Vaughan

Vaughan hammers are framing and trim hammers for carpenters and framers who drive and pull nails all day. The heads start as U.S.-made high-carbon steel. When a hickory handle wears out, you hang a new one and keep the head.

Vaughan & Bushnell Manufacturing Co., sold simply as Vaughan, is an American maker of hammers, axes, pry bars and hand saws. Alexander Vaughan, an 18-year-old blacksmith, started the company in Chicago in 1869, and its headquarters have been in Hebron, Illinois, since 1963. MARSHALLTOWN Company of Marshalltown, Iowa, is now the parent company. Vaughan is best known for American-made hammers and pry bars.

Still made in Illinois and Arkansas

Vaughan announced plans to close in 2024 because of financial trouble, and that’s the news most framers remember. MARSHALLTOWN bought all of Vaughan’s assets in mid-2024. It says the Vaughan brand and core product lines will continue, and it now handles all Vaughan service and support. The heads are made in Bushnell, Illinois, and the hickory handles are made in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

How the head is tempered

Every head goes through a controlled tempering process that leaves some parts harder than others. The face is the hardest part: a face that’s too soft mushrooms, and one that’s too hard turns brittle and chips. The claw is a little softer so it resists fracturing when you lean on it to pull a nail. The eye, where the handle seats, is softer still. Because the face is so hard, a Vaughan claw hammer is only for unhardened nails and nail sets. For chisels and hardened nails, use a hand drilling hammer.

Milled face or smooth face

Choose the face for the work before you choose the weight. A milled face grips the nail head, so it still drives a nail you catch a little off-center. That makes it the framing face. A smooth face leaves no mark, which is what trim, casing and baseboard need. The most common mistake is using a milled framer for trim, because every miss leaves a waffle print in finished wood. If you do both kinds of work, own one of each.

Weight and handle length

A lighter head places nails accurately on finish work. A heavier head sinks framing nails in fewer swings but tires your arm sooner over a day of overhead nailing. Handle length works the same way: a short handle lands where you aim, and a long one hits harder. Compare the weight of the whole hammer, because a long hickory handle adds weight the head number leaves out. Curved or straight is personal preference, and both drive nails the same. Before you settle on a weight, swing a light hammer and a heavy one at the height you nail most.

California Framer, 999 Series and DF Series

The California Framer is the rip-claw framer. Its magnetic nail starter holds a nail on the face so you can start it one-handed at the top of your reach. It comes with a fiberglass or steel handle. The 999 Series comes with a hickory handle. The DF Series has a drop-forged, powder-coated head that resists rust on a wet job site. It comes in a smooth-face 16 oz for trim and a milled-face 21 oz for framing. A framing hammer’s long handle is awkward on casing and baseboard, so for hanging trim, use the 16 oz DF.

Hickory, fiberglass or steel

Hickory absorbs shock on its own, and your elbow feels the difference by the end of a framing week. Vaughan narrows its hickory handles slightly at the grip for a steady hold on heavy blows and makes them fuller through the middle so you can choke up for lighter, precise work. Fiberglass stands up to rain and dry heat without shrinking in the eye, and steel takes the overstrikes that crack a wood neck. Pick hickory if your arm is the concern. Pick fiberglass or steel if the hammer rides in a truck box in every kind of weather.

Hanging a new handle

A worn Vaughan usually needs only a new handle. Vaughan publishes a Replacement Handles Guide for matching a handle to the head. Replacement handles and wedge kits are available for hammers such as the DF Series, and the line also includes replacement faces and tips. The MARSHALLTOWN warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, and a neck cracked from prying counts as misuse. To rehang a hammer, saw the old handle off just under the head and drive the stub out through the top of the eye. Seat the new handle with the head square to it and trim the top flush. Vaughan’s wood handles lock in with three wedges: drive the hickory wedge first, then the two steel ones. Soaking a loose head in water swells the wood for a day, then leaves it looser than before, so rewedge or rehang it instead.

Pry bars, nail pullers and DASCO PRO

Vaughan’s range also includes pry bars and nail pullers. The Original SuperBar pries trim and siding and handles light demolition, and a nail puller digs out nails set below the surface. DASCO PRO, the chisel and punch maker Vaughan bought in 2018, is now a sister brand under MARSHALLTOWN and makes a mini pry bar for tight spots. Vaughan’s Bear Saw pull saws cut on the pull stroke with a thin blade, so they leave a narrow, clean kerf for trim and flush cuts; the 14-tooth blade suits general wood, and the finer 17- and 18-tooth blades suit trim and dowels. When the teeth dull or chip on a nail, swap in a replacement blade and keep the handle. The line also includes a Dalluge trim claw hammer for finish nailing.

Specifications

Feature	Detail
Head weights across the range	10 oz to 32 oz
California Framer handles	Fiberglass or steel
999 Series handle	Hickory
DF Series head	Drop-forged steel, heat-treated, rust-resistant powder coat
DF Series handles	Straight or curved extra-long wood, replaceable
DF Series 16 oz	14 in. (356 mm), extra-large smooth face
DF Series 21 oz	18 in. (457 mm), extra-large milled face, NaiLoc magnetic nail holder

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Vaughan hammers made?

The heads are made from U.S.-made high-carbon steel at the plant in Bushnell, Illinois, and the hickory handles are turned in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. That means a hickory-handled model is American-made in both head and handle, which is worth checking if a job or a customer asks for U.S.-made tools. Each model is also field-tested by working professionals before it goes into the line.

Can you replace the handle on a Vaughan hammer?

Yes. Replacement handle and wedge kits are made for the Bricklayer Hammer, DF Series framing hammers, soft face and split-head hammers, and tack, upholsterer’s and welder’s chipping hammers. Hold the new handle up to the old head before you start trimming, because the eye has to fit snug before the wedges will hold it.

What weight framing hammer should I get?

The 21 oz DF Series is a good middle weight for everyday framing, and its head-to-handle ratio is set so it swings lighter than the number on the head suggests. The range runs up to 32 oz. Go heavier only if you spend most of the day sinking big nails at waist height, because a heavy head gets tiring fast when you’re nailing overhead.