Park

Due to space limitations, my woodworking has been mostly with hand tool. I first aquired a collection of chisels on an as needed basis. I finally made my big purchase and graduated from a Milwaukee electric hand saw to a Delta 14" band saw. I have never regretted buying the band saw. The band saw allows me to do what I need to do accurately and easier.

Buying good blades and maintaining proper blade tension solved the drift problems. It seems many brand name blades have stamped teeth and are dull right from the start. These poor blades are one reason why so many articles are written on how to tune up your bandsaw.

In my experience, hammers do chip. I carried a triangular shapped hammer chip in my 1st finger for over 5 years. The chip flu like a bullet and I did not see it in my finger. The hammer was being used to pound on a tent stake. To claim that light taps on a hammer with another hardened hammer will not cause a chip is false. I have worked in manufacturing for years and to assume everything is made within the correct tolerances for hardness is false. An improperly heat-treated hammer can chip with a light blow. There is too much stuff being recalled now days to assume manufactures are going to spend the extra time and money to make a product that will perform as expected without some chance for a serious side affect.

Why not use a wood mallet on the hard hammer if you need to make a light tap?