We have a large batch of our new Exeter furniture-maker’s hammers for sale in our store now. These hammers are perfectly sized for people who build casework and chairs. They are the ideal weight for driving in 4d and 6d nails, smacking wedges in place and adjusting bench planes.
We’ve spent about three years developing this hammer, which is based on an old British form. The cross-peen is used to start brads and headed nails – the peen slips through your fingers to set the tip of the nail. Then you flip the head around to finish the job.
The octagonal handle feels great in the hand and offers two gripping positions: one for power and one for finesse.
At 9.8 ounces, the Exeter hammer is less fatiguing to use than a 16-ounce carpenter’s hammer, but is heavy enough to sink furniture nails for assembling carcases or planting mouldings.
Like all our tools, the Crucible Exeter hammer is made entirely in the United States. The hickory handle is made in the Carolinas, the head is milled in Nicholasville, Ky., and the tool is hand-assembled in our factory in Covington, Ky.
You can read more about the Exeter hammer here. You can read all about our line of hammers here.
Fun Stuff
We take pride in the work we do here. So each employee now stamps the handle with a touchmark after assembling the hammer. My symbol is a bumblebee. Kale is an “X.” Mark is a shamrock. Gabe is an arrow. And Megan is a cat.
So you can look at the butt of the handle and know who assembled it. Note that we just started doing this on Sunday (Oct. 13). So hammers shipped out before today don’t have the touchmarks.
— Christopher Schwarz
I’d bet Megan’s ends up as a cat.
You are correct.
Might you share who supplies these stamps? I think that’s a nice idea I may try to add to my work in addition to my name stamp.
There are lots of sellers on etsy who make them and sell them. Search for jewelry stamps.
The proofmarks are a nice little touch.
I reckon the first batch without stamps will become collector items (it reminds me of the Fender Telecaster guitar which for a while was sold without the model name because of a legal issue).
I knew these would be out of stock by the time I looked. You can sell >100 of any hammer design you come up with. On opening day!
Gotta say, Ireally like the individual proofmarks.
I just received mine today. I was too late to get one of the numbered ones and too early to get one with the maker’s touchmark. So I guess mine is one of the rarest ones lol.
Mine came with a bee and a x stamp. The rare double stamp