Definition
A hand tool with a steel head having a flat striking face on one end and a curved, split (forked) prong on the other end, used for driving nails with the flat face and pulling nails with the forked end. Commonly used in general shop and airframe woodworking tasks, but generally not preferred for aircraft sheet metal or precision work where ball-peen or soft-faced hammers are required.
Plain English
A standard hammer with a flat side for hitting nails in and a forked side for pulling nails out.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation maintenance tool discussions and general shop work, especially around crates, wood blocking, or non-precision tasks.
Derivation
The 'claw' refers to the curved, split prong on the back of the head, which resembles an animal's claw and grips a nail to pull it out.
Why Pilots Care
Although a basic tool, mechanics should know that a claw hammer is not the right choice for working on aircraft metal structures — using it on rivets, sheet metal, or precision parts can cause damage. Specialized hammers (ball-peen, soft-face, riveting hammers) are used instead.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “hammer” means it is acceptable for any striking job on an aircraft. A claw hammer is mainly for nails and general shop work, not for shaping or adjusting aircraft parts.
Example Sentence 1
He grabbed a claw hammer from the bench to pull a bent nail from the wooden shipping crate.
Example Sentence 2
Before closing the wooden shipping crate, the technician tapped the lid secure with a claw hammer.