by the forearm and the wrist is only controlling the angle of the head. That doesn't mean that the wrist doesn't flex ever - some back flex is great to get some speed going at the start but on contact, you've timed it to be in position - quite the same as swinging a driver onto a golf ball. Also, picture in your mind the nail moving straight to the point where you'd like the middle of the nail to end up. That always helps me land it.
Delivering the deeply satisfying hammer blow you describe is delicious. Like a great golf swing - it takes practice.
posted by buzzv at 1:51 PM on March 16, 2010
Just noting that one issue women have with hammers is not that the hammer itself is too heavy, but that the damn handle is too thick to get a good grip on with a smaller hand, no matter what the weight of the hammer is. Unfortunately, too many still think tools for women = Pink Hammer.
posted by Good Brain at 1:54 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by Good Brain at 1:54 PM on March 16, 2010
The best advice I ever got for getting nails in a lot faster was the same I got for hitting a baseball; hit through the nail. If you put your swing and your strength behind hitting through the nail and through the wood, you will likely succeed with practice.
posted by MonsieurBon at 1:54 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by MonsieurBon at 1:54 PM on March 16, 2010
I have relatively small hands and have always found Estwing hammers to be good fits for me. The Stanley hammers are often a bit big.
posted by bonehead at 1:58 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by bonehead at 1:58 PM on March 16, 2010
Speaking as a former industrial carpenter, if you actually want to be able to do this (as opposed to this being a thought experiment) you're going to need to practice a lot. Most people who swing hammers 40 hours a week for years can't do this infallibly.
As an industrial carpenter, ultimately you arrive at a 3 strike method. First a mild tap to get it started, then a maximum power strike to drive it most of the way, then a final full power strike (not overpowered like the 2nd hit, just full power but with more control) to drive it any remaining distance and to get it set. That was the most efficient way for most people to drive a nail.
Now I realize that's not exactly what you're asking about, but I just wanted to caution you that when you attempt to do this you need to find a very safe place and use eye protection, because I'll tell you what's going to happen eventually if not immediately: You're going to tap a nail into a piece of wood, then you're gonna rear back and bring that hammer down with all your might, and you're going to miss. You're not going to get a square, sweet-spot hit. You're going to strike the nail way off center, and instead of driving it down into the wood, the nail is going to shoot out horizontally with great force and hit something else. What it strikes depends on your setup. You might want to build a practice area and surround your hammer alcove with cardboard boxes or something that can take a screaming nail to the face without complaint.
I would advise against doing this for a public demonstration until you get REALLY REALLY GOOD with it, but even good carpenters occasionally shoot nails by accident.
posted by BeerFilter at 2:02 PM on March 16, 2010 [8 favorites]
As an industrial carpenter, ultimately you arrive at a 3 strike method. First a mild tap to get it started, then a maximum power strike to drive it most of the way, then a final full power strike (not overpowered like the 2nd hit, just full power but with more control) to drive it any remaining distance and to get it set. That was the most efficient way for most people to drive a nail.
Now I realize that's not exactly what you're asking about, but I just wanted to caution you that when you attempt to do this you need to find a very safe place and use eye protection, because I'll tell you what's going to happen eventually if not immediately: You're going to tap a nail into a piece of wood, then you're gonna rear back and bring that hammer down with all your might, and you're going to miss. You're not going to get a square, sweet-spot hit. You're going to strike the nail way off center, and instead of driving it down into the wood, the nail is going to shoot out horizontally with great force and hit something else. What it strikes depends on your setup. You might want to build a practice area and surround your hammer alcove with cardboard boxes or something that can take a screaming nail to the face without complaint.
I would advise against doing this for a public demonstration until you get REALLY REALLY GOOD with it, but even good carpenters occasionally shoot nails by accident.
posted by BeerFilter at 2:02 PM on March 16, 2010 [8 favorites]
A day of framing with Habitat for Humanity and I learned that it's all about the hammer. Heavy framing hammer, smooth motion, pull back pretty far, and let the hammer do the work. Think of your forearm and wrist as an extension of the hammer, and make the lever as long as possible. Don't raise your arm much at the shoulder- focus on the lever motion, with your elbow as the fulcrum, and don't hesitate.
