Hammers, Mallets & Axes

Hammers are tools that are used to hit or deliver repeated blows to something. They usually consist of a metal head and a wooden or plastic handle. Hammers are used for various purposes, such as:

• Pounding nails into wood or other materials.
• Shaping metal with a forge or an anvil.
• Crushing rock or breaking concrete.
• Ringing a bell or striking a gong with a lever and a striking head.
• Playing percussion instruments such as a xylophone or a piano with a padded mallet.
• Throwing for distance in an athletic contest with a metal sphere attached to a wire.

Mallets are tools that have a large, flat, or round head made of wood or rubber and are used to hit something without damaging it. Mallets are used for various purposes, such as:

• Driving another tool such as a chisel or a wedge.
• Shaping or flattening materials such as metal, leather, or wood.
• Striking a surface such as a gong, a bell, or a drum.
• Playing percussion instruments such as a xylophone, a marimba, or a timpani with a padded mallet.
• Hitting a ball in sports such as croquet or polo with a long-handled mallet.

Axes are tools that have a sharp metal blade and a wooden or plastic handle and are used to cut or split wood or other materials. Axes are used for various purposes, such as:

• Chopping firewood or clearing trees and branches.
• Hewing timber or shaping logs into beams.
• Throwing for sport or recreation.
• Hunting or combat as a weapon or a tool.