A farrier in Boise told me my hammer control looked like I was fighting the steel, not guiding it.

I switched to a 2.5 pound rounding hammer and focused on letting the tool's weight do more work, which cut my arm fatigue in half after a full day at the forge, so what's one piece of direct feedback that changed your hammer technique?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wesley1d ago

Working with the tool's own design" is so true. I had a similar thing with a hand plane. I was pushing way too hard and getting tear-out, until a guy at the woodworking store just said "let it glide." I was basically trying to shove it through the wood. Once I eased up and let the sharp blade do its job, I got these perfect, whisper-thin shavings. It felt like magic after all that struggling.

allen.kai1d ago

Totally get that! It's wild how often we try to muscle through things instead of working with the tool's own design. I see it all the time with people using a drill or even just a kitchen knife.

spencer_coleman1d ago

Remember when I tried to use a framing hammer for finish nails? My wrist still hurts from that week.