A powered hammer includes a housing, a tool holder coupled to the housing and configured to hold a tool, a motor within the housing, a piston slideably mounted within the housing, a drive mechanism that converts rotary output of the motor into a reciprocating motion of the piston, a ram slideably mounted forward of the piston and that is reciprocatingly driven by the piston, and a beat piece support mounted in the housing forward of the ram. A beat piece is slideably supported by the beat piece support. The beat piece is repetitively struck by the ram and that in turn repetitively strikes an end of a tool when the tool is held in the tool holder to transfer the momentum of the ram to a tool. The beat piece support includes a seal that is slidingly engaged by the beat piece. The seal includes an absorbent material.