posted by MadamM at 2:07 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by MadamM at 2:07 PM on March 16, 2010
Oh, and lastly, keep your other damn hand far away,
Yes, especially when trying to overswing. Generally you want to just let the weight of the hammer do all the work, but in your endeavor you are going to have to swing much harder. When you swing harder you can miss and the hammer can glance off of the nail head and come down on the tip of one of your fingers of the other hand breaking the bone. (Don't ask how I know this.)
posted by caddis at 2:12 PM on March 16, 2010
Yes, especially when trying to overswing. Generally you want to just let the weight of the hammer do all the work, but in your endeavor you are going to have to swing much harder. When you swing harder you can miss and the hammer can glance off of the nail head and come down on the tip of one of your fingers of the other hand breaking the bone. (Don't ask how I know this.)
posted by caddis at 2:12 PM on March 16, 2010
Response by poster: These are all great, I do realise that practise, proper tools and preparation are what it's really all about. However, this is a popular "village fair" type of activity here, and I really want to improve for both the personal satisfaction and the awsomeness of the bragging rights. Bed is calling me for now, but keep 'em coming!
posted by Iteki at 2:50 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by Iteki at 2:50 PM on March 16, 2010
Dulling sharp nails, as TomMelee recommends above, is counter-intuitive, but key to consistent success, I've found. A little soap on the first 1/2" of a nail behind the point helps, too, especially in resinous, damp or slightly green wood (especially pine, fir, and cedar), or chipboard. Don't try this in dense oak, or other hard woods.
posted by paulsc at 3:04 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by paulsc at 3:04 PM on March 16, 2010
It's all in the wrist, it's like swinging a bat. You got snap those wrists, that can make up for a lack of velocity in your swing.
posted by zzazazz at 3:25 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by zzazazz at 3:25 PM on March 16, 2010
Do some forearm exercises, meditate, and rewatch the karate kid.
Make sure it's the second one, though. The first movie will only teach you to catch flies with chopsticks.
posted by ymendel at 3:26 PM on March 16, 2010
Make sure it's the second one, though. The first movie will only teach you to catch flies with chopsticks.
posted by ymendel at 3:26 PM on March 16, 2010
Green lumber rather than kiln-dried will help, IIRC (at least, I only recall doing this in green lumber). Also, select your species carefully -- structural lumber is a mix of species, and depending on where you are, you can get some pretty brutal hemlock that is unreasonably tough. Heck, go pick up some pine!
posted by misterbrandt at 4:05 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by misterbrandt at 4:05 PM on March 16, 2010
Yea, you can be the next champ! I do this a few times a week closing crates. What I've found over the last 10 years is to follow through just a wee bit with my shoulder during the strike. That negates the natural arc of your swing and gives the nail a nice direct and straight movement. Oh, I choke up a bit on the hammer too, that gets rid of even more arc.
This reminds me of forklift rodeos. I know a guy who can flip a quarter that's lying on the ground and catch it with the forks. Great stuff...good luck!
posted by snsranch at 5:16 PM on March 16, 2010
This reminds me of forklift rodeos. I know a guy who can flip a quarter that's lying on the ground and catch it with the forks. Great stuff...good luck!
posted by snsranch at 5:16 PM on March 16, 2010
We used to have 6" nail competitions, it was always the people who worked with hammers and nails who won. I'd look for a challenge where there is less advantage for professionals.
posted by howfar at 7:20 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by howfar at 7:20 PM on March 16, 2010
It's certainly possible, I've done it before as a bored kid. i was like 11, so it's not the stragth of the wielder... it's the speed of the hammer. The whole point of a hammer as a tool is that it doesn't take all that much much to apply a proportional shitload of force. Accuracy is the issue. You've got to be able to hit it consistently, which would take a lot of practice.
posted by cmoj at 11:18 PM on March 16, 2010
posted by cmoj at 11:18 PM on March 16, 2010
BeerFilter and TomMelee have it completely correct. I respectfully disagree with zzazazz.
I've worked with hundreds of novice hammerers at HFH and by far the most common technique problem that women have is hammering with their wrists in motion. (Men have other issues.) The problem is two-fold: one the lack of power and two that you get tired after about three nails.
Good luck and have fun safely!
posted by achmorrison at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2010
I've worked with hundreds of novice hammerers at HFH and by far the most common technique problem that women have is hammering with their wrists in motion. (Men have other issues.) The problem is two-fold: one the lack of power and two that you get tired after about three nails.
Good luck and have fun safely!
posted by achmorrison at 1:45 PM on March 18, 2010
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posted by dfriedman at 1:19 PM on March 16, 2010