REVIEW: Wile plane hammer

Review and photo: Raf Nathan

Richard Wile, a woodworker from Canada designed and first made this hammer which is now batch-made by Veritas. It’s an elegant tool with a 290mm long ash handle that is quite slender but well balanced. It has the feel of someone spending a lot of time getting all the lengths and angles well sorted for optimum efficiency.

The impressive turned brass head has a 15mm face diameter. Overall, the hammer weighs about 3 ounces or 85gm. It’s a light hammer designed to tap plane blades into position. Opposing the brass is a slightly larger high impact plastic head that is great for tapping wood pieces into place. The face of the plastic is convex to aid in not marking a wood surface.

Deft is the word to describe this hammer. It is very lightweight, but the refined design directs the force to the faces perfectly. For any jobs around the workshop that require ‘tapping’ such as adjusting plane blades, fitting wood joints or lining up fences, this is perfect – plus it is a beautiful thing. Given the tool’s special feel and quality build, and at the price is very reasonable.

Available from www.carbatec.com.au

First published in AWR#124, September 2024

Raf Nathan @treeman7777 is a Brisbane based woodworker.