Daniel Rode
12-05-2014, 10:56 AM
I tried a round carver's style mallet and didn't like it. I went back to my Vaughn double face but decided to make myself a wood mallet. The wood and dimensions were mostly a result of what I found in the scrap pile. I laminated a couple of pieces of 5/4 white oak and got a pair blanks 2 1/8" x 3 1/2" x 7". I found a couple more off-cuts for handles.
301600
For this one, I went with a final head size of 2 1/8" x 3" x 5" with about a 5 degree angle on the face. I set the mortise size to the chisel I used which was a bit under 3/4". I left the handle stock about 1/32" over that. The handle tapers from 1 3/4" to 1 1/4" over 14". I took the handle and matched center lines up leaving about 1" of the handle proud. From this, I marked the mortise top and bottom. The exact angle doesn't matter as it's a match fit.
301602
Lacking a 7/16" bit, I drilled 1/2" holes on each side of the mortise matching the angle. I made a 3rd hold in the center and then chopped out the remaining waste. To help get the walls at the right angle, I made a guide bock out of scrap. I pared the walls flat and then planed the handle to width. I wanted the width snug but no real pressure across the grain. Then I fitted the handle by whacking it into place and then removing it to take some shavings off until it sat where I wanted. The angle or the handle and mortise matched perfectly the first time. That's a first for me!
A little spoke shave work and a little sanding and it's done. I haven't weighed it but I designed it to be similar in size to the 20 oz that Crown sells. Small and light by mallet standards. The whole process from layout to completed mallet took about 2 hours. The next one will go faster. It came out better than I expect for my first try.
301604
I'm making a second one like this (for a present) and then I'm going to make a larger mallet for myself.
301605
301600
For this one, I went with a final head size of 2 1/8" x 3" x 5" with about a 5 degree angle on the face. I set the mortise size to the chisel I used which was a bit under 3/4". I left the handle stock about 1/32" over that. The handle tapers from 1 3/4" to 1 1/4" over 14". I took the handle and matched center lines up leaving about 1" of the handle proud. From this, I marked the mortise top and bottom. The exact angle doesn't matter as it's a match fit.
301602
Lacking a 7/16" bit, I drilled 1/2" holes on each side of the mortise matching the angle. I made a 3rd hold in the center and then chopped out the remaining waste. To help get the walls at the right angle, I made a guide bock out of scrap. I pared the walls flat and then planed the handle to width. I wanted the width snug but no real pressure across the grain. Then I fitted the handle by whacking it into place and then removing it to take some shavings off until it sat where I wanted. The angle or the handle and mortise matched perfectly the first time. That's a first for me!
A little spoke shave work and a little sanding and it's done. I haven't weighed it but I designed it to be similar in size to the 20 oz that Crown sells. Small and light by mallet standards. The whole process from layout to completed mallet took about 2 hours. The next one will go faster. It came out better than I expect for my first try.
301604
I'm making a second one like this (for a present) and then I'm going to make a larger mallet for myself.
301605