Rawhide Mallets

[Mike Holbrook]

Highland Hardware/Woodworking has carried these for years. I also see that Barr Tools offers a selection of these mallets to use with their chisels, The wife actually has a very old one, with the manufacturer name on the metal part of the head Holbrook, which just happens to be my last name. That mean woman want let me place hers back in service though, can you guys imagine that!

I am wondering if a leather mallet would protect my Ashley Iles and other ... chisel handles. Someone here is bound to be using one.

[Tom McMahon]

I have been using a rawhide mallet for over 30 years any time I want to beat on any thing I don't want to leave a mark on. They are great. They do require a break in process, brand new they are quite hard. I read somewhere how to break them in but it was long ago and I don't remember where. The two I have are all rawhide with a wood handle, no metal parts. I believe they came from Dixon jewelry supply.

[David Keller NC]

Here is an alternative that a lot of us carvers use. Has the added attribute besides not marring chisel handles of being considerably quieter than wooden mallets:

http://thebestthings.com/newtools/mallets.htm

[andy brumenschenkel]

I am a timber framer so a mallet and chisel is used quite often. Those Wood Is Good mallets are awesome. Quiet, non marring, and a great feel.

[Joel Goodman]

For the wood is good mallets what's the best weight / size for dovetailing? I see there is an 18 oz 2 3/4" diameter and a 20 oz 3 1/2" diameter. Any advantages to one or the other? Is the bigger diameter better?

[Dave Lehnert]

I use a mallet like the "Wood Is Good" from ShopFox. They are a bit cheaper. I got them from Rocky Mountain Knife Works when I was their on a trip to Tennessee.

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2012/Main/309

[Don Dorn]

Andy said: "I am a timber framer so a mallet and chisel is used quite often. Those Wood Is Good mallets are awesome. Quiet, non marring, and a great feel."


I've used most every type, but got one of those for Father's day in 2007. Don't see a reason to ever get a different mallet.

Don

[Eric Brown]

Joel, I have both the 18 and 30 oz ones from wood is good. I find that for most work the 18 is best. I am not big or muscular guy and trying to use the 30 wears me out. I reserve the 30 for big hittin'. I also use a square brass hammer with leather faces for some things.

Eric

[Matthew N. Masail]

http://www.wire-sculpture.com/jewelry-hammer-1.html some nice looking non expensive brass and rawhide mallets

[Mike Holbrook]

Does anyone know if there is a significant difference between the Wood is Good Mallet and the Shop Fox Mallet? Does anyone have both the Wood is Good/Shop Fox Mallet and a rawhide one? I am wondering if the rawhide has less tendency to scar or split wood handles? I have a Wood is Good Mallet #12, old model I have had many years. The Mallet I have is fairly large & heavy. I was thinking of a smaller rawhide mallet.

[Randy Briggs]

Garland has rawhide mallets and I have a split head one with rawhide on one size and urethane face on the other.

[Jack Curtis]

I don't have vast experience with rawhide mallets, but the one I bought 10 years ago or so has a substantial amount of glue holding the rawhide together. Therefore this is a HARD little mallet, harder than I'd thought it would be. I don't know that it gives chisels handles a significant break.

[andy brumenschenkel]

I was looking at the ShopFox mallets and it looks like the diameters are different than the Wood Is Good. It looks like the 18 oz and the 30 oz are larger diameters and the 24 oz is smaller.
does anyone know if this is true, or does anyone have the 24 oz and know the diameter?

[David Keller NC]

Does anyone know if there is a significant difference between the Wood is Good Mallet and the Shop Fox Mallet? Does anyone have both the Wood is Good/Shop Fox Mallet and a rawhide one? I am wondering if the rawhide has less tendency to scar or split wood handles? I have a Wood is Good Mallet #12, old model I have had many years. The Mallet I have is fairly large & heavy. I was thinking of a smaller rawhide mallet.

Yes; Don't buy the cheaper knock-offs. The urethane in the head is a different composition - the urethane in the Wood is Good mallets is dang near bomb-proof. I've been using my 12 and 18 oz. mallets now for about 6 years, with no visible damage, and that's from many, many repeated blows from carving. I know of at least 2 carvers in the local group that had the knock-off mallets. The "urethane" (and I'm not really sure it was urethane) on the head of these knockoffs did not hold up - one person's mallet disentigrated after about 2 months of carving. That would probably equal about 1 year of general cabinetmaking use.

Edit: I didn't realize this when I posted, but the WIG mallets are actually guaranteed to be unbreakable:

http://woodisgoodco.com/mallets.htm