Mallet turning success, wood gloat, and turning material question

[Bill Brush]

I posted earlier about my plan to do some mallets to improve my lathe skills, and back in December about starting turning. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?178599-Finally-got-a-lathe-2nd-turning-picture-and-a-question&highlight=)

I lucked out when I visited my wood guy and mentioned my mallet plan, he had a nice chunk of osage orange that was much thicker than what I normally see, and he put it in the pile as a "throw-in" with the rest of what I was getting

Here's how they turned out.

229094229095229096229097

The carpenter's mallet is unfinished, just sanded to 220 and burnished on the lathe. The carving mallet has a couple coats of Watco danish oil on it.

I'm fairly happy with the results, and I think they will provide a lot of use in the shop.

Any one know how I can slow down the oxidation of the Osage? It's such a pretty color I hate to let it go.

Finally, I have a request to make a pair of India clubs (think longer, thinner bowling pins), but I'm not sure how to estimate the final weight of the club. Is there a tool out there that can take a rough shape and estimate the weight depending on wood species? I need to hit in the 2-3 lb range with an 18-24" length.

[Bruce Pratt]

Bill,
This should work. If any questions, PM me.

1. Determine the density of the wood you intend to use.
1.1 Weigh a sample piece of the wood
1.2 Determine volume of the wood by water displacement.
1.2.1 Fill a container of sufficient size to the top with water
1.2.2 Submerge weighed piece of wood in the container
1.2.3 Capture and measure volume of displaced water.
1.2.4 Calculate Density D = weight/volume

2. Estimate volume of India club
2.1 Sketch profile of club (long axis aligned vertical).
2.2 Subdivide profile with a series of horizontal parallel lines.
2.3 Appoximate the profile between each set of parallel lines with a straight line segment, to construct a series of trapezoids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezoid)which approximate the profile of the club. These trapezoids will be the cross sectional profiles of a set of conical frusta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frustum) which will approximate the volume of the club
2.4 Calculate the volume of each frustum: V= (pi*h/12)*(a*a + a*b + b*b), where pi=3.14, h=height of frustum, a and b are the length of the upper and lower edges of the trapezoid.
2.5 Sum the volumes of all frustra (Vf)

3.0 Calculate total weight of club W = D*Vf
3.1 Adjust profile as needed to achieve desired weight
--------------
Bruce

[Jerry Marcantel]

Bill, after reading Bruce's formula for determining the weight of what you want to make, I think you ought to just pm him. I got lost after filling a container...... hehehe
Those are some nice looking mallets.... I don't think the osage you used will be good for pounding as from my experience with Osage is it's brittle around the growth rings. I tried setting my spur into a 1 x 1 osage and it split along the grain. I used some for tips on atl atl darts, and if you missed the target and hit a rock, they also split down the grain...... I agree it has beautiful color, and it's a good wood for making bows, but I've not had any luck with it........ Jerry (in Tucson)

[robert baccus]

Osage is heavy but somewhat brittle as you say. i've hard really good luck with dogwood--drives 16 P nails. also live oak and beech. elm should make great mallets also. it was a favorite for wagon wheel hubs back when i was a kid. There's always lignum!----------old forester