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Why does nobody talk about switching from 16oz to 20oz hammers for framing?
For 15 years I swung a 16oz straight claw on every wall in Cincinnati, and it felt like an extension of my arm. Last spring my elbow started aching so bad I couldn't grip a chalk line by Friday afternoon, and an old timer on the crew handed me his 20oz and told me to give it two weeks. Now I'm hitting studs in fewer swings and my elbow pain is gone, but I can't tell if I'm actually faster or just fooling myself, so what weight are you all running and did you ever switch back?
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angelataylor17d ago
A 20oz is just you trading one problem for another down the road. That extra 4oz gets swung thousands of times a day, and all that weight adds up on your shoulder and wrist instead of your elbow. Give it a year or two and you will be back here asking why your rotator cuff hurts. The old timers I know who swung 20s their whole life have hands like claws and shoulders that click every morning. If the 16 felt like your arm for 15 years, the smarter fix is grip and stance, not going heavier. Lots of guys your age drop down to a 14 or even a 12 and swing smoother, and their elbows feel fine too.
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