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Claw Hammer

Woodworking Tools

A claw hammer is a hammer used mainly in carpentry to drive nails into wood or pull them back out, historically closely associated with woodworking though it also sees general use elsewhere. Its steel head is somewhat brittle, so it is not well suited to heavy hammering on metal, a job better left to a ball-peen hammer; an early depiction of a claw hammer appears in Albrecht Durer's 1514 etching Melencolia I.

Facts
Introduced When (Circa)
Documented by 1514 (Albrecht Durer's etching Melencolia I) 1
Origin
An early depiction of a claw hammer appears in Albrecht Durer's 1514 etching Melencolia I, where it is shown halfway up the left side of the composition. 1
Sources
1. Claw Hammer (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Article body, Durer etching sentence
    An early claw hammer is seen in Albrecht Durer's etching "Melencolia I," dated 1514, halfway up the left side.
  • Article body, Durer etching sentence (origin detail)
    An early claw hammer is seen in Albrecht Durer's etching "Melencolia I," dated 1514, halfway up the left side.
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