The Vaughan CF4 California Framer is a 16 oz rip hammer with an American-forged high-carbon steel head, a milled (waffle) striking face, a hatchet eye, and a hickory handle. Model VN11800.
The milled face bites into the nail head and reduces glancing strikes on framing nails — the whole reason California framers prefer milled over smooth faces. The magnetic nail-holding slot on the head starts a nail one-handed, which matters on ladders or when the opposite hand is pinning a stud or rafter in place. The hickory handle absorbs shock better than steel or fiberglass and can be replaced when it wears — the hammer head is heat-treated, rust-resistant, and outlasts the handle. A heavy construction rip-claw profile pries boards apart and pulls bent nails without springing.
A working framer’s and remodel carpenter’s tool — the California-style framer has a following for a reason, and Vaughan’s version is the one many pros choose when they want wood, steel, and an American forging instead of an overseas budget replica.
Vaughan & Bushnell has manufactured hammers in the USA since 1869. The CF4 is declared Made in the USA on the Amazon listing.
