My second attempt at a mallet

[Jason Buresh]

I tried making a mallet from firewood once before. In my inexperience I left the pith in the parts and they split before I could finish the project. I became discouraged and bought a soft headed hammer from harbor freight to use.

Well today I decided to give it another go. I removed the pith and started shaping. After a couple hours, I am happy with the result. It won't win a beauty contest, but it feels good in my hand and works.
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I'm happy it was a success! I learned a few things and I look forward to making another one in the future. It is a black walnut head with a maple handle

[William Fretwell]

The mallet is a strange thing, when you have one that works well, you may be stuck with it the rest of your life! Still using the beech one I bought at 16yrs old daily.
Yet there are glorious works of art mallets that also work well, they are a visual delight, they showcase your skill, uplift your soul when used and impress potential clients.
Just saying......

[Jim Koepke]

I learned a few things and I look forward to making another one in the future.

Looks like a good start on the road to making mallets.

Very few make just one. :D

My first mallet was purchased in a hardware store. It is still a decent mallet but hasn't got the feel or weight of my own first shop made mallet:

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In the nine years since making it various mallets have been made, used and/or sold. Each one taught me a something new.

Roy Underhill did an episode on making the "Big Ash Mallet" > https://www.pbs.org/video/big-ash-mallet-jn5sfd/

A couple of my mallet making forays were documented here > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161952

> https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?280200

jtk

[Stew Denton]

Jason,

Looks pretty functional to me. I am hoping to make on in the not too distant future. I will be very satisfied if mine turns out as well as yours.

Stew

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Something that I always wanted to do, just never got around to doing..... Looks nice. And, now you need to use it!

[Tom Bender]

Different weights for different tasks.

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Gumby is my favorite, just sawn from a scrap of Maple. I like that I can tell without looking which way it is facing and it never rolls off the bench.

The smaller Purpleheart and Oak gets the most use. Eventually the faces got frayed and I have glued in Hickory dutchmen

The top one in Walnut and Maple is made from small tapered blocks so all faces have only end grain. This makes the face very durable but the glue and grain broke.

Three biggest ones were made for a timber framing project out of town where I had some occasional help.

The one with holes has spikes for use as a war club (costume only, It never hit anything so equipped)

I may make another like Gumby but a little heavier.