One Thing Leads to Another

[Jim Koepke]

My loving wife wanted to spare me some exertion that she felt could give me a heart attack so she decided we should get a log splitter.

While getting the hang of using it before the beginning of fire wood cutting season I split a couple of heavy pieces that I thought were alder. It turns out they were what one of my neighbors told me is bitter cherry. They have been in our wood pile since we moved here and they were old then. Anyway, it looked so nice and seemed a waste to burn it so a piece of it was selected to make another mallet.

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If you have ever been paring inside a mortise and had the chisel give way while you are holding on to it, you will understand why there is a glove on my left hand.

You may also notice that is not your average paring chisel. That is actually a straight sided chisel. That cherry is a lot harder than pine to pare the end grain.

A lot of work just to be able to whack something. Turning a round mallet is a lot easier.

Maybe I can figure out a way to have my wife be in the shop while resawing something. Then she will want to buy me a new bandsaw. :D

More pictures when it is done…

jtk

[Terry Beadle]

That looks like a serious persuader !

Making your own hammers and mauls etc. That's a wonderful use of materials and pays off many times over.

Be sure to post a pic of it done with a handle. Hickory handle?

[Jim Koepke]

Hickory handle?

No, I am making the handle out of another piece of the same piece of wood. There is a bit more and I may make a meat tenderizer for the kitchen.

The wife is always looking for something to adjust my attitude.

jtk

[Michael Peet]

If you have ever been paring inside a mortise and had the chisel give way while you are holding on to it, you will understand why there is a glove on my left hand.

I just finished the mortises for my new bench, so YES, I get it. I just wish I'd thought of it...

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

I just finished the mortises for my new bench, so YES, I get it. I just wish I'd thought of it...

Don't feel bad, I too learned the hard way.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Or at least my neighbor tells me this is a kind of cherry. I just know it is hard and dense. There were a few tricks to working it, but I have a bit more of it around that will get used as needed.

This is the finish to my mallet project or honey do list diversion depending on whose opinion is being heard.

Once the taper on the handle is matching the taper in the head's mortise it is just a matter of taking a few shavings at a time to get the handle to seat where wanted.

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The pencil marks indicate the progress as the handle is being planed. Each time the handle was checked for fit by sighting through the head to make sure there weren't any high spots.

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After checking the fit, an equal number of shavings were taken from each side. Each time the handle was checked for fit, attention was paid to both top and bottom of the mortise to ensure the taper was not changing.

I knew this handle had some flaws, but if it breaks, making another will not be hard.

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When the handle was finally fit to the head it was shaped for comfort using shaves, rasps, chisels, gouges and even a bit of sandpaper.

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Making the top of the handle rounded just seemed to be what the wood wanted.

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This wood looks great from just about any angle.

A little cheating with the bandsaw to trim the top and a plane to clean up the saw marks.

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The edges were chamfered all around.

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And finally the finished mallet.

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This is a just a little bigger than my beech mallet and somewhat heavier. Now maybe a project with mortises to give it a test drive.

jtk

[Rick Markham]

That's a nice looking Bonker Jim!

[glenn bradley]

Very nice end result. Thanks for taking us through the steps.

[george wilson]

I used to get mallets made so easily: I would find wheel fellowes (fellies) that didn't make it,left over by the wheel wright's shop. The ones for large wagons worked fine. They had holes mortised through them,and had the curve already in them. All I had to do was saw them off,and make a handle!!:) I still have a few I made from their mistakes.

[Zach Dillinger]

I used to get mallets made so easily: I would find wheel fellowes (fellies) that didn't make it,left over by the wheel wright's shop. The ones for large wagons worked fine. They had holes mortised through them,and had the curve already in them. All I had to do was saw them off,and make a handle!!:) I still have a few I made from their mistakes.

Lucky man, having access to that kind of "mistake" work.

[Jim Koepke]

That's a nice looking Bonker Jim!

When I handed it to my wife, she felt its heft and looked at me in a way that I know I will want to keep it out of her reach. :eek:

She calls them hubby clubs.


I used to get mallets made so easily: I would find wheel fellowes (fellies) that didn't make it,left over by the wheel wright's shop.


Lucky man, having access to that kind of "mistake" work.

Amazing, I would love to have such a source. One man's pile of garbage is another man's pot of gold.

jtk