Just realized my neighbor's comment about his old forge changed how I see my own shop.

I was chatting with my neighbor, Frank, who used to run a shop in Pittsburgh. He said he never used more than three hammers for 90% of his work, a 2.5 lb cross peen, a rounding hammer, and a lightweight planishing hammer. I've got a whole rack of them I barely touch. It made me think I'm overcomplicating simple tasks. How many hammers do you folks actually use on a regular basis?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oscar1mo ago

That bit about three hammers for 90% of the work is a solid rule for most things. I have a drawer full of kitchen gadgets but really just use the same knife and pan. We buy options thinking they add skill, but they mostly just add clutter.

the_nathan1mo ago

Can confirm, my garage is a monument to this.

webb.ben1mo ago

Honestly, my own garage is basically a shrine to this idea, right next to @the_nathan's monument. I bought a fancy multi-tool for "all situations" and I'm pretty sure I've just used it to open beer bottles. The clutter is real.