Hammers with nail starter

Nail fixation

— the presence in the hammer of a special clamp for the nail.

Such a latch most often has the form of a characteristic figured slot on the head. A nail is inserted into this slot with a hat, it is usually held with a magnet. In this case, the tip of the nail turns out to be directed in the same direction as the head of the hammer, and the cap rests against the edge of the slot. Thus, if a strong enough blow is applied, the nail will partially enter the material and be fixed in it. Thanks to this, at the “initial stage” of hammering, you do not need to hold the nail with your fingers, which means there is no risk of hitting them with a hammer. On the other hand, when using a latch, it is extremely difficult to hit a nail strictly at a certain point — a deviation of at least a few millimetres, or even centimeters, inevitably occurs. So the clamps are found mainly in hammers for carpentry (carpentry) and roofing (see "Type") — such work in many cases does not require high precision and allows the mentioned deviations when driving nails.