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How to hole a slate from the bed, on a bench

Updated: 24 October 2026

You have a slate on the bench, a pick, and a nail that needs a hole, and you would rather not crack the slate on the first blow. This is how to hole a slate from the bed: where the two holes sit, what to rest the slate on, and when a supplier says the spike is the wrong tool. The [slate hammer comparison](/hub/hand-tools/slate-hammer) is the hammer table. This page is the strike, and it does not send you up a ladder. Peter F. took the positions from CUPA and SSQ, not from a test struck here. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a slate on the bench, a pick, and a nail that needs a hole, and you would rather not crack the slate on the first blow.

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On this page
  1. 1.Where the hole has to be
  2. 2.Bed, support, one slate
  3. 3.When not to use the spike
  4. 4.Nails, then stop

Where the hole has to be

Hole from the tail, the thicker end, and leave the thinner end as the head once the slate is fixed. CUPA asks for two holes, about 20–25 mm in from the long edges, so the nail head can sit in a recess on the bed. SSQ's holing gauge is the gauge plus the lap plus 10 mm. Use the figure your supplier or the existing course already implies. Mark the bed, not the face you will see from the garden. Wonkee Donkee's sequence is mark the back, support the slate, then strike. One hole in the middle is not the fixing. A stack struck in one blow stars the slates underneath. Choose the pick or the bladed axe first, on the slate hammer buying guide.

Bed, support, one slate

The bed faces you, so the other face can spall into a countersink and the nail head can sit flush. CUPA describes a narrow iron under the mark. Wonkee describes a bench iron or a brick. Put that support directly under the point, on a bench that will not bounce the slate into your free hand. One firm blow may be enough on a thin slate. A second is normal if the first only dents. Do not flip the slate and punch from the face. A site hammer in this set may have a pick and no cutting blade. Dressing is a different tool, and the hand of that blade is the right or left handed slater's hammer page. Wear eye protection.
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When not to use the spike

Natural by Choice says to hole from the bed with a punch or by boring, not spiked with a hammer and not drilled, so the countersink survives. CUPA and SSQ still allow a spike for a small repair or a moved hole, and CUPA prefers a machine for volume. SSQ limits hand dressing to about 4 mm. Follow the sheet that came with the slates in your hand. If it forbids a spike, stop. Reviews of site hammers here describe a point that would not hole until it was sharpened. If you grind it, wear eye protection and keep the slate out of the spark line. Crushing or starring means change method, not hit harder.

Nails, then stop

SSQ specifies copper nails to BS 1202-2: a shank of at least 3.3 mm, a head of at least 10 mm, and a length about 20–25 mm longer than two thicknesses of slate, longer at the eaves. The head should sit in the countersink, not be driven through it. If the head stands proud, the next course rocks. Then stop. The bench is the hammer's work. Where the course above covers the nail line, the fitting is usually a ripper and a tingle, and the roof is work at height. That decision is the replace a slate DIY page. BS 5534 and BS 8000-6 govern the roof. They do not certify the hammer.

Common questions

Do I hole the front or the back?
Hole from the bed, the back, so the face can spall into a recess for the nail head. CUPA and Wonkee both mark that side. Striking the visible face breaks the recess out on the wrong side. The thicker end is the tail, where the holes belong.
How many holes, and how far from the edge?
Two holes is the normal fixing in the CUPA and SSQ notes used here, about 20–25 mm in from the long edges. The distance up from the tail is gauge plus lap plus 10 mm. Use the lap you were given. Do not put one hole in the centre to save a nail.
What do I rest the slate on?
Rest one slate on a narrow iron, a bench iron, or a solid brick, directly under the mark. Your free hand stays out of the line of the spike. A soft board, or a stack of other slates, cracks the wrong piece. Keep eye protection on.
What if the point will not go through?
A second blow on a thin slate is normal. Crushing or starring means stop. Site-hammer reviews describe points that were too blunt until they were sharpened. If your supplier forbids a spike, a harder blow is the wrong correction.
Some suppliers say not to use a hammer. Who is right?
Follow the supplier of the slate you are holding. Natural by Choice says not to spike and not to drill. CUPA and SSQ allow a spike for a small job, with hand dressing limited to about 4 mm on the SSQ note. Do not mix the two sheets.
Can I do this on the roof?
No. This holing is a bench job. The roof is work at height, and a mid-course replacement often cannot be nailed because the slate above covers the fixing line. A clean hole is not a safe working platform.

Related pages

Best slater's hammer

Slate hammer

Slate hammer buying guide: three heads, then weight

Right or left handed slater's hammer: the cutting edge

Replace a slate DIY: hole it on the ground, then stop

Sources

Prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk saved listings for B0CBVW35XX, B004VRPXUU, B097BJ7444, B0002JT0BE, and B0001JZYL0, scored on 22 October 2026. Public sources cover work at height, PUWER, BS 5534, BS 8000-6, and holing practice. None of these listings is certified to those standards. This is not a lab strike test.

  1. HSE: Work at height FAQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE: PUWER and work equipment (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. NFRC: standards and regulations (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. LABC: fixing of roof tiles (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. CUPA: fixing guide for natural slate (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. SSQ: nail fixing guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Kellaway: Roughneck slater's hammer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Metal Roofing Tools: Stubai slater's hammer 275501 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. Wow Tools: Estwing E239MS roofer's pick (retrieved 22 October 2026)