Spent 6 months hammering with a loose handle before I figured it out

I couldn't figure out why my wrist hurt after every session at the anvil. Finally an old timer at a hammer-in pointed out my handle had about a quarter inch of play that I was compensating for with every swing. How do you guys check for handle tightness, just the tap test or something else?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_max27d ago

Man, that quarter inch is brutal once you feel it. I started doing the tap test but also I'll grab the handle near the head and give it a good twist, if it moves at all that's a red flag. A little water swelling the wedge and a day in the sun fixed most of mine though.

elliotadams25d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, you mentioning the water swelling trick got me thinking about something else. A lot of guys forget that different woods handle that soaking method totally differently, hickory vs ash for example. If you try that on a handle that's already got some dry rot in the grain, you're just gonna make it worse and the head will fly off anyway.