What do you use to whack your holdfasts?

[Joe A Faulkner]

I use this jointer's mallet that I made. The faces are covered with leather. I've noticed lately some serious indentations in the face of the mallet. Maybe I'm striking the holdfasts too hard, or maybe I should use a different tool? The mallet head is white oak. What do you use for pounding your holdfasts?

322974

[Jim Koepke]

It depends on the circumstances. Sometimes they are just pressed down with my body weight.

I do not whack them as hard as I used to. It seems the wood holding them tends to split if they are driven in too hard. Of course that is likely due to my bench being made for retail sales instead of by the person who will be using it.

My mallet faces are also effected by hard driving on a holdfast.

jtk

[george wilson]

I ONLY ever whacked my hold fasts with wooden mallets. In the Cabinet Shop,they hit them with steel hammers,making a LOUD noise,and mushrooming their hold fasts severely over time. Eventually they would crack. Hard on their hammers too. I don't know why they did that,but with the master's ego,I did not try to tell them otherwise. My holdfasts never showed any signs of abuse.

[Harold Burrell]

I use a dead blow hammer. Seems to work well for me. (However, I am even now seriously rethinking this practice since George uses something else. ;))

[Frederick Skelly]

Since George taught me better last year, I switched from a metal hammer to either a rubber mallet or a wooden one. My holdfasts are much happier now. (Thanks again George!)

[Rob Luter]

I use an old iron split head mallet with leather faced oak striking surfaces.

[Brian Holcombe]

Leather faced wooden mallet, it's practically the only reason why I still have one in the shop.

[Derek Cohen]

Thor mallet (18 oz)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Mallets%20and%20hammers/BwMEglQWkKGrHqEOKjEEwWHmqyFmBMH1o-LfB_3.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Fross]

Rubber mallet for me. Plenty of force and no marring.

Michael

[george wilson]

There is nothing wrong with using a dead blow mallet. I might could have used one myself,but when I was in costume,it would not have been 18th. C..!:) I do use one for setting work down snugly against the bottom of milling machine vises.(No matter which vise you have,the moving jaw always has a tendency to lift. And,that includes my $600.00 Kurt vise).

[Dave Anderson NH]

I'm with Harold. I use a dead blow mallet and it works just fine. I once tried a rubber mallet but it was too bouncy and much of the force is dissipated by the resilience of the rubber.

[Bill White]

SK Tools #8723 rubber mallet here. I've had this puppy for years. No bounce, no noise, no problem.
Bill

[Zach Dillinger]

Whatever is handy if I need to hit one (like Jim, hand pressure is often sufficient), which is almost always my large shop mallet which I call Mjolnir.

[Mike Allen1010]

I use a dead blow hammer. Seems to work well for me. )

+1. I also use the Dead Blow for chisels

[george wilson]

For chisels or carving tools,I like to use a hard mallet made of wood. I like a blow that delivers an accurate, controllable impulse to tools like chisels and carving tools. Perhaps dead blow hammers might work fine,but I just don't like the feel of them for situations like using chisels. They are great for setting things down in the vise,or for hold fasts,too.

[Peter Pedisich]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-edqddR0kCjY/VhcvWKogd2I/AAAAAAAAEeE/03ua8ahVLPw/s800-Ic42/IMG_4081.JPG

[Tony Zaffuto]

My "Wood is Good" mallet-believe about 20 oz. or so, with urethane head. Love the thing, have had for maybe a decade and use it for everything, from chisels to holdfasts.

[Bob Glenn]

Wooden mallet only, no steel hammers! I couldn't believe C.S. was using a metal hammer to set hold fasts on Roy's show a few months back.

[george wilson]

Bob,I can't believe a LOT of what I see on that show!!:)

[Harold Burrell]

I'm with Harold.

I have a following. :D

[Barry Dima]

Bob,I can't believe a LOT of what I see on that show!!:)

Truth. Don't let the CGI fool you:


https://youtu.be/mSCUpA2T1JQ?t=1m58s

[george wilson]

Yabbut,MY show was different !!

[Roy Lindberry]

I use this jointer's mallet that I made. The faces are covered with leather. I've noticed lately some serious indentations in the face of the mallet. Maybe I'm striking the holdfasts too hard, or maybe I should use a different tool? The mallet head is white oak. What do you use for pounding your holdfasts?

322974

I also use a wooden joiners mallet I made. Mine has a hickory head, and is quite dented from setting holdfasts, but I don't mind.

[Stew Hagerty]

I use a Craftsman Dead Blow most of the time. However, I have sometimes used the mallet I made a while back with the Jatoba head. That stuff is HARD! Hardly a mark after smacking my Gramercy holdfasts.

On a side note: I had to use a pointed punch and put little divets up and down the front & back of the holdfast shaft. Oh they worked just fine when I got them, but then after I flattened my bench top I applied wax. They never held at all after that until I punched the divets.

[David B. Morris]

I use a garland split-head mallet with rawhide faces:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEojRKsJIOo28SPy8A0LmM6fzZHJJXa VJQ__Oli5s-orMC9ip-

[Shawn Pixley]

Dead blow or Rawhide mallet