Mallet


Dknapp34

Recommended Posts

In between projects right now and my harbour freight deadblow mallet is getting pretty beat up from being used for everything, so I figured it was a good time to fire up the lathe and try my hand at a mallet.  Made it out of white oak, finished with a single coat of danish oil.  Another coat seemed unnecessary, given that it's going to literally get smacked around, but I could always add another coat or two if necessary.  

IMG_0982.thumb.JPG.7d0a27544d4079e876a2e

569c2671b156a_IMG_0980(1).thumb.JPG.42b4

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Brendon_t said:

I manage to miss the chisel with the 3"x3" square face on my mortising mallet.  I'll pass.

I saw the Big Ash Mallet episode of Woodwright's Shop not too long ago and those big mortising mallets look pretty cool.  Maybe I'll make one of those too, so I can compare with the round one.   

1 hour ago, Brendon_t said:

Sweet, now go beat the crap out of it. 

 

 

55 minutes ago, Chet K. said:

Brendon is right, it looks to purdy, go hit something

 

12 minutes ago, Southwood said:

Good looking bonker. Now as the rest said go beat it up 

Thanks!  Just need to come up with the next project so I can start abusing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently turned a mallet out of soft maple and prefer the round style. Mine is significantly stub bier than yours. A few reasons why you might want a shorter and larger diameter mallet. One, can't miss your chisel. Two, I sometimes grab the head of the mallet like a caveman would grab a rock. It always you to deliver very gentle and controlled blows when necessary. 3, the top of a 4-5" diameter mallet can be nice for nudging parts into alignment during a glue up. Assuming you are accurate with your parting tool and give yourself a nice flat top. 

 

The grip looks comfortable. Reminds me of old school priests--they were short clubs used to smack trout once you caught them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Pwk5017 said:

I recently turned a mallet out of soft maple and prefer the round style. Mine is significantly stub bier than yours. A few reasons why you might want a shorter and larger diameter mallet. One, can't miss your chisel. Two, I sometimes grab the head of the mallet like a caveman would grab a rock. It always you to deliver very gentle and controlled blows when necessary. 3, the top of a 4-5" diameter mallet can be nice for nudging parts into alignment during a glue up. Assuming you are accurate with your parting tool and give yourself a nice flat top. 

 

The grip looks comfortable. Reminds me of old school priests--they were short clubs used to smack trout once you caught them. 

I've heard of nuns smacking kids with rulers, but priests with mallets sounds pretty terrifying!

You might be right about a wider diameter head.  To be honest, I was just winging it and there wasn't really a rhyme or reason to how wide I made it.  The good news is that if I decide it's too narrow, I get to make another mallet!  I'm finding that I really enjoy turning.  There's something very satisfying about being able to start and finish a project in a just a few hours.

The handle is pretty comfortable, I recall there being an article in one of the magazines where they tested a bunch of handle shapes and something with a similar shape was ranked at the top.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry if I insulted any priests(profession), I was referring to the club called a priest. Don't ask me why, but old school anglers used to carry clubs that look like your mallet to bonk fish before throwing them in the creel basket. They are called priests, and I have no idea why they received that name. Well, I was curious enough to look it up. From Wikipedia:

A priest (poacher's, game warden's or angler's "priest"), is a tool for killing game or fish.

The name "priest" comes from the notion of administering the "last rites" to the fish or game. Anglers often use priests to quickly kill fish.

 

I digress.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
1 minute ago, Chestnut said:

1. I really like the mallet
2. I really need to see Monty Python ... GASP!! i know I've never seen it.
3. Is the mallet heavy enough? I've thought about making another one myself and filling it with lead shot to make it heavier.

Thanks!  Yes you do!  Holy Grail is great, but The Meaning of Life and Life of Brian also are hilarious.    

As for the mallet, I'll be honest, I haven't done much woodworking lately.  Things got busy at work and then I was waiting to get my new saw before starting another project, so I haven't really gotten a chance to test it out.  I'm finishing up a quick and dirty outfeed table for the new saw and then I plan on getting started on a few projects.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   3 Members, 0 Anonymous, 49 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.8k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,759
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    R Parekh
    Newest Member
    R Parekh
    Joined