Wooden Mallet

[Terrance Mitchell]

I want to buy or make a wooden mallet. How heavy should it be? I am cutting out slots for bow tie after I hog them out with a router. I also occasional cut a dovetail. I see carver mallets shaped like an upside down bottle on the heavier side and hammer type 6 to 9 0z. Tired of using my claw hammer.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Paul Sellers has a three part free video you can find on YouTube.

If you don't have stock to make that one, this laminated one has worked well for me.

https://www.wwgoa.com/article/build-better-joiners-mallet-domed-head-provides-forgiving-strike-surface/?nabc=1&nabe=5597362638815232:2&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

[Mike Baker 2]

Nicho;as, thanks for the link.

[Derek Cohen]

I want to buy or make a wooden mallet. How heavy should it be? I am cutting out slots for bow tie after I hog them out with a router. I also occasional cut a dovetail. I see carver mallets shaped like an upside down bottle on the heavier side and hammer type 6 to 9 0z. Tired of using my claw hammer.

For most morticing or chopping into hard wood, other than Japanese bench chisels, the mallet I use weighs 24oz. For dovetailing, again un-hooped chisels, my hammer weighs 8oz. For Japanese bench chisels (e.g. dovetail chisels), I use a gennou weighing 225gm (8 oz). I also have a super heavy mallet at 36oz for extra heavy duty work.

For all hammers and mallets used with unhooped chisels, I strongly recommend a hammer face made with a veneer of UHMW. This is hard enough to provide excellent feedhack, yet has just a touch of give to prevent damage (both to the chisel handle and the malllet head), which hardwoods will do.

The UHMW is seen below on my modified Veritas cabinetmakers mallet (now 24 oz with Jarrah handle) ...

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

Regards from Perth

Derek

[steven c newman]

I don't have a "name brand" mallet...
361004
Mine started out as a chunk of Spalted Maple
361005
The one laying down on the job is one I had from my Late FIL. Was too lightweight. The mallet standing up, came from a block of that Maple. Feels like about 2 pounds.....been my go-to mallet ever since. Handle was turned to fit my hand, as the other was too scrawny.
361006
Hmmmm, I wonder IF I can use this as a brand name .......

[Jim Koepke]

I want to buy or make a wooden mallet. How heavy should it be? I am cutting out slots for bow tie after I hog them out with a router. I also occasional cut a dovetail. I see carver mallets shaped like an upside down bottle on the heavier side and hammer type 6 to 9 0z. Tired of using my claw hammer.

The hardest part of making a mallet it finding a good piece of wood to make the head. Some folks make laminated mallet heads due to the difficulty of finding a worthy hunk of material.

Sometimes one can find the wood if they are in an area where pallets or firewood come from such sources. One of my favorite mallets came from my firewood pile:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161952-One-Thing-Leads-to-Another

This one weighs in at ~24oz or 680 grams. This one is my "big bopper."

My most used mallet came from a hardwood pallet. It is just an oak ~2X4 with a handle formed on one end.

It is on the left in this picture:

361011

It is actually a nice mallet for light chisel work and other instances where a little percussive persuasion can help.

The mallet on the right is made from some oak a neighbor gave me. The handle was turned on a lathe.

If you have a lathe it is easy to turn a mallet.

Making a mallet is a good project to gain skill in mortising. A mortise on a mallet head is smaller at the bottom than the top to keep the head on the handle. It is also good experience to fit the handle.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

The UHMW is seen below on my modified Veritas cabinetmakers mallet (now 24 oz with Jarrah handle)

Derek, how did you attach the UHMW to the face of that mallet? I usually have to use screws to attach it to anything.

Thank you.
Fred

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Fred

It's tricky stuff. I find that epoxy is helpful in keeping it from moving, but a screw or nails is needed to keep it attached. Together they work well.

My plane hammer (8 oz), which is also excellent for dovetailing with bench chisels, has the UHMW attached with epoxy and a screw. This has stayed put for a few years so far ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Mallets%20and%20hammers/Plane%20hammer/Plane-hammer2_zps9ac9ee03.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Mallets%20and%20hammers/Plane%20hammer/Plane-hammer4_zps372ff918.jpg

Both the Big mortice mallet and the Veritas (with an older, since replaced handle) use nails. These have stayed put for about 2 years so far ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Mallets%20and%20hammers/Hammer2_zpsonn9wysq.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks Derek. That will help me.
Best,,
Fred

[Ken Martin]

Last month I found a busted mallet in an antique/junk shop for $2. Turned a new head from walnut and mounted it on the old handle. Didn't weigh it but guess about 16oz. Head is 3.5in dia., 2.75 in face dia. and 6in long. Have only used it a couple times but feels good in the hand.

Ken

[bridger berdel]

Here's one I made sometime in the '80s

http://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6zh1tevGK1qhrm32o1_1280.jpg

http://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6zh1tevGK1qhrm32o2_1280.jpg

http://68.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6zh1tevGK1qhrm32o3_1280.jpg

Head is apitong, handle is red oak. It's been my go to for mortising and such for a long time.

[Gary Cunningham]

I make mine from laminated 3/4 beech. You can rough out your handle top before you glue on the last piece.

I make handles out of hickory or maple. I was given a 1" persimmon board, and someday will turn it into more mallets.

Mallets are like Lays potato chips. You can't have just one.

[phil harold]

I was considering putting the remains of a deadblow hammer (the orange urethane busted off of mine while it was being abused one day)
into the head of a mallet
epoxy the cylinder in working end

[Terrance Mitchell]

Just got back into internet range to read these posts. Thanks for the links and ideas. I like the idea of having more than one. So I may buy a make do and then find some good wood.

[Jim Koepke]

I was considering putting the remains of a deadblow hammer (the orange urethane busted off of mine while it was being abused one day)
into the head of a mallet
epoxy the cylinder in working end

Another idea for this is to make a laminated head with hollow areas to include some lead shot. Do not fill the hollow as the shot needs room to move. As a dead blow mallet is in the down stroke the shot is suspended in an almost weightless state. When the mallet strikes its target the shot then goes to the impact end of the mallet in effect continuing the blow and resisting the mallet's tendency to bounce.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Maybe something like this?

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/crown-mallet-beechwood-20-oz-4-1-2-head?gclid=CjwKEAjw07nJBRDG_tvshefHhWQSJABRcE-ZPHsK4B5kmcAfC0l5Ypb8FmxkJb1rbUixLb1KBECqSxoCYD3w_ wcB

I have a similar one.

[Tony Shea]

I am personally in the camp of a round head mallet, similar to the Wood Is Good style of mallet. I still to this day use the Wood Is Good mallet for all sorts of purposes, especially if I need to keep the pounding noise to a minimum. I think it was Mr. David Weaver that talked me into this mallet a couple years back. Because of the Urethane head it will not mar your chisels at all and still gives plenty of force for mortising purposes. I have to admit I also adore my Blue Spruce stabilized wood turned mallet. This thing is tough as nails. I have yet to even mar the surface of this mallet even after mortising with it.

[lowell holmes]

I also have a round mallet. You really need one or two of each.

[Ron Bontz]

I made these a while back. 16, 24, 28, and 36oz. mallets. Lots of ways to make a mallet. Just depends on if you want to include metal weight into the mallet head or not. These were Acrylic resin infused maple heads. :) Best wishes.361205

[Rich Colvin]

I made my round head mallets with heads of lignum vitae, same shape as Steven Newman. One is smaller than the other for more detailed work. The handles are maple. I don't know the weights, but they both work extremely well.

[William Adams]

There was actually an old croquet mallet, w/ the handle shortened to a reasonable length in the last old chest of tools I bought.

[george wilson]

As I mentioned before,I made mallets quickly by finding new ox cart fellows (fellies) tossed away. The mortise or mortices had been cut, and there was a defect in the fellies that didn't affect its use to make a quick mallet. Usually a crack in the wood that was far away from where the mallet head was,and the heavy fellies were at least 3" or 4" thick. With the mortice already cut,and the curve already in the wood,I was already far along making mallets. And, the wood wasn't just burned and wasted.

I made mallets for everyone in the shop. The detail I want to show you is the nice little chisel and gouge cuts that they put on "Gentleman's mallets" in the 18th. C.

Here's a mallet that I still have. The coat of varnish does not look nice in the picture, but you can see the little chiseled details. There's not much you can do to a mallet to make it a bit nicer than usual, but I think they got it right in the 18th. C.. Those little cuts were perfect for use on a mallet.

This oak mallet was more than heavy enough to do the light work on musical instruments. Case work for harpsichords would be the biggest use for it. You can clearly see the little decorative cuts in re prints of 18th. C. tool catalogs.

[Jeff Ranck]

Wow! Good looking mallets. Where did you get the acrylic resin infused maple?

[Patrick Chase]

It's tricky stuff. I find that epoxy is helpful in keeping it from moving, but a screw or nails is needed to keep it attached. Together they work well.

Epoxy can bond UHMV passably well, but only if it's been corona-discharge- (better) or flame- (ok) treated to increase its surface energy. You can get UHMW that's pre-treated on one side from ski supply houses, who sell it for base patching
. For example, this (http://www.tognar.com/p-tex-base-material-black-or-clear/). It's also possible to flame treat yourself with a propane torch, but it's a bit of a touchy process to get right and not worth the hassle IMO.


If you get a gouge that's so large that a gun repair or weld won't hold, and particularly any long core shot along an edge, then you cut out a base section and a matching patch, glue the patch in with the treated side down, and party on. I'm much better at patching than I am with a plastic welder (and I have a hot box, which helps quite a bit with repairs), so I patch basically everything that's too big for my gun/extruder. I've never had one come out.

[mark stanley]

really beautiful- how do you know how long to make the handle? It seems the 3 lighter ones are all the same (approx) length I know these might be ridiculously simple questions, but I always buy handles for hammers, shovels, axes, and so on- never given any thought whatsoever to making one. I have in the past used a piece of scrap usually plywood on my wood surface and tapped on that with a soft face hammer, or just used that directly on the chisel. Perhaps not ideal, but I didn't have a mallet. I like your brass pin- or weight- I know from doing pinewood derby cars its a lot of material to get 5oz- so getting 10-12 or more for a heavy mallet requires some thought and planning. I would be willing to buy some if you ever decided to make them for sale. Thanks!