Serious question, am I wrong for hating on power hammers now?

I always looked down on power hammers... thought they were cheating and took the skill out of the work. But after hurting my shoulder from overworking, I had to use one for a big commission. The consistency it gave on the heavy strikes was something I just couldn't match by hand. Now I see it as a tool, not a crutch... it lets me focus on the finer details without wearing myself out. I guess I was just being stubborn about the 'old ways'.

4 comments

4 Comments

dylan_ward2d ago

Guess I've been that guy who thought manual labor was the only honest work until my back staged a protest. Reading @the_elliot's story about his buddy's shed drama sure sounds familiar, doesn't it? Turns out sometimes the right tool just saves you from yourself.

campbell.ryan2d ago

That shoulder pain is no joke. It makes you see tools as valid choices, not cheating.

the_elliot2d ago

My buddy insisted on building a shed using only hand tools last year. He called it getting back to basics or something. A week in, his shoulder was so bad he slept sitting up. His wife finally made him rent a pneumatic nail gun. The whole thing was done in a day, and his respect for power tools went way up. Sometimes your body just votes against your pride.

the_jenny2d ago

But what if the problem was rushing it? A shed built over weeks with hand tools lets you check every nail and feel the wood. Maybe his shoulder hurt because he tried to do a month's careful work in a few hard days.