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Removing wedge from hammer

W

Wayne Spence

Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
217
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Location
Denver, Colorado
The wooden handle on my Italian hammer has fallen out (as usual with Italian hammers) and I would like to remove the metal wedge for replacement without ruining the tenon. There is no protrusion of the wedge to get a grip with a pliers. My onlysolution so far has been to cut a thin kerf beside the wedge and then work out the wedge . This sometimes works and sometimes not. Not rocket science but then woodturners are next on the ladder of ingenuity.
 
Turn a metal screw into the metal wedge, hold the handle in a vise and use a claw hammer pulling up on the screw and pushing down on the vise for leverage to pull out the wedge.
 
For lack of appropriate terminology, most handle wedges are "barbed", and a real problem to try and remove.

Another possibility is to just leave it in place and drive in another wedge beside the original. I've never tried this, but in theory, it sounds like it might work ok......?

I've got an old hammer that I repaired a couple of decades ago......still holds tight, but looks bad. Can't remember the circumstances for sure, but I think I just didn't have any wedges to use at the moment of needing a fix. I simply drove in some nails beside the original wedge, and this was sufficient to tighten up the handle to hammer head fit. As I said, this looks pretty bad, but it hasn't budged in 25yrs, or so........

ooc
 
Last edited:
Wedge problem

After thinking for about 15 seconds I decided to turn a new handle out of some seasoned oak. It looks great. The hammer is a 12 ounce steel one with a straight handle. It is really a stone carving hammer but I have come to rely on it and heavier ones for most of my hammer chores except for driving nails. I am going to try the screw and prying method on the old handle tomorrow. Thanks again, as I say, you woodturners are very resourceful.
 
Bore holes to make space on either side of the wedge, then drive it out from the bottom.
 
Here's what I do. I drill a hole on both sides of the wedge. the I use a tapered reamer that I bought at Lowes many years ago. The still sell them. I put this in the drilled hole and ream the holes until they are tapered. Then I turn wooden tapers to match the reamer but leave them a little short of the bottom of the hole length. I put glue on the tapered dowels and drive them in. This takes up the slack in the hammer tenon and snugs it back up on the hammer head. I've done this on axe heads but used more dowels. It works great.
 
For me wedges and handle replacement generally go together, as usually the handle is stuffed. So I just cut the handle off and drive out the remaining piece with a drift.
But in general I have drifted away for wedges to epoxy glue instead or fibre glass handles.
 
If you have a handle that is just a little loose you can soak it in Diesel or stove oil & it will tighten right up & won't evaporate like water. I have used this on axe handles a few times. You may be able to use lamp oil also may not smell quite as much.
 
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