We have so many opportunities these days to buy new tools to replace the ones that have lost their shine or been dinged up from years of use. I have numerous hammers — from a tiny, light-weight furniture upholstery one to a hefty sledge hammer, suitable for destroying my concrete patio. But my favorite is a 65-year-old, wooden handled lightweight hammer that belonged to my mother.
My parents built a two-story, Cape Cod style house, beginning before I was born in 1946. My favorite hammer is the one my mom used on that construction. The handle is smooth and dark, and the head has become somewhat less angular over the years. But it has just the right heft for the size and strength of my hand. If and when the handle gives out, I’ll get the best replacement on the market.
This hammer has obviously not been used for things it wasn’t designed to do. I had a wonderful log-splitting maul with a metal handle. Some teenagers used it as a lever to lift something quite heavy and bent the handle — ruined a useful tool! I was not a happy camper!
Do you have a favorite tool that has been your right-hand man through years of DIY projects? If so, tell us about it in the comments section below.