A claw hammer can be said to look roughly like the letter "T" with the handle being the long part, and the head being the line across the top which looks like a "t". In actuality, the head of the hammer does not form a straight line, but curves down into the claw of the hammer. One side of the head is flat with either a smooth or textured surface and is used for impacting another surface. The other side of the head curves down and splits in the middle forming a "V" shape. This part is the claw of the hammer and is most commonly used for extracting nails from wood. The rounded end of the claw, in conjunction with the handle, is used to gain leverage when extracting a nail.