When to use a round mallet vs. a square mallet?

[David Kuzdrall]

In what situations would a round (turned) mallet be used vs. a square head type of mallet?

thx

[John Coloccia]

I use a round mallet for general carving, chopping, etc. I use the square head when I really need to whack something hard...like setting a hold down, or driving a pig sticker mortise chisel. The square head is actually angled to get a good, square blow. The round ones are great because you can hold them any which way and strike any which way, but you can't really get a lot of force behind it because everything is a glancing blow (though the slight taper does help greatly).

If I could ONLY have one, I would have round ones, no question. In a pinch, I could use any old household hammer and a block of wood to duplicate most of what the flat faced mallet can do.

[David Weaver]

I also use a round mallet for everything except mortising.

And as much as I hate to say it, having turned my own mallets from verawood and maple in the past, I like the green mallets that have a urethane head better than any i've turned. "Wood is Good" or something, I can't remember exactly what they're called.

[John Coloccia]

I have one of those too, and love it. I also have one I turned. It's very small and very light....just perfect for really gentle work.

[James Owen]

Agreed...the Wood Is Good green urethane round mallets are superb..... there are two in my tool chest.....one of them is at least 20 years old.....great tools!

[Adam Cherubini]

I prefer round mallets generally. The reason is, the round mallet contacts at a point, generally in the center of whatever you are aiming at. So if you are hitting the back of a plane for example, with a slight twist of the wrist, you can hit the corner of the plane (or mortise chisel handle) and easily chip that.

The converse is also true. If you are striking a piece of furniture (I never do), the pressure associated with hitting something hard with a round mallet can be so high that it dings the work. Can be nicer to have a wide flat mallet. Good luck actually hitting something like that. In the past I covered my joiners' mallets in leather. Now what I do is strike things like this with the top of my round (really cylindrical) mallet. So I have both tools in one! That's what I do.

I still hit my holdfasts with a joiner's mallet. Just about everything else with a smallish turned mallet.

[Zach Dillinger]

I used to use a square mallet for everything, but a while ago a friend made me a couple of round mallets, one in beech and the other in maple. The smaller beech mallet is very nice for plane adjusting, light chopping etc., but that maple mallet is a beast. I've even driven my mortise chisels with it. I still use my shop made square mallet (maple head, oak handle) every now and then, but its been pretty much all round all the time.

[Jim Koepke]

One of my square mallets is just a handle on an approximately full 2X4 hunk of oak. It is nice for light tapping to a firm hit on a chisel.

I have made a few round mallets. Most of the time they are used for whacking my froes. One of them was turned from about a 6" log in the fire wood pile. It is getting pretty beat up and is likely to get replaced and returned to the fire wood pile.

One of my reasons for using square head mallets is they don't roll off the bench. The round mallets sometimes tip over if the action gets going on my light weight bench.

jtk

[george wilson]

I always use a square mallet,but as I've said before,I do everything the hard way anyway!!:) I don't like a round mallet skipping off a chisel handle and hitting my hand. Yes,they are traditional for sculptors as they are quick and simple to make.

[Bob Jones]

Homemade square mallet for striking anything wood. I made a large and a small but only use the larger one. Just control how hard tou swing. I don't own a round mallet. I use a deadblow mallet for holdfasts.

[Patrick McCarthy]

My wife prefers the round one when she in just knocking some sense into me; she saves the square mallett for when she real feels the need to POUND some sense into me. YMMV

[ray hampton]

My wife prefers the round one when she in just knocking some sense into me; she saves the square mallett for when she real feels the need to POUND some sense into me. YMMV

and it seen to be working in your wife favor

[Patrick McCarthy]

Touche'

maybe this evening she can help me with the spelling of mallet . . . without the second T

[Chris Griggs]

You're so lucky Patrick. My wife prefers sharp objects...

[Matthew N. Masail]

any object is better than **the look**

[Patrick McCarthy]

When I got married my dad warned me that "the look" was the precursor to the cold shoulder and sharp tongue . . . .

[David Kuzdrall]

Thanks folks for all the replies. Does the green mallet mentioned above have a bit of tack to minimize glancing blows from skipping off the chisel?

thx

[Harry Hagan]

Use a round mallet for driving round pegs and a square mallet for driving square pegs.

[ray hampton]

Use a round mallet for driving round pegs and a square mallet for driving square pegs.

do you use a square mallet and a square chisel to make a square hole ?

[Kevin Groenke]

Just round mallets for me. I prefer a compact head, so the ones I pick up most frequently have metal heads. Lee Valley's brass Journeyman's mallet (http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/chisels/05e1401s1.jpg) is nice but a bit light. When I want more umph, I grab a 2lb Trow and Holden round hand hammer (https://trowandholden.com/store/agora.cgi?p_id=0084&xm=on). There is also an old malleable iron one in the shop that's nice, I think it came from Highland ~8 years ago. I don't think it's made anymore - whoaa, I see they do have a 2lb brass (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/brasscarversmallet2lb.aspx)one though, not a bad deal either.


243175243174243173

[David Keller NC]

Thanks folks for all the replies. Does the green mallet mentioned above have a bit of tack to minimize glancing blows from skipping off the chisel?

thx

No, at least when they've been used a bit. One warning - pony up the cash to buy a genuine "Wood is Good" mallet if you're going the direction of the "round and green". The cheap imports use an imposter urethane that isn't very tough nor long-lasting. I recommend the 12 oz weight for all-around use. The 18 oz. is about right if you're going to be doing heavy chopping with a mortise chisel.

BTW - My vote in general is a round 'n green mallet for most chisel-chopping tasks (dovetails, mortises, etc...). But I keep a traditional beech joiner's mallet on my bench at all time for smacking the stuffing out of holdfasts, and sometimes use it with the larger mortise chisels if I'm chopping a tough species.

[Jim Koepke]

BTW - My vote in general is a round 'n green mallet for most chisel-chopping tasks (dovetails, mortises, etc...). But I keep a traditional beech joiner's mallet on my bench at all time for smacking the stuffing out of holdfasts, and sometimes use it with the larger mortise chisels if I'm chopping a tough species.

My experience is a holdfast doesn't need that hard of a whacking. Some benches can not take that much force and may have problems with a really powerfully driven holdfast.

If one has flies or mosquitoes in their shop, a flat faced mallet is a handy tool to have at hand.

jtk