laminated mallet question

[Steven Lee, NC]

I see them laminated with different woods where most of the time the middle wood has a lower janka. Not sure if its because its walnut and they use it there because the darker layer looks better inside the sandwich or the middle is better if it is a little softer than the outside.

I want to make a mallet out of ash. I have enough to laminate it with 3 pieces of ash, just want to make sure I'm not missing something about using a softer wood in the middle.

The chisels I intend to whack are supposed to be made of hornbeam or a narex.

thnx

[William Fretwell]

Softer wood anywhere is bad, especially the middle. Laminating is bad, one peice of very hard wood is best.
Watch Paul Sellers video on making a mallet.

[Pat Barry]

Softer wood anywhere is bad, especially the middle. Laminating is bad, one peice of very hard wood is best.
Watch Paul Sellers video on making a mallet.

Although this is preferable, there is no good reason that a laminated mallet won't be fine. Afterall, the glue joints are likely stronger than the wood itself, and laminating provides a certain flexibility and forgiveness of construction.

[Jerome Sidley]

Laminating is fine, I like to add a face of rawhide.

[Hasin Haroon]

You are unlikely to split a laminated head along the glue line by regular mallet use (I think it's almost impossible if the glue up is decent). Walnut should be plenty fine for the center too - it might just dent a little so if that's not a concern it's no issue.

[mike holden]

It's a shop made mallet - if it breaks, repair or replace it. The laminations are just for looks anyway.

[Allen Read]

Laminated Ash will make a fine mallet. I've had a couple made from poplar come apart due to glue failure, but it took about 25 years to fail. If you need more that 4 mallets per century, make it from a solid piece of wood. Otherwise, laminated is OK.

Allen

[Jim Koepke]

Don't forget, sometimes a solid mallet head can develop a crack and split.

jtk

[Bruce Haugen]

I made a carvers mallet of laminated maple maple because I couldn’t find any 4” thick stock. That was 35 years ago. Still no signs of splitting anywhere.

[Mike Brady]

I wouldn't go to the trouble of making a mallet and use laminated construction. That is planned failure even if it never happens to you.

You might want to read this for another view of mallets: https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/best-woodworking-mallet/


edit: I should add that the hammer that McGuire uses is available in the U.S. but you will probably have to order it, as I did, direct from Vaughan hammers in Rockford, IL. It will have the Vaughan name on it but will be exactly as shown in the article (Made in UK). You will be able to choose which faces you want.

[Jim Koepke]

Making a mallet will be a good learning experience whether it is made with a one piece head or a laminated head.

What has been my favorite mallet for eight years now was made of firewood:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161952

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The top one is made of ash, the bottom one is the one made eight years ago of what my neighbors informed me is a kind of cherry.

jtk

[Pat Barry]

I wouldn't go to the trouble of making a mallet and use laminated construction. That is planned failure even if it never happens to you.

You might want to read this for another view of mallets: https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/best-woodworking-mallet/


edit: I should add that the hammer that McGuire uses is available in the U.S. but you will probably have to order it, as I did, direct from Vaughan hammers in Rockford, IL. It will have the Vaughan name on it but will be exactly as shown in the article (Made in UK). You will be able to choose which faces you want.

Question: Wood never checks or cracks in its own grain structure, right?

[Mike Brady]

Pat: "wood never checks...."


Of course it can. Just discussing this in terms of best practices. The wood handle of a hammer or mallet, even the one I referenced, can develop a crack; but you wouldn't build in a crack by laminating a handle would you, so why do that with the head of the mallet? Look at it this way, people make laminated mallets for two reasons: they don't want to chop a through mortise for the handle; or they want a pretty walnut lamination in the mallet head. Both reasons result in built-in cracks that are depending on the glue for survival. Do what ever you want, but when they start laminating baseball bats make sure to get the name of that glue. Pinning through the laminations might help durability.

I had a commercially-made (purchased at Woodworking in America) laminated mallet fail while driving a chisel. Interesting experience.

[Warren Mickley]

"
I had a commercially-made (purchased at Woodworking in America) laminated mallet fail while driving a chisel. Interesting experience.

I won a commercial laminated mallet in the Hand Tool Olympics in 2009. It was beech. Since it was poorly balanced I did not use it at all. I just hung it on the wall.

After about two years later, one of my friends was looking at it and noticed that that one of the glue joints had failed. Another year and the head came into two pieces and just fell on the floor, with the handle still hanging on the wall. Never hit a chisel. My solid dogwood mallet (2150 janka) still works fine after 40 years of heavy work. It hangs about 8 feet from the laminated mallet.

Here is what is left of the mallet, and a blogger review.
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/chris-schwarz-blog/tool-review-two-better-beaters-2/
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[Nicholas Lawrence]

I made a laminated mallet out of a few 4/4 maple scraps. It was fun and has held up well to my hobby level use. If it falls apart on me one of these days I am not going to get all bent out of shape about it. It cost basically nothing.

[Mike Brady]

Warren, that's the same one I was referring to that broke. Source is DeLegno, I think. Looks like they put cross pins of brass rod in them now. Thinking about how the mortise is tapered to fit the matching handle wedge, every time you driving the handle tighter into the mortise you are exerting force on the middle lamination in the head, which is similarly being driven out from between the two cheeks of the mallet head with only the glue line holding it together. How tough is it to bore a handle mortise with an auger and than form the mortise taper with a chisel?

[Jim Koepke]

people make laminated mallets for two reasons: they don't want to chop a through mortise for the handle; or they want a pretty walnut lamination in the mallet head.

Do not forget the third reason: not being able to obtain a solid piece suitable for making a mallet head.

jtk

[Mike Brady]

That's a good reason Jim. Thick blanks can be hard to find.

By the way, is there any evidence other than provided by Franklin glue company that a glued joint is stronger than the surrounding wood?

[Frederick Skelly]

Softer wood anywhere is bad, especially the middle. Laminating is bad, one peice of very hard wood is best.
Watch Paul Sellers video on making a mallet.

Well, I have a mallet I made (laminated) from a 2x4 about 4 years ago. I use it to strike chisels and set holdfasts. I've had no problem. Likewise, have another laminated mallet that is 2 kinds of hardwood (maple outside and walnut center). I dont see a big performance difference between this one and the other. YMMV.

[Jim Koepke]

That's a good reason Jim. Thick blanks can be hard to find.

By the way, is there any evidence other than provided Franklin glue company that a glued joint is stronger than the surrounding wood?

This claim may be dependent on the glue used and the accuracy of the joint. Epoxy can fill a gap, other glues may not.

Here is a good page on glue:

https://www.acmetools.com/blog/choose-best-wood-glue/

If one doesn't want to take the time to chop a mortise for a handle or can not find a suitable hunk of wood for making a mallet a laminated mallet may be the way to go.

jtk

[Noah Magnuson]

Warren, that's the same one I was referring to that broke. Source is DeLegno, I think. Looks like they put cross pins of brass rod in them now. Thinking about how the mortise is tapered to fit the matching handle wedge, every time you driving the handle tighter into the mortise you are exerting force on the middle lamination in the head, which is similarly being driven out from between the two cheeks of the mallet head with only the glue line holding it together. How tough is it to bore a handle mortise with an auger and than form the mortise taper with a chisel?

This is why a two piece lamination is better (if laminating) with one being thicker than the other by the thickness of the handle. The mortise is cut in the thicker side only and the other piece glued on. This way the stresses are fundamentally in the natural wood when striking.

[Ted Phillips]

I made a largish mallet from three laminated pieces of hard maple - and white oak for the handle. It held together for a year, but split pretty badly along the glue line during its second year. It was used for several different jobs around the house including splitting wood so it got some tough use.

[Mike Brady]

That seems like a good approach to simplifying the mortising of the mallet head. If you use an appropriate wood, such as as ash in 8/4 thickness, and use some care in picking matching-grain pieces from the same board, a sturdy mallet could be more easily made.

[John Serna]

Do not forget the third reason: not being able to obtain a solid piece suitable for making a mallet head.

jtk

I'm having this exact issue. I have about 15" of maple that's 1" thick. Can I cut it into 3 pieces and glue them together to make a mallet?
Also, I have some ash that fell during a storm - would using a thick branch be okay, or does the pith ruin the integrity if used for a mallet head or handle?

Sorry if these are bad questions. I'm new to the craft.

Thanks!

[Jim Koepke]

I'm having this exact issue. I have about 15" of maple that's 1" thick. Can I cut it into 3 pieces and glue them together to make a mallet?
Also, I have some ash that fell during a storm - would using a thick branch be okay, or does the pith ruin the integrity if used for a mallet head or handle?

Sorry if these are bad questions. I'm new to the craft.

Thanks!

Many people use laminated mallets. The will do like a solid mallet and split apart. They are made for whacking and it takes its toll.

Being new to the craft is a good time to accept everything as a learning experience. If the ash didn't fall due to rot, it may be fine for a mallet head.

Is it big enough to cut the sides flat?

It would be a bit harder to mortise a round head but it could be done. Small flats planed top and bottom might help.

This is my first two piece 'carpenter's' mallet with a turned handle:

459750

It is my favorite one so far. Kind of makes me feel like making another.

Right now there are three shop made mallets. In my area either my luck is good or larger sizes are easy to find. Mallets are made for tough work and will tend to need replacing. It is a good idea to make them any way possible, solid or laminated to get quick at it.

jtk

[John Serna]

Is it big enough to cut the sides flat?


Yes it is. The thing is, it's a log, so it will have the pith - does that ruin the integrity of it if used for a mallet? I honestly don't know a lot about the pith, and I've been trying to find info online, but it's surprisingly difficult.

I have three pieces of 1" scrap maple I can glue together, too. So maybe I'd be better off using that for the head and the ash for the handle.

[mike stenson]

I made a mallet in about 2003 from some scrap maple I had. It's laminated. I beat on it. It's still around.

[Jim Koepke]

Yes it is. The thing is, it's a log, so it will have the pith - does that ruin the integrity of it if used for a mallet? I honestly don't know a lot about the pith, and I've been trying to find info online, but it's surprisingly difficult.

I have three pieces of 1" scrap maple I can glue together, too. So maybe I'd be better off using that for the head and the ash for the handle.

Is the pith soft?

The best way to find out if it will work may be to give it a try.

You could also bore out an area around the pith and make a plug from another part of the log and glue it in.

jtk

[Tom Bender]

I've made a few in different shapes and sizes. The bigger ones saw heavy use on a timber framing project. The upright one in the center gets the most use but I find the small square one (Gumbie) very handy for delicate work. It was band sawn from a scrap of Maple.
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