A few things completed recently

[Dan Forman]

I finally got around to photographing the mallet and pullsaw handles I've built in the last couple of weeks.

The mallet is oak and tigerwood, based on a previos thread I ran across a while back, though can't remember who started it. I have nothing to weigh it on, but I would guess around 24 oz. It does a great job of motivating the chisel for chopping out dovetails.

The maple handled saw holds the Tashiro Queen Dovetail blade which has been rather disappointing for me, as recounted in the dovetail thread of late. (The Adria should arrive tomorrow or Wed). I want to warm up the handle a bit, does anyone know how long I have to wait to shellac over Minwax wipe on poly?

The Walnut handle holds a Tashiro Joint blade. I like the shape of this one better, significantly beefier grip, no cramping of the hand with this one.

I did some initial shaping of these with a spokeshave, but after encountering some frightening tearout which was hard to avoid with the laminated handles, I went to the Rotex for the rest of the shaping. I'd rather go farther with a spokeshave, but I have a lot to learn about them, harder to keep track of grain direction than with planing, what with moving between the four "corners" to round out a piece.

Dan

[John Miliunas]

Wow, Dan! Each one of them looks real custom and professional! I really need to make a mallet myself. (How about some details on yours, so I can stea....errrrr....borrow the design? :D ) I have the same Tashiro blades, but only stock handles from Frank. Yours look to be MUCH nicer! :) Nice job!:) :cool:

[Bob Noles]

Dan,

WOW.... nice job on both, but I really love the mallet. If you decide to go with some production on the mallet, I would like to get in line. :D

[Mark Singer]

Dan,

Those are terrific! The handle looks like it could be a little larger caliper....beautiful job! I don't know which spoke shave you were using...one easy thing to try is change the direction if you are tearing out...just come from the othr side. Beautiful work!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Dan, those handles looks great! I really love the maple!

[Alan Turner]

Great tools. I make a smilar mallet. I call it the Easter mallet as I used a purpleheart head, and a yellowheart handle. YOurs is a bit easier on the eyes. But, mine does not get lost on the bench. It is my only purple tool.

[Dan Forman]

Thanks guys.

John---Wish I could take credit for the design, but I swiped it from this thread: http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5142&highlight=mallet

Alan came up with an easier way of attaching the handle, which I adopted.

Bob---Will have to see how it fares over time. I'm hoping it won't blow up in the spring when it gets humid again.

Mark---Yes the maple handle is too small. :( I think I will just be using it for trimming from here on, so it is not such a big factor. I've given up on cutting dovetails with it in favor of the Adria. About the spokeshave, it was hard to deal with the center laminations. If I wandered in there, if I was going in the right direction for one pice it was the wrong one for the one next to it. After inadvertently taking out a few big chunks, I opted for the safer method, before I got into too much trouble.

Jeff---Thanks for your comments.

Alan---I remember yours, it would stand out in a crowd!

Dan

[Bob Winkler]

Nice job Dan. I have some "half-baked" handles for my Tashiro blades, and hope they turn out half as nice as yours. Great figure in that wood!
Bob

[Jim Becker]

Those are really lovely, Dan. Beautiful wood on beautiful tools!

[Joe Blankshain]

Dan,

Nice job on the tools. The maple looks terricfic.

[Dan Forman]

Thanks!!!

Bob---I think I got mine around the same time you got yours, followed Mark's plan. A couple of things I learned while making the first one:

Dont use 5 minute epoxy; it makes for a very rushed assembly.

Trim the pices to size AFTER glue up. Much easier to clamp a rectangular package, and you dont want to have to worry about having everything lined up just so.

Make it bigger than you think you need. Much easier to remove material than to add it.

Jim, Joe---I picked both the maple and walnut in a scrap bin for just a few dollars, thought they would come in handy for a small project or two.

Dan