Slater

[3] The slater's hammer is forged in one single piece, from crucible-cast steel, and has a 12-inch (30 cm) leather handle.

It consists of a claw for drawing nails, a sheer edge for cutting slate, and a head with a sharp point at one end for punching holes in slate and with a hammer head at the other.

The horizontal bar of the "T" is used to support slates whilst working on them (cutting, punching, or smoothing) with other tools.

[3][4] The zax (also called a sack or sax[6]) is a hand tool for cutting, trimming, and punching nail holes in slate.

It consists of a heavy rectangular knife blade with a large point, of square cross section, protruding from the poll (or butt).

Slater working on a roof
Cutting a slate with a slater's hammer on a slater's stake
A slate roof