Mallets.

[Cheshirechappie]

Just a chunk of wood (or something) on a stick, used for whacking things with. Nothing to 'em, really.

In the nature of woodworking, some people will be happy with a bog-standard cheapo 'carpenter's mallet' from the local Big Shed Purveyor of General Grot, some will use any handy brick-end, and some will want a super-duper ultra-balanced, special treated hardwood head with a handle carved to fit their hand (and nobody else's).

I've ended up with four. One off cheapo standard beech carpenter's mallet from Big Shed as mentioned above, which does the whack-whack jobs. I've no idea how heavy it is - about middling as they go - but it seems to work fine. Then I've got a vintage small beech round-headed carver's mallet with a nice comfy handle (slimmish at either end, and with a swell in the middle) that I inherited from my grandad. It's just the thing for tap-tap jobs like small dovetails.

The two that I don't use are both round-heads. One is a lignum vitae head with the most awful handle - fat where it meets the head, then tapering down to the outboard end and finishing with a small knob. For some reason, I just can't grip this handle. It's way too lose at the knob end. Finally, there's the hardwood head with a handle that tapers the other way - thinnish at the head end, fatter at the off end. This is much more comfortable, but since the main two do everything I need, it rarely sees use.

What are your mallet preferences, everybody?

 

[MMUK]

Having had my beech mallet purloined several years ago along with most of my other tools, I've since been using a Thor nylon mallet. The beech mallet was one of those things I kept meaning to put on my shopping list but always forgot. The nylon mallet does the trick for me though, it had soft and hard heads, is well balanced and not too heavy.

 

[wizard]

Buying a mallet! Your having a laugh, you make one.

 

[Paul Chapman]

This is my favourite - made it from a bowling ball



Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Corneel]

I used to have two. One is just a square piece of ash with a beech dowel, sorta shaped to my hands. The other was a laminated lignum vitae beauty with carefully crafted ash handle. But when my Mum needed a new fence I used it to hit the fenceposts and it didn't survive. So I am in need for another mallet, a lumpy one for fence posts. In the mean time my trusty ash mallet performs wonderfully for normal woodworking jobs.

 

[Mar_mite]

Made myself a mallet out of scraps of walnut glued up. It's way to soft, but looks pretty. And it was an excuse to use my lathe.

 

[marcros]

I have a smaller version of Paul's. I like it's slightly lighter weight- works very well indeed. I also have an oak and ash one I made. A bit soft but I skim the surface once in a while and it works ok.

 

[Jacob]

Flat faