Small cross-peen hammers are incredibly useful in furniture making. I’ve had one in my chest for almost 20 years.
“Wait,” you might be thinking. “Chris didn’t list this hammer in his recent inventory of his chest.”
You are correct. That’s because we’ve been reverse-engineering my favorite Warrington to make our own version. It’s now in pieces. Its handle is off to the handle-maker. And the head, which we carefully measured, is now sitting lonesome on my desk.
Americans don’t have much of a history with this form of hammer. It’s a Brit thing, just like the lump hammer we make. I don’t know exactly why that is the case. Warrington’s are quite useful.
This small hammer (with about a 4-ounce head) is ideal for setting and sinking small nails. The cross-peen (sometimes called the cross-pane) starts the nail. You hold the nail between your thumb and forefinger and strike it with the pane. (The pane misses your fingers and hits the nails.) Then you turn the hammer around and finish the job with the hammer’s round face.
The cross-peen is also ideal when setting moulding planes. I use it to knock the plane’s iron against the blind side of the escapement, ensuring the iron is in line with the profile of the plane’s sole.
And a Warrington is an excellent plane-setting hammer. Its weight and size are perfect for making lateral adjustments to block planes or bench planes. (Because I have a Warrington, I’ve never really wanted a dedicated plane-adjusting hammer. There’s no need.)
The Crucible Warrington will be milled out of one block of hardened steel and features a lot of the beautiful chamfering and tapering you don’t see on modern hammers of any type. The handle will be hickory and set into the head with a wooden wedge.
Like all our tools, the hammer will be made and assembled entirely in the United States.
It is going to be a little expensive, like our lump hammer. The hammer head is a tricky bit of machining. Though it requires less steel than our lump hammer, it has to spend a lot more time in the mill. And the handle is a 100-percent custom job (our lump hammer is a stock pattern that we modify).
I think it will be worth it. I absolutely adore these little hammers, and this one is based on one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever encountered. It was given to me by planemaker Wayne Anderson a couple decades ago and I’ve kept it close ever since.
We hope to have these in the store in May.
— Christopher Schwarz
Any chance of a swell/bulb at end of handle?
I’ve used a Warrington pattern for decades and I can see this just might be a Jim Slicker Father’s Day present!
A few things.
From my understanding, that swelling was found on earlier hammers and wouldn’t have been found on a Warrington. I have an 18th c strapped hammer with a gorgeous swelling at the base and it is the the most uncomfortable hammer in our shop. I keep it around only because it is so beautiful. So I have an aversion (likely unwarranted) to that form.
And finally, the handle maker we are using is making our handles from off-fall from another handle so there won’t be enough wood to do something like that.
Perhaps offering an option to buy the head only without a handle would be an answer for those looking for a different handle form or wood species.
I like this idea.
Tbh: my old one (from eBay ) is my most convoité, loved , cherished hammer. I always bring it on site . No other hammer is as well made as this one . The balance is perfect and the size. I think that this will be a home run for LAP.
Long live and prosper . May the shavings be with you.
I love the chamfering, and ill certainly buy one. And chance they can make it in alternate metals? Not knowing what im talking about, it would seem easy to swap in a different alloy.
I’ve looked for a decent Exeter pattern hammer forever. Consider those for your lineup.
I know Lie-Nielsen made them in brass, but I have yet to find a vintage one that was made in anything other than steel.
So I throw the ball back at you: What alternative material would you want to see and why?
I hammer thousands of copper tacks. Steel hammers on wet wood leaves iron stains when the wood dries, and I end up dunking in oxalic acid to get rid of the stains. I’m hoping a mostly copper hammer won’t have that effect. So, brass or bronze would be nice. Bronze would be really sexy too.
Besides, by the time you make these, I’ll already have one in steel. Why sell something once, when you can sell it twice.
Put me down for a 12 ounce Exeter pattern. Design it so Jenny can engrave it.
I confess to not using my L-N hammer much. It was a gift from my mom, and I like seeing it new. I know that’s a little wrong, but it’s the only tool I have that I treat that way.
I bought the Lie Nielsen brass on a number of years ago because I liked the way it looked. I have found it extremely handy for lateral adjustments on my hand planes. It is easier for me to make fine adjustments with that hammer rather than use the lateral adjustor on the hand plane. Good call on making one.
I’d love a brass or bronze one as well for leather working.
I was thinking the same as johncashman73. Brass for use as a plane adjustment hammer, but then I thought if I’m damaging the plane or blade then I’m being a dumbass and doing it wrong.
I would like a tungsten hammer head. If my math is right that would make it an 8oz hammer, so if I could get one in tungsten and one in aluminum, there are a lot of opportunities there for pranks on anyone unlucky enough to share shop space with me.
This makes me excited. I’ve looked for a lie Nielsen version for years but they are hawked by collectors
I have a non-magnetic upholsters hammer for plane adjustment. Long narrow head is great for that.
Will these be about the same size as the ones that lie-Nielsen used to make?
I don’t own one of the Lie-Nielsen’s to compare. But I think yes. Our heads are 3/4″ x 3/4″ x 4″.
Specs on my L-N, in A2, cherry handle. Excuse the precision.
4.97 ounces, with handle.
12 inches long, handle and head.
3.98 inches long, face to pein end.
.645 head diameter
.745 body width at eye,
.762 body height at eye.
.526 width at pein.
I love The Warrington. I May buy one.
In several states during the early 70’s I was known as the “Cap Face Kid” of finish trim carpenters. One day I was shown what I was doing wrong (by a carpenter from England) and how to clean up hammer marks with a banding iron and a wet rag. I was also shown several tools that helped me clean up my act and the most important one was a warrington hammer. The other was to use a small drill with a flattened headless finish nail for a drill bit and a screw starter. I still use my warrington hammer and have replaced the handle several times. The warrington hammer is also great for removing pivch dogs and setting wedges. What ever became of “Hill Top BBQ”?
I don’t know how to word this question. The new round heads look cylindrical. On the original round head does the the diameter start out slightly larger and then taper in slightly like a ¿bucket? After the chamfering? Or is it decades of rounding and polishing that create a mirage effect from the highlights of reflected light? I’ve always loved pretty tools.
Excellent. I’ve had a Warrington-pattern hammer (Stanley, cast head) for over 50 years, and it’s probably the most-used hammer in my shop. Mine isn’t showing any signs of wear, so I don’t really need a new one. But, your prototype looks lovely, so I might be tempted into an upgrade. Offering different wood species for the handle would be a nice touch, as would offering a line of embossing on the handle. I’d love one in Tiger Maple with my name and year on it (for blonde nails), and maybe Claro Walnut for darker nails.
Nice! I have had one for years and it is the go-to for small nails without busting fingers. I think I got it at Woodcraft as a close out item.
I’ve got a couple of these in different sizes but I’ve never heard of them being called Warrington hammers before. Mine are always referred to as Manchester screwdrivers.
You can see them called various things. Warrington pattern, or simply joiner’s hammers, or cross pein hammers. There is another joiners hammer that I believe originated in Germany that was modified and called Exeter pattern. So I believe Warrington was used to differentiate them. The German style serve better as a small anvil to clamp in your vise for light duty use.
What happened to the one that TLN gave you in 2008? I remember when those were available in the Toms Toolbox section for a long time, then Covid, and it dried up and I never got one. I’m sure they will start producing them again, but I’m looking forward to supporting you instead. Cheers!
I have a 6 oz. and a 4 oz. in my chest I love them. The new crucible is awful cute, I may change mine out. Are you making different sizes?
It is a fact that most available Warrington Hammers are new and from Great Britain – with the country’s absurd shipping costs to the U.S. – and also lacking the chamfering and fine finish. Under antique or used hammers, I often see the Warrington style listed as a jeweler’s hammer (in the 3.5 – 4 oz.) which may be incorrect.
Absurd shipping costs? Try shipping from the US to Australia? Allow 3 months (really) and about 4 times the price from the UK. I don’t bother buying from the US unless it is available nowhere else on the planet. I have had stuff from the UK in three days. Warrington hammer? I got one from my father in laws shed. The head was wrapped up in some sort of cloth/ tape and I had no idea what was under it all. Turns out is was a Stanley hammer of thee Warrington pattern. Nice find.
I rarely purchase from the UK because of shipping costs, more costly than any other European country I buy from. An item that weighs a couple of ounces and costs $4 can cost you over $40 shipping. 😁
Very elegant! I have the L-N just for plane blade adjustments. My Record Warrington is clumsy. Looking forward to this one.
Your prototype looks beautiful. You mentioned that these would be pricey due to production time & machining steps. While I will always salivate over a beautiful tool in the end I’m looking for one that functions well. Have you considered a purely functional model over the aesthetically perfect one? Machine only the surfaces required to perform the task at hand. Like was mentioned earlier about a selling the heads only this would be a way to move more product. Japanese hammers are sold without handles all of the time.
There are plenty of Warringtons out there with reduced aesthetics and a reduced price.
I’m interested in making tools only one way: exactly the way I want them to look and function. So reducing aesthetics isn’t something I could live with, I’m afraid.
I’m hoping Lee Valley will carry these for those of us outside the US – any word on that yet?
Same! Although I’m still waiting for them to offer/stock the center finding guide and getting worried they won’t be.
Great. A new product I want after having just opened the box of a book and center finder about 20 minutes ago. Just perfect.
I finally found a LN brass cross pein hammer, but I can’t bring myself to use it. Too pretty and expensive now that they are scarce. I’ll definitely buy one of these, especially if the handles are as nice as those on the lump hammer. That handle and the finish makes it so comfortable to use…or hold and just think about things to hammer
I have my grandfathers ball pien hammer from 100+ years ago. This crosspien would make a good match with it
Looking forward to receiving one in May or June
I use to have 2 lie nielsens, one in brass and one in steel, now they are on Davy Jones Locker, with all my other tools, I’ll buy one, if you make them in brass, I’ll buy one each
I’ll be saving up my lunch money for this one. Great idea!
My ball pein hammer is a Brades No 2. It was my grandfathers and when I was a child and we did small projects together that was the hammer I used. It’s in my toolbox today and whenever I use it, it brings back special memories from over 65 years ago
Your prototypes look good – nice elegant shape. Wish you every success within this addition to your tool range.
I really like that you don’t invent new tools all the time, but produce tools meeting your needs!
Will the beating surface will be hardened?
An I like the straight ended handle on the lump hammer. You can hold it on witchever position yoi like.
A fine choice……this will bring smiles to many.
You’re right. Quality Warringtons are impossible to find. And ‘m with you on making it pretty. Sign me up.
The machined versions are beautiful, and I’m sure the finished product will be also. Were the originals machined, or just cast and tumbled? I completely understand that you’ll make yours to the spec and finish that you need. Just curious about the manufacturing process when these were made in bulk 100 years ago.
As far as I know, the originals were not machined from solid. Hammers like this could be drop forged or sometimes cast. Then cleaned up with grinding or files.
We prefer the crisp look you can get on a mill.
Regarding the handle, will it be octagonal or oval(ish)? BTW – Is there a correct term for the oval version of octagonal?
Oval in cross-section.
I bought one years ago from LN and haven’t much use for it other than plane adjustment. I have used it on small brads, the brads were smaller than the ones used on mouldings. Anything larger the hammering would get strenuous. I still think it’s worth having.