What is the angle on a mallet face?

[Reed Gray]

I have been pondering this since this first came up. Lots of time to think while swimming laps in the pool. So, why would anyone want to angle the face of their mallets? With the face angled, then a lot of the force of the blow is going away at an angle. You would have to swing harder with an angled face to get the same amount of force that a square face would give you. Hard work never hurt nobody, but no point in working harder than you have to....

robo hippy

[David Zor]

I believe the idea is that the face be perpendicular to the tangent of the arc that the mallet is swinging on. So technically, by angling the face, you’re keeping it square. At least that’s my knuckle dragging understanding of it.

[Edward Weber]

Reed, with respect, I think you're misunderstanding the physics and geometry of the angled face.
The entire point is so that the face hits X square to the face. This can certainly be done with a straight faced mallet but some woodworking mallets evolved to incorporate the human form and the body mechanics that lead toward an angled face.
The arc that the mallet travels typically determines the face angle and there is no loss of energy if the face strikes X squarely. example

https://www.infinitytools.com/blog/2...-proper-mallet

With a lot of mallet work done closer to the body at bench height (small swings). Working up close typically puts the forearm at an angle, in this case a straight faced mallet would have the tenancy to push whatever you're striking away from you. The angled face mallet is designed to resole this situation.
This is "usually" why you see the shorter the handle length, the steeper the angle.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Lots of time to think while swimming laps in the pool.

And I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the lyrics to a song, trying to recall if it was Moby Grape or Atomic Roster. I knew it wasn't Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys.

[David Zor]

And I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the lyrics to a song, trying to recall if it was Moby Grape or Atomic Roster. I knew it wasn't Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys.

Those are not the lyrics you’re looking for. Please see Nick Cave’s “The Hammer Song” for some more appropriate insomnia lyrics.

[Reed Gray]

Cat Mother..... You couldn't play that on the radio a long time ago.... "When your feet are in the stirrups and your a-- is on the ground".... I did have a few times like that. No more....

As for the physics of the angled hammer head, the face is not in line with the mass of the hammer head. No clue as to how much difference it would actually make.

robo hippy

[Edward Weber]

Cat Mother..... You couldn't play that on the radio a long time ago.... "When your feet are in the stirrups and your a-- is on the ground".... I did have a few times like that. No more....

As for the physics of the angled hammer head, the face is not in line with the mass of the hammer head. No clue as to how much difference it would actually make.

robo hippy

True, the face in not in a "straight" line with the mass.
BUT
With a properly made mallet, the face is in line with the arc of the swing, as shown in the photo I linked to. This means that the point of impact is at the optimal face angle and X intersection.

[Jimmy Harris]

The angle is all about comfort. The steeper the angle of the face, the lower you'll want to hold your mallet hand above the chisel's butt so that it still meets the chisel's butt perpendicularly. So the main advantage of an angled face is not having to hold the mallet as high up above the chisel and relieve some work on shoulders. Though, what height is most comfortable depends on your personal preference, how tall you are, and how high up you're working.

So there's not really a universal right or wrong angle so much as a right or wrong angle for how you prefer to work. Either you adapt to the mallet, or you buy the mallet to adapt to you. Personally, I'm just as comfortable with a steeply angled, rounded carver's mallet as I am with a flat faced rubber mallet, so I don't even notice a difference when switching between the different designs. To me, a good mallet has a good rebound, the right weight, and good balance. And even the balance part isn't usually a huge deal, because I can almost always choke up or slide down the handle to find a good balance point to work from.

[James Pallas]

Interesting conversation. No claims on expertise here just what I have learned over the years. Lay your arm flat on the bench point your finger straight. Raise your arm up until fist is flat at the edge of the bench. That’s your angle. The other method that I described in an earlier post works as well. For framers and steel hammer people. Remember that all good hammers have about a 5* crown on the face. And those gennous generally have a curve in the handle that accomplishes the same thing. The photos are self descriptive.
Jim

[steven c newman]

I have enough trouble to keep my mortise chisels standing up at a perfect 90 degrees to the work....not about to have a mallet hit it at an angle....I prefer a flat face mallet.
A Chopping Day, 5 done .JPG
A Chopping day 14 mortises x 2 rails = 28 mortises to be chopped.
Arm Rests, chop started .JPG
Let alone while I am trying to chop a square through mortise...