The 8 Oz. Putter Hammer
Intro: The 8 Oz. Putter Hammer
A custom putter-hammer is exactly what my nephew, a woodworker and a golfer, needs in his kit. Either for hard to reach fasteners or R&R at the links, this putter-hammer nails both!
STEP 1: Parts Preparation
Cutting the existing putter head from my upcycled purchase was easy. Just clamped the head in the vise and used a rotary cutting wheel. The cut end of the shaft gets buried in epoxy later, so a reasonably squared off end is fine with no other prep.
The makerspace I am at has a nice vise. However, the jaws are metal and could mar the hammer head. A little card stock works well to buffer between the vise and hammer head.
The handle remains in the head could be used as a seat for the shaft. Regulation putters are typically 20 to 30 degrees off straight up and down. The one I cutoff was 23 degrees, which I decided to copy. Set the head to that angle in the vise to get started.
Because the broken wooden handle was a mess, I wasn't sure if there was a metal fixing wedge inside. Clamping it up, I gingerly cleaned up the remaining shaft with a wood rasp, testing for metal. Luckily there was nothing.
Drilling straight down into a tilted head is a bit tricky, particularly into the handle's hardwood. With a mallet and an awl, I set a hole for drilling, then used successively larger drill bits until just past the shaft diameter (5/16"). The speed square helped guide the drilling and alignment, which you can see in some of the photos.
The haft seated into the wood nicely and had a little play for adjustment.
STEP 2: Epoxying the Headspace
With the assembly ready, I masked around the head to catch overspill. The epoxy has a 3+ hours set time which is why standing the shaft up in the tilted head is useful. Gravity plus the wooden seat can hold the shaft straight up. Consulting a spirit level ensured alignment. I did have to cut a few shims of wood from the broken handle to tamp around the shaft to wedge it up just right.
Although the headspace opening was not level, J-B Weld is viscous enough that it will not run out the lower end. Due to that viscosity, I used a thin nail to poke up and down around the fill, catching a few voids. Added enough to fill the head and let it cure overnight.
STEP 3: Cleanup
Cleanup is pretty easy with a rotary tool. The multi-axis swivel vise made it easy to reposition for cleaning and polishing the nooks and crannies.
The mask left only a little spillage on the shaft and along the head. Carbon steel brushes made quick work of that.
I noticed the hammer face was a bit rough, so I used a flap wheel to grind it smooth. Although I took a few grams of weight off, technically 8 oz. is too heavy for some golfing regulations. Everything that came off was for the better.
The steel polishes up nicely using felt wheels and polishing compound.
I was happy with the results for a fun gift!
Comments
Guillaume Bonamie 5 weeks ago
Dit project combineert een kapotte hamer met een goedkope golfclub om een nieuwe tool te maken: een putter-hamer. Het is handig voor zowel het klussen als het golfen. Het lijkt misschien ingewikkeld, maar eigenlijk is het best simpel. Met een paar gereedschappen en wat lijm zet je de hamerkop en de golfclub samen. Daarna nog wat opruimen, en je hebt een uniek cadeau waar iedereen blij van wordt!