About two years ago I started making my own tuning hammers just for fun. It fit rather nicely with my woodturning fetish. Well the long and the short of it is I've made about nine hammers since then gradually refining the length and shape to my liking. Since I have no ambitions to patent my design I would rather share some dimensions with all of you. I start with a 10 1/2 " length of stainless steel rod (1/2" diam.) which is turned down to 3/8" on one end and threaded to fit Schaff tuning heads (27threads per inch). The threaded tip has a tapered end so that the head will fit tightly. My handles are turned out of exotic woods like cocobolo, ebony, bocote, and most recently rosewood. I like to start with a turning square 12" x 1 7/8" x 1 7/8". Then I bore a 1/2" hole using a extra long brad point bit through the core of the square, usually about 7 1/2"; this is best done with a good horizontal drill press. I'll plug the bored end with a short piece of 1/2" dowel, and fit my lathe drive center to this end. The best design I've come up with so far is a kind of double-ball handle with about 4 1/2" of the steel rod extending from the handle. The end ball looks like a slightly flattened tennis ball, not fully round; that shape fits my hand better. The second and smaller ball is located about half-way on the wood handle. It serves as a secondary handle if I choose to "clutch-up" for any reason. Holding the hammer in this secondary position, I can almost use the tool like an impact hammer. The entire hammer is 13 1/2" long; this may be rather long for most tuners, but it works well for me. Just some thoughts. Regard, Charles Faulk, RPT Manhattan, KS ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
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