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Thread: What is the best type of mallet with which to strike a chisel?

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    Sculptors traditionally use the round mallets. Cabinet makers the flat head mallet. I don't think that's been mentioned.
    George, scuptor I ain't!! I just don't seem to strike the chisel squarely with a flat head mallet. As you indicate, it is really a personal preference.

    I am pretty new at this handtool thing, but have used chisels for decades. The problem was, in past years, my tools were inferior, and I hit them with whatever I had - which was usually a small kid's hammer

    As you can see, nearly anything was an improvement.

  2. #32
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    For chopping mortices, I use a rectangular hardwood mallet.

    For finer work I sneak Diann's round head lignum vitae carving mallet out of her tool roll and use it.

    The whole trick is to remember to return it before she notices.

    Regards, Rod.

    P.S. I wish carvers used a Felder CF741 so I could sneak the use of that when she's not looking also.

  3. #33
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    I cut the handle down on this one as it seemed clumsy. I then added 4oz of fishing weight to the rounded "face" side.
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  4. #34
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    I used to get free mallet heads better than beech ones. I'd get the wheel fellows that were already mortised,but for some reason didn't come out usable. Ox cart ones were nice and big. They were hickory.

    If you could get a piece of elm burl,or other hard burl,old timers liked them the best for heads. Of course,burls are too prized these days for such use.

  5. #35

    Summary: save the chisel handle and then personal preference

    Reading though the numerous comments, it seems that there are two considerations. The life of the chisel handle, and personal preference.

    So, would you agree with this:

    Assuming equal weight mallets, the number of "whacks" it takes to chop a dovetail is independent of the material of the mallet: wood, deadblow, brass, steel.

  6. #36
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    The usable force of the deadblow is going to give the best delivery to the chisel. Wood,rawhide,plastic,or wood have some deadblow properties. Steel bounces and wastes some of the energy. Of course,you can't drive nails with a wooden or plastic faced mallet. It is mostly preference. The old timers who used tools day in,day out,used wooden,flat faced mallets for chisels. That ought to say something. They weren't stupid,and probably a lot more experienced than modern people who do not work by hand 12 hours a day.

    I wouldn't worry about how many whacks it takes to do the occassional dovetail,unless you are one foot in the grave and running out of whacks!!!

  7. #37
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    Well, here's mine. I cobbled this together in '86' for a project with my first hand cut dovetails. The head is 8/4 oak, and the handle is a replacement hammer handle from a hardware store. I think I replaced the leathers once. The handle fits in a tapered mortice and is held in place with a wedge. It has never loosened. As you can see, it's not pretty and has been used for anything needing a mallet.
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  8. #38
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    I use a two pound Nupla Deadblow, steel on one face, plastic on the other. I'll also use a light (12oz), lighter (8 oz) or very light (4 oz tack) steel hammer on occasion, but its usually the Nupla for me, aka "the Persuader". (not to be confused with the BFH, which isn't even allowed to look at chisels, being more suited for whacking tandems loose.)
    It came to pass...
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  9. #39
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    A carvers mallet will not redirect the chisel as a flat faced mallet can if slightly off axis. I use a carvers mallet even with Japanese chisels often. I have 2 Japanese chisel hammers, but they are not nearly as familiar to me as the carvers mallet

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  10. #40
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    I have a deadblow carvers mallet like Johns, but what I use most is a plastic SnapOn dead blow. I like how the SnapOn moves stuff without damage, and it has awesome balance. I threw out my wood mallets.

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