Popular Post Eric. Posted April 4, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 With the shop in a period of transition and very little time (as usual) to tackle a big project, I've been having some fun building little things for the shop that take only a few hours or less. I often neglect squeezing in some shop time if I can't be working on a long-term, elaborate build, but some of the smallest and most basic projects can be quite gratifying. It's all woodworking. So get your ass out there and build something. Hard maple head; some kind of unidentifiable rosewood or rosewood-like species for the handle. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Looks nice! I want to make one of these soon. When my buddy is less busy with other things, I will get some stuff stabilized for mine. Thinking I'll have some left over padauk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I did this tonight to hold me over until my tool cabinets are done. It's the little things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJsumthn Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I plan on making a jointer mallet soon as well. Roy Underhill just did one on a recent episode of the Woodwright Shop. Eric, did you use 12/4 or 16/4 maple for the head? Freddie, I will be making new tool holders when my bandsaw gets here. My current ones are hand cut with a fret saw and look like a beaver chewed them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Started making a router table extension wing for my tablesaw tonight. Hoping to utilize some dead space between the rails, eliminate my benchtop router table, and move to a bigger router at the same time. Not a huge job, but in 15 minute increments it will probably take me a month.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Gonna pound some wood with that one. Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I plan on making a jointer mallet soon as well. Roy Underhill just did one on a recent episode of the Woodwright Shop. Eric, did you use 12/4 or 16/4 maple for the head? 12/4, and that's actually thicker than what Roy's mallet calls for. I think his was 2 1/4"...mine ended up a little proud of 2 1/2". 16/4 would be a BEAST. Doesn't matter for my purposes, which honestly will be mostly for pounding down my holdfasts. But if you plan to do a lot of mortising with it, I'd probably slim it down closer to Roy's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I'd like to make a nice mallet, but just can't bring myself to do it when I have 3 or 4 rubber mallets, a couple of dead-blow hammers, a few claw hammers, a ball-peen or two, a mason's hammer and a factory made carver's mallet in the tool box....That's what happens when older relatives start passing on and you are the only handy man / wood dude / tool guy left in the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I did one of those not long ago.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Have you done any heavy pounding with that, Kev? (That's what she said.) The lazy in me thought about laminating the head like that since it would be so much easier to make the mortise than wasting it out with a chisel, but I worried about it coming apart eventually from all the stress. I know they say glue is stronger than wood and all that...but I wonder if that's still true in something like that mallet head. Anyway, they're so easy to make I guess it doesn't really matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I used that to cut all those Dutchmen in the quilting table. I wouldn't call that "pounding" but, it did see a fair share of action. Held up fine. Besides that, they're quick to make so no real loss if it breaks, just make another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaichel Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I like both of your mallets. After using the BS 16 oz Joiner's Mallet for a couple months now I have found it to be to light duty for any really pounding. I am going to breakdown and make a big Thor mallet like you two did. I will probably do what Kev did and laminate the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I like both of your mallets. After using the BS 16 oz Joiner's Mallet for a couple months now I have found it to be to light duty for any really pounding. I am going to breakdown and make a big Thor mallet like you two did. I will probably do what Kev did and laminate the head. Makes it a bit easier James as you can taper that inside piece and not mess around with hogging out all of that afterwords.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Eric, 2 1/2 x ? x ? for the head. Not that I want to be a copy cat but y'all have obviously made them before and know what works. We're getting two days of rain here this weekend and that would be a perfect project to work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I don't recall exactly what the dimensions are off the top of my head but, here's a link to Roy Underhill building one.. http://video.pbs.org/program/woodwrights-shop/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaichel Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I don't recall exactly what the dimensions are off the top of my head but, here's a link to Roy Underhill building one.. http://video.pbs.org/program/woodwrights-shop/ Cool, thanks Kev! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Eric, 2 1/2 x ? x ? for the head. Not that I want to be a copy cat but y'all have obviously made them before and know what works. We're getting two days of rain here this weekend and that would be a perfect project to work on. I based mine loosely on Roy's, so check Kev's link. I don't think he lists the dimensions anywhere...he makes you watch the show to get the details. Just off of memory, approximate dimensions of Roy's: 2 1/4" thick 3 1/4" "tall" 5 1/2" long at top of mallet, tapered down to 5 1/4" long at bottom of mallet (The last two dimensions are mine...I think he says 5 3/8 down to 5 1/4...but that didn't give the head enough taper, so I made the top slightly longer. He took those dimensions at the speed of light without taking much care to get them accurately...so it's a rough estimate.) He makes it very clear with his nonchalant descriptions of the dimensions and angles that it's far from critical. At one point he says the head is tapered at 3*, then another time 3* or 4*, and then finally, something like, "Well, whatever...an angle a little less than 5*." LOL Oh, total handle length he says is 14"...that seems short to me...mine was closer to 17" I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I did watch the video. He's so much fun to watch as well as educational. I wonder where his shop is, upstate N.Y.? Got all of the dimensions and I'll take your lead and make the handle 17". I'm off to the mallet fab shop!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I did watch the video. He's so much fun to watch as well as educational. I wonder where his shop is, upstate N.Y.? Got all of the dimensions and I'll take your lead and make the handle 17". I'm off to the mallet fab shop!! Awesome! I look forward to seeing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted April 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Oh, total handle length he says is 14"...that seems short to me...mine was closer to 17" I think. Uh, hey Cooper? Let's amend this comment to..."was closer to 17" until I lopped 2" off of it." It's 15" long, total...I just measured it. Sorry dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I wonder where his shop is, upstate N.Y.? I believe St. Roy resides in North Carolina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 From both the mallets pictured it appears to me that the faces are not 90° to the top. If this is correct, what is the angle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el capitán Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 The head is tapered at 3* or 4*, well something less than 5*. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 Uh, hey Cooper? Let's amend this comment to..."was closer to 17" until I lopped 2" off of it." It's 15" long, total...I just measured it. Sorry dude. I don't mean to be splitting hairs here, but if I'm going to mess up it's not going to be on having too short of a handle. HHHMMMM! Eric, is that the total length thru the mallet or just the handle itself? I believe St. Roy resides in North Carolina.Thanks, it's a neat looking area w/ everyone walking. The only time people walk around here is when someone hijacks their pickup!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 4, 2014 Report Share Posted April 4, 2014 I just measured mine and it's actually about 11 inches including the portion thru the mallet... Suggest cutting it long (17 inches or so) and trimming off until it's comfortable for you. Just don't glue it in place until you have that length Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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