A mallet and a file handle (PICs)

[T.J. Mahaffey]

Well, now that I'm actually working on projects and not necessarily the shop itself, it feels pretty good.

I've been trying to get to making my first mallet and did so this weekend with some maple cut-offs from a wood lot I bought on the internet. This thing ended up being a bit bigger than I realized. It makes me feel like Thor. *smirk*

Its not perfect, but it will be much better than the hammer-shaped piece of SYP I've been using! :D

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/img/tmp/mallet_1.jpg


http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/img/tmp/mallet_2.jpg

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/img/tmp/mallet_3.jpg

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/img/tmp/mallet_4.jpg

In the third picture, you can see my primary mistake: I didn't get it clamped good on that side, so there's a small gap. :( I think it'll work pretty well despite, though.

I'm now shaping the handle with a rasp and will soon chamfer the edges of the head to prevent splitting. Then, finish with Danish oil.
I'll post a final pic at that time.

I also finished my first tool handle. I turned the handle on my ol' 'Macguyver Lathe' and added a copper-pipe ferrule. I overcame my centering problems when drilling the hole for the file by tapping it with a nail set first. This gave the drill bit a place to start and not wander.

The file handle is from some walnut scraps.

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/img/tmp/file_handle.jpg

[Bob Noles]

Nice job TJ and like you, I am looking forward to one day soon being able to work on a "project" instead of the just shop and equipment.

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

THey both look good. I really like the file handle...