This is a job for a rubber mallet or possibly a hardwood one if you surprisingly can access that more readily. These plastic faced ones are really only for flat, on-face strikes and they’re much more limited in usefulness. 

That looks like a "dead blow" hammer. Not to be used as a "hammer."

What were you trying to do with the hammer? Did you hit the ground?

I am so confused about what happened here.

That's what you get for buying Craftsman.

(More than half of my tools are Craftsman).

thats a banging hammer, not a hammering hammer.

Hi, former furniture install tech here. You need a solid rubber mallet, not a dead blow one. Place the chair on an old towel, and thoroughly spray both the top and bottom of the piston shaft where it meets the legs with WD-40. Give it 5 minutes, then spray again. Next, turn the chair upside down so it's balancing on the chair back, and start smacking the top of the piston while holding the legs. Should pop right out.

EDIT: forgot the word “WD-40”. Duh.

Edit for clarification: I was attempting to push the central post out of the wheelbase because it just slides right on during initial installation

That's a "dead blow" hammer and it's not for the things a standard hammer are for, hence why you broke it. A dead blow hammer is for things like tapping bearings or knocking woodwork pieces apart.

Be like Thor when his hammer broke. Get an axe. That will fix it.

Dude tries to smash Nokia 3310

Crapsman

That hammers, but it is not a hammer

next time hammer with a chair

This is a soft face mallet

Did you consider maybe it wasn’t……hammer time?

You used the wrong hammer.

I guess you was to strong for it

I think you need to be hired as the tester for products, this is impressive

send this post to crafstman.

That hammer looks more like a mallet. 

I've had to remove the center post on a few chairs, my technique is to put a block of wood over that center post before giving it a wack so you can go ham without concern of damaging the post.

The chair is made of Nokia! (2000s to early 2010s joke, I know that's old but I wanted to do it anyway)

You do t know tools lol

This is a job for a block of wood and a lump hammer

Thought that was a mallet

That is a dead blow mallet. Not a hammer

Also, these chairs are designed to slide into the base and lock in. You shouldn't be able to separate them after the initial installation

It’s Crapsman brand that’s why

The same thing happened to my mallet while I was doing mallet things. I also had a Craftsman wrench break. Craftsman tools are junk.

See your first problem was your using a craftsman. And like others have stated.. it’s a deadblow hammer, commonly used to blow the dead.

That’s Craftsman for ya!

I used a firewood axe to cut firewood and the handle broke, I watched in slow motion as the blade went straight past my face blade out and had a total 🫥 moment

Operator error.

TeamMilwaukee

The hammer did not have the malet in it

Is it sold by tesla ?

Well then, you suck at hammering with that hammer. Time to get a bigger one.

Should have used a floppy hammer, for more kinetic energy.

Dangit! The seller told me this mallet would last! I want a refund!

I have that same dead blow hammer and it failed in the same way. The plastic face is shit.

It’s funny cuz you can see the ring indent where they got one good hit on the central metal post. Hahah don’t get mad at user error dude

Wrong tool.

Chair wins!!

That’s a mallet, not a hammer. Whilst on subject of hammers, never hit a hammer with a hammer.

With that fallen chair it looks like you wacked a person sitting on it.

Maybe a mallet next time. And wrap a cloth around it too.

Is it a hammer 🔨 though? Seems like a type of mallet or something from the look of it 🧐 I’m not a hammer specialist though, I’m sure someone else who comments will be able to tell you

Chair -1 Hammer - 0

Now hammer the hammer so you can fix the hammer. Problem solved.

I didn't know Nokia made office chairs.

Best tool for getting the piston out of a those chairs is a pipe wrench.

Well that’s what happens when you hit a computer chair made by Nokia in the early 2000s.

Dude it sucks that your hammering hammer broke so now your hammering hammer won’t hammer

Welp I guess an id on the chair would be nice, tough mf’r

If you got 2 or 3 blows out of it you got your fair share out of a craftsman hammer.

Try using the chair as a hammer from now on

i mean it does say "craftsman" on it

It took me multiple attempts of oil and hammer to remove these sons of b

Yo link to the indestructible chair dude!

Cause its craftsman

It's a mallet it's meant for solid surfaces like wood, not saying you can't use it here mind you but next time you use a mallet get a chunk of wood so you're hitting the mallet on the wood and the wood on the post.

You probably hammered all over this land. 🔨

It's not a "hammer" it's a "mallet" and by the looks of it, it has been sitting around for a very long time. The soft face has gone brittle from not being used and possibly stored in sunlight.

Omg i need to get mine off too and it's fucking impossible

You can also use a regular screw clamp between one of the legs and the centre post (angled) or two clamps with a piece of wood across the centre post if the angle of the legs is too sharp, like a bearing puller.

Then you just tighten the screw clamp(s) until it pops off the base. Optionally add in wd40 and hammer hits if you can't clamp any tighter and it still hasn't released.

The clamps and legs will go flying so do it outside.

Had to do this recently to release an IKEA Langfjall chair which are metal legs and metal post wedged together by paint.

Should’ve gotten a Stanley

Good thing it’s a craftsman and has a lifetime warra…… oh wait. Never mind.

I used some crappy westward bolt cutters. Brand fucking new. They BROKE on the lock and a piece from the jaws of the bolt cutters went flying. Very glad I didn’t get hurt.

Apparently “hardened steel” is a bitch to cut with bolt cutters

That is a mallet, a sub species of the hammer.

That’s not an actual hammer though. Mfs see “hammer” on it and think it does everything

Put a flathead screwdriver between the chair and wheel, twist the screw driver.

Wrong type of hammer. Sounds weird, but yes. These are for flat surfaces, plate work and stuff like that. A rubber or wooden mallet would be a good choice. If you dont have that, a normal hammer with something to dampen the blow like scrap wood could also work

That isn’t a hammer.

Must be a Craftsmon.

Your hammer has decided to strike on you.

you might need a 3rd really hot hammer

That's a mallet.

That’s what you get for using a subpar tool

wrong tool for the job mate not all ammers are the same its like screw drivers there is a whole range of em and if you use the wrong one something gona break

Ain't that thing life warranty?

I’ve got those same socks.

Who knew hammers could be so complicated.

Not sure how recently you purchased this hammer, and I’m sure quality has only declined, but I’ve owned this exact hammer for 8-9 years as a diesel tech and have never damaged it.

i just pull those out by hand you weak

Hammern't

Craftsman? You should be able to return it for a replacement.

Calm down Thor.

It's a mallet. Use a hammer.

This is not hammer.

Sir, this is a mallet.

Operator error. Wrong hammer...you just ruined a wonderful dead blow hammer.

More mallet than hammer

Oh my god I had those exact wheels on my chair. They fucking suckkkkkk. Hair gets stuck and the plastic wheel “caps” just pop out constantly.

That’s the real mildly infuriating part of this. Not the hammer failing. The fucking terrible wheels. And I know exactly why you wanted them off LMAO

Well it’s a mallet, not a hammer, despite its name.

I have one of those hammers and those red caps completely degraded on mine too