Popular Post Chestnut Posted June 3, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Finally finished the sheet rock and finish work on the bedroom i'm remodeling. That brings me to flooring. I asked a while back and there was more people that voted for leaving the flooring than removing it and laying new. There are a couple LARGE vents from the old gravity system that i need to patch. I removed some of the boards back so the patch had a staggered edge to look less like a patch. It was slow chisel work but i made the best of it and it only took a couple hours. Right after i finished i tossed my old mallet up and was going to catch it like i do my hammer but it doesn't flip the same way. Down it went and in two it broke. No use crying, it was my first mallet and i did more wrong with it then right. So i started making version 2. The mallet fell to it's death 2 min later. Made it out of purple heart and hickory. Most of the mallets i saw did a through tenon for the handle and friction fit it but i was in a hurry so i just glued it into one big block. When i break the handle again I'll have advanced and make yet again a better one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Not sure about the true, thru tenon, but a lot of the ones I've seen, and the one I made, are laminated, with the handle extending thru the head (?), giving the appearance of a thru tenon. The one you made should last till the cows come home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 nice looking mallet chestnut, definitely an upgrade from the old one, i know for myself if i wasn't getting better at woodworking as i go along i might quit. I've only made one myself, hard maple, laminated like Coop but i wedged the top of the handle with hickory, think axe handle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 18 minutes ago, treeslayer said: nice looking mallet chestnut, definitely an upgrade from the old one, i know for myself if i wasn't getting better at woodworking as i go along i might quit. I've only made one myself, hard maple, laminated like Coop but i wedged the top of the handle with hickory, think axe handle I only made the old one a year ago. It's intimidating but nice being at the beginning stage you progress fast but there is always so much more to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Nice looking mallet. I have a question. I Never used wood mallet. I have a small mallet with 2 striking surfaces made of some kind of composite plastic - tough as hell but not must heft to it. What are the advantages of a good wooden mallet and how much should it weigh? How long should it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 24 minutes ago, Ronn W said: Nice looking mallet. I have a question. I Never used wood mallet. I have a small mallet with 2 striking surfaces made of some kind of composite plastic - tough as hell but not must heft to it. What are the advantages of a good wooden mallet and how much should it weigh? How long should it be? Having those large faces, for a clumsy guy like me, makes it so much more enjoyable to use. Missing the chisel is just 1 less thing to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Plus, swinging one makes you feel like Thor! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 8 hours ago, Ronn W said: Nice looking mallet. I have a question. I Never used wood mallet. I have a small mallet with 2 striking surfaces made of some kind of composite plastic - tough as hell but not must heft to it. What are the advantages of a good wooden mallet and how much should it weigh? How long should it be? I think the point for a joinery mallet is being able to smack a chisel pretty hard when your hogging out mortises while still being some what agile for finesse work. I made mine roughly off of what G S Haydon made in a video not that long ago and Paul Sellers Joinery mallet. 14" handle with the head being 16/4 measuring 6" x 4". I just grabbed scraps for mine. 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: Plus, swinging one makes you feel like Thor! Not going to lie that thought came up a few times making this. My Norwegian ancestors might be somewhat proud ... or embarrassed that it's so puny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Hammer was a hit with my friends most of them were appalled that i was going to actually use it to smash chisels. I got a coat of ARS on it but i needed to use it so i could only get 1. First time using ARS and that stuff is interesting, jury is still out though needs further deliberation. Well most thought it'd be better to redo the floors than to lay new. Turned out ok there are some area's where there was damage to the flooring that just can't be fixed. The patches turned out ok. They will be very obvious because the wood is 90 years apart in age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Isn't that the way a 90 year floor is supposed to look? Looks good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 Congrats on the new mallet and the floor looks great. The one on the right, is that what bay windows looked like 90 years ago? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 57 minutes ago, K Cooper said: Congrats on the new mallet and the floor looks great. The one on the right, is that what bay windows looked like 90 years ago? All the windows are new circa 1980. But the old windows were like 60" tall the new ones they put in are half the original height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Nice looking mallet and the room is looking good.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 11, 2016 Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 I love me some site finished hardwood floor. Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 Coat 1 down. 4 hours and I'm going for 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 2 hours ago, drzaius said: I love me some site finished hardwood floor. Looks great! After living with pre-finished at my parents house and site finished at my house there are advantages to both but you can't beat how smooth and flat site finished floors are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Got 3 coats on moving to trim. Does any one have advice on lumber for trim? I'm going to copy what was there which was 3/4" x 4-1/4". What do you pro's use? I was thinking pine but fighting bows and warps doesn't sound appealing. Next thought was poplar but i don't want to sink a ton of money in this (I'm not staying in this house long). Would MDF be stupid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkrusen Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Avoid the MDF. Any water and you're screwed. I'd stick with poplar or alder or something similar. I can't remember if I ever saw much alder when I lived in Fargo. God knows Minnesota has enough poplar to last a thousand lifetimes. I'd think you could get it fairly cheap. And honestly, if you're not planning to stay there long, why not just buy some pre-made from Lumber Liquidators or HD or something? Its pretty cheap and you can get it unfinished so that you can finish it how you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 +1 on avoiding MDF trim. There are different qualities of MDF available, but any MDF trim I've seen is made of the very worst quality. It soaks up water like a sponge & you can pick it apart with your fingernails. It's about 6 levels below cardboard. On the other hand, for my house, I made all the painted trim from MDF. But it's a lot harder, stronger & somewhat water resistant. It's held up very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I guess i should have clarified I'd be buying sheet MDF and cutting the trim from it. One thing i researched was that MDF changes size with humidity a lot with one wall being 13 feet that worries me. @drzaius Did you just use box store sheets? Did you notice gaps forming on your trim? Poplar and alder are too expensive out here ... oak is cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Mdf is standard for trim here. It comes primed and holds up very well. If you are making the baseboards than poplar will be easier on your tools and takes paint really well. If you are buying it- mdf all the way. Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 3 hours ago, mkrusen said: And honestly, if you're not planning to stay there long, why not just buy some pre-made from Lumber Liquidators or HD or something? Its pretty cheap and you can get it unfinished so that you can finish it how you want. I agree with this. If you are going to move ---KISS. Keep it simple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 2 hours ago, Chestnut said: I guess i should have clarified I'd be buying sheet MDF and cutting the trim from it. One thing i researched was that MDF changes size with humidity a lot with one wall being 13 feet that worries me. @drzaius Did you just use box store sheets? Did you notice gaps forming on your trim? Poplar and alder are too expensive out here ... oak is cheaper. I got it from a real lumber yard, but that was almost 25 years ago, so I don't remember the brand. The water resistant MDF is usually quite a bit better quality. It's a good idea to prime on all sides with oil based paint for added moisture protection. I've had no issues with humidity changes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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