The Crucible Cross-Peen Hammer

Small cross-peen hammers are incredibly useful in furniture making. We've used them in our work for more than 20 years.

Americans don’t have much of a history with this form of hammer. It’s a British thing, just like the lump hammer we make. We don’t know why that is the case because Warringtons are quite useful.

This small hammer (with head that's about 4 ounces) is ideal for setting and sinking small nails. The cross-peen (sometimes called the cross-pane) starts the nail. You hold the nail between your thumb and forefinger and strike it with the peen. (The peen misses your fingers and hits the nails.) Then you turn the hammer around and finish the job with the hammer’s round face.

The cross-peen is also ideal when setting moulding planes. I use it to knock the plane’s iron against the blind side of the escapement, ensuring the iron is in line with the profile of the plane’s sole.

And a Warrington is an excellent plane-setting hammer. Its weight and size are perfect for making lateral adjustments to block planes or bench planes. (Because I have a Warrington, I’ve never really wanted a dedicated plane-adjusting hammer. There’s no need.)

The Crucible Warrington is milled out of one block of hardened steel by Machine Time in Nicholasville, Ky., and features the beautiful chamfering and tapering found on old hammers. The hammer head is a tricky bit of machining. Though it requires less steel than our lump hammer, it spends a lot more time in the mill. 

The handle, made to our specifications by Hoffman Blacksmithing in Roan Mountain, Tenn., is hickory and set into the head with a wooden wedge.

Like all our tools, the hammer is made and assembled entirely in the United States.

Specifications:
Overall weight: 5 ounces
Overall length: 11"
Head length: 4"
Striking face: 5/8" diameter
Peen face: 1/8" x 1/2"