TIL I was hammering my tongs wrong for 5 years

I was at a hammer-in last month and this old guy watches me work for a minute. He says 'you know you're twisting your wrist on the downstroke, right?' I thought I had it down pat, but he showed me how I was using my whole arm instead of just snapping my wrist at the end. Now my hammer hits are way more controlled and I'm not getting tired after 20 minutes. Anyone else have a basic move they had to unlearn after thinking they had it figured out?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_knight7024d ago

Oh man, that's exactly what happened to me with my drawknife! I had been choking up on it for years, thinking I had the grip perfect, until a buddy pointed out I was putting all the pressure on my thumb instead of using my palm. Made a world of difference once I switched.

hannahw3024d ago

Actually I'm gonna push back on that a little. I've been using a drawknife for close to 15 years now and I still choke up with most of my pressure on my thumb. My granddad taught me that way and he was a chair maker for 40 years. He always said if you use your palm you lose that fine control for shaping curves and scoops. I've tried switching to the palm grip a few times and every time I end up with a rougher surface that needs way more sanding. Plus I get way less fatigue in my forearm when I keep the pressure on the thumb. Maybe it depends on what you're making though? What kind of work are you doing with yours?

valw3624d ago

Yeah, that "choking up on the thumb" thing is a tough habit to break. I did the same thing for years with my drawknife, thought I had it wired. But the deal is, if you're doing really tight chair scoops or deep hollows, that thumb grip can actually lock your wrist up and you end up fighting the tool instead of letting it ride. What finally clicked for me was shifting into the palm but only for the roughing passes, then choking back up on the thumb for the finish cuts where you need that light touch. Both grips have their place once you match them to the job.