Making Mallets Can Be Fun

[Jim Koepke]

Working on a lot of projects at the same time right now for Farmers Market season.

One of them is a mallet. This is the second mallet made since watching Roy Underhill make one on The Woodwright's Shop:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365021538/

First, I know some do not like end grain, but to me it is a part of the wood and can be beautiful:

285779

This one uses birch from a neighbor's tree he cut down. From reading about it I thought it would be a bit more difficult to work.

285778 285782

This bonker weighs in at 24 ounces.

It seemed to not be that hard to work as long as the tools are kept sharp.

285780

Here are a few pics and one with a few of the other mallets around the shop.

285781


jtk

[Cody Armstrong]

Nice Mallet Jim. What's the scoop you have there?

About that end-grain I agree. Whenever it's exposed I think it's most beautiful. :)

[Jim Koepke]

Nice Mallet Jim. What's the scoop you have there?

Thanks Cody.

The scoop is something I was turning while the birch was still wet just to see how it would do. I soaked it in alcohol and let it dry. Now I need to shape, sand and put it in the pile of stuff for the farmers market.

The acorn shaped turnings will become knobs with some threaded inserts and then there is also a spoon or two in the picture.

One of my goals is to make a carving horse to do work at the market. The problem will be that we aren't supposed to leave any shavings behind.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Purty! I really like working birch, particularly red birch.

I don't like endgrain in some places, but when it can be done nicely, and not a showing off joinery for it's own sake kind of thing, particularly around curved surfaces, the waxy appearance of birch endgrain can be real purty.

The swell on that handle is nice, although I'd like to see something a little more "3D", less just rounded-over edges. Not that I'm one to talk given the mallet I use. . .

[Jim Koepke]

The swell on that handle is nice, although I'd like to see something a little more "3D", less just rounded-over edges.

Thanks Joshua, I was thinking of turning the handle area. That will have to wait for a bigger mallet.

And believe me, I am planning on building bigger...

Fell an ash tree a couple of days ago. One of my thoughts is to use a round of wood with a handle to make something like a circus tent stake mallet. My dad got one of those years ago and it always impressed me when I was a little kid.

jtk

[Robert Culver]

sweet !! Nice job showing me up Jim!!!

[Pete Hotard]

I enjoy making them as well, although mine isn't nearly as nice. Built this out of some Jatoba off-cuts I had. Haven't had the chance to weigh it yet but it is very hefty.

http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy104/petehotard/B638452A-BE1B-4C30-9B23-B21633CBEB6F_zpsldxuypik.jpg (http://s782.photobucket.com/user/petehotard/media/B638452A-BE1B-4C30-9B23-B21633CBEB6F_zpsldxuypik.jpg.html)

http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy104/petehotard/019BEF1C-39AC-488E-8B0A-472B50984288_zpsii4qyin0.jpg (http://s782.photobucket.com/user/petehotard/media/019BEF1C-39AC-488E-8B0A-472B50984288_zpsii4qyin0.jpg.html)

http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy104/petehotard/EC4EA716-6AA7-4BA4-88CB-6D611F562243_zpspjeekjjk.jpg (http://s782.photobucket.com/user/petehotard/media/EC4EA716-6AA7-4BA4-88CB-6D611F562243_zpspjeekjjk.jpg.html)

[Richard Shaefer]

I make mallets too from time to time using surplus massaranduba decking posts that I have from an old job.
80% more dense than sugar maple, these little buggers have more mass behind them than a steel framing hammer.
With a bending strength of 30ksi, they're just about as strong, too.

I make a batch of these things once a year and give then away as gifts.
the wood is so toxic, that I have to throw open the shop doors and wear a cartridge filter mask when cutting the wood.
otherwise, it's sinus infection city for me ;)

285819

[Joe A Faulkner]

Had every intention of cleaning the shop today. Read this post this morning, watched the video, pulled a piece of honey locust out of the firewood pile, pealed away the bark and sealed the ends. Then found some scrap white oak. So instead of cleaning the shop, I made it worse, but now I have a jointer's mallet. If my wife asks why I didn't clean the shop, I'm blaming Jim. :)

I'm not thrilled with the profile of my handle - more work to do there, but this was a fun little project. Might try to do a better job with the locust once it dries out.

[Jim Koepke]

Great guys, now I am in trouble with another man's wife.

Hope my wife doesn't find out.

Nice work all on your mallets.

Some times the best way to hammer out the details is with a mallet.

jtk

[Michael Ray Smith]

I got into a rut a while back making mallets. . . tinkering with designs and materials. I finally broke out of that rut. But now that Jim reminds me about it, I had one or two ideas I never got around to trying. . . . .and now that Jim reminds me about it, I think I may have given away all the extras that I made before. . . .and now that Jim reminds me about it, my scrap bin IS overflowing, and it would be a shame to burn pieces that I could turn into purty mallets. . . Thanks, Jim.