Of hammers, the amateur should possess three namely, an ordinary joiner's hammer for heavy work, a lighter one of the same form for medium work, and a light hammer with a small face, usually known as a "ladies' hammer," for driving brads and small fine hails into small light work. If he determines to do any veneering, there is a special kind of hammer used for this purpose which must be obtained.

Many other kinds of hammers are used for various kinds of work, but those named will be sufficient for the amateur's purpose.

In striking a tool with a wooden handle, as a chisel, the wooden mallet, not the hammer, should be used, a convenient size having a head 6 inches long and 2½ by 3½ inches wide in face. The amateur must remember that tools of a medium size are always likely to be most useful to him.

The tools that are used for cutting as well as striking, whose blow severs or splits as well as drives forward, are the adze and axe, or hatchet. The adze is not likely to be required by the amateur; it is used chiefly by shipwrights in ship building, and sometimes by the carpenter. It is with the Axe or Hatchet that the amateur artisan is more immediately concerned, and this is a tool that he cannot do without, for it may be made useful in a variety of ways. In framing timber together it can be used as a hammer, instead of the heavy carpenter's hammer, which the amateur need not place among his tools; and for sharpening stakes or cutting down timber to the size required in the rough, or for splitting pieces of wood, it is invaluable. It should be kept well sharpened, for a blunt axe is useless for any purpose, so far as cutting is concerned, except splitting firewood.