A jackhammer is a heavy demolition tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel, driven by compressed air or an electric motor. It operates by driving the internal hammer up and down at high speed to fracture hard materials like concrete, asphalt, or bedrock. Operators must lean into the tool and use their body weight to guide the bit, making it physically demanding to run for long shifts.
Heard on the job
Get the air compressor fired up and grab the jackhammer, we've to break out this old footing.
Insider tip
Let the weight of the tool do the work; pushing down too hard exhausts the operator and actually slows down the breaking action.
Also heard as
- pneumatic drill
- paving breaker
- demo hammer