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The Hammer, designed and crafted by John Paulding, is by far one of the most magnificent tools that we have ever laid our eyes upon. Still, merely describing The Hammer as a machinists hammer, as exemplary as it is, would never do it justice. Not just a tool, The Hammer is a work of art!

John Paulding’s motivation and drive to create The Hammer was born from the frustration over companies that pursue higher profits at the cost of quality, precision, and American jobs; from the dismay at how tools have become disposable, lifeless, and mundane; and from the sadness of how the art and pride of toolmaking has nearly been lost.


Made entirely in the USA, The Hammer is one man’s protest against the way things have become. Finely crafted from USA-made materials and with USA-made tools and tooling, The Hammer was meticulously designed and over-engineered to ensure that it could provide a lifetime of service.

The Hammer is no ordinary tool, it is an icon, one that represents the level of quality that can be still achieved in an era where many companies value greater profit margins and “competitive pricing” more than they do the design of their products.

Now that The Hammer has been properly introduced, we can take a closer look at its design and construction.

The Hammer is an interchangeable face machinist hammer intended for precision work where control and feedback are of utmost priority. A few such applications include: seating bearings, punching gaskets, driving pin punches, loading spindle bearings, engine assembly, center punching, firearm maintenance and repair, fixture adjustment, and aircraft repair – which is what the first prototype was actually designed for.

Included with the 8oz hammer are three faces with increasing hardness – extruded nylon (~118 Rockwell R-scale), 2024 aluminum (~120 Brinell), and 4130 chromoly steel (~197 Brinell). Brass faces are also available separately, as are replacement faces.

The shaft of The Hammer is composed of 7075-T6 aircraft grade aluminum, and is through-drilled for lightness and improved balance. The shaft is then shrink-fit (FN-5) mated to a 4130 aircraft grade chromoly steel head, into which face mounting screws are embedded.

This really is a majestic tool – just take a look at the above knurling pattern of one of the first prototypes! Can you tell that we really appreciate the beauty of The Hammer?

And how about this closeup of the finished head! The bronze-like color of the prototype hammer head is a result of a heat-expansion shrink fit process. Production versions do not develop this color as they instead undergo an improved shrink-fit process that utilizes liquid nitrogen to cool and contract the shaft.

The Hammer is currently priced at $129.90 + S/H, and is built to order on a first-come-first-serve basis. For ordering information or requests, please contact John Paulding at the following address: . If ordering, be sure to mention ToolGuyd to take advantage of any exclusive offers that may be extended to our readers.

Photo Credit: Thank you very much to John Paulding for his permission to use these photos of The Hammer.