Striking Tools
Hammers
Hammers drive force through a hard striking head. They are mostly used for driving nails, breaking material, or shaping metal.
| Tool | Used for |
|---|---|
| Ball peen hammer | Forming custom metal parts, flattening rivet heads, and metalworking. The rounded peen allows for shaping and forming metal. |
| Claw hammer | Building wooden structures, framing, and general carpentry. The clawed end is used to remove nails. |
| Sledgehammer | Demolition, driving fence posts, breaking concrete, and knocking down walls. The heft allows for heavy blows. |
Mallets
Mallets deliver force through a softer head, so they can strike without marring the work surface.
| Tool | Used for |
|---|---|
| Rubber mallet | Dent removal, assembling parts, and tapping components into place without denting them. It can strike without damaging surfaces. |
| Dead blow mallet | Seating parts, fitting pipes, and heavy assembly work. Its hollow head is partly filled with loose steel shot or sand that shifts on impact, which absorbs rebound so nearly all the force goes into the part. |
| Wooden mallet | Woodworking, driving chisels, and joinery. |
Punches & drifts
These tools concentrate force onto a small point for cutting, marking, or driving pins.
| Tool | Used for |
|---|---|
| Pin punch | Removing rivets, dowel pins, and roll pins during mechanical repairs. Its flat tip drives pins out or in without damaging surrounding material. |
| Center punch | Precision drilling and metal fabrication. Its pointed tip makes a small dimple that keeps a drill bit from wandering when the hole is started. |
| Brass drift | Aligning holes, positioning engine components, and working where non-sparking tools are required. It can align or move parts without creating sparks or damaging metal surfaces. |
The three tools are easy to mix up. The punches differ by tip: the pin punch has a flat tip for driving pins, and the center punch has a cone-shaped tip for marking a starting point. The brass drift differs by material: soft brass lets it align parts without scarring them or making sparks.
Example: Choosing a punch
You need to mark a spot so a drill bit won’t wander when you start the hole. Which tool do you use?
Answer: Center punch — its pointed tip creates a small dimple that keeps the drill bit centered.