I hear a lot of people talk about how a straight tang, like on a masonry hammer, is much better than the angle tanged hammers most trapping supply company's offer. If that's the case, why haven't I seen a change in the design for many years? Still see the majority of trapping hammers made with an angled tang, unless you buy a masonry hammer or have one made specifically made with a straight tang.

What's your thoughts?

Not sure but probably because the flat pick is added to a regular heavy hammer. So the angle id because that is the factory hammer angle. You want different have to mod it yourself. Or go to masonry hammer.

Mac

Been using this hammer for two seasons now, and really liking it. 22 oz. head, long straight blade, long handle.

Big Blue Bricklayer Hammer

There are a lot of guys making them straight off a sledge type head.

I like to use this type hammer head so the angle is there but not as steep....



Made this little back-up hammer with a piece of very thick steel pipe so it cuts a better round hole when I was using a lot of Montgomery #2 round jaws....

I like mine a bit angled as I try to dig my trap beds shaped like an inverted pyramid.

I prefer a straight one. It digs better in hard or frozen ground. Not so many sore shins from bouncing off the ground.

Stewie knows how to roll.

Angled blade on hammers throw dirt back onto you....

I understand the reasons for why a lot of people like the straight tang. So, if many like it that way, why don't you see more trapping supply company's having them made that way?

Mac, that certainly could be the reason. Same reason ADC mentioned he liked the sledge to add it to, so the angle isn't as steep.

Yep on Stewie says, i inform all my new trap ed students to that effect on hammers

I do very little actual digging.

Auger straight down. Drive ground anchor in that hole. Pound in the bed around that a push chain down the hole. Bed on the packed rim on bed and pack it tight with the hammer. Pan cover and sift to cover.

I never saw any need for a special "trapper's hammer" and just used a mason's hammer similar to what K Snow showed.

Your hand swings a hammer on an arc that pivots at your elbow. Since it's traveling in a circle a digging blade with some inward angle makes it closer to perpendicular when it engages the ground and less likely to skip.

But since some of us are have stubby arms and others you'd swear are mostly Neanderthal, I dont think there is a 'perfect' angle.

It's not the Tylenol , I worked with a bunch of excavator bucket engineers for about a decade. The 'dig circle' was something you had to consider so you maximized the machine's power.

…. Change your wrist angle

28 ounce estwing straight claw framing hammer for me

… I chew out my trap beds

Thats what I used for years and got tired of our clay getting stuck in the claw part. The bricklayers hammer has a slightly longer handle and a solid blade for digging. I do wish it was a touch heavier.

I found this hammer peened the head of my super stakes driver. The heavier "trappers hammer" did not

Oneoldboot, That hammer does seem like a fairly hard alloy, but works well with my rebar stakes. It mushrooms the head over, which just helps hold the nut on better.

I like the masonry hammer on remakes or trapping in soft ground. I just don't get to trap soft ground much around here unless im around the rivers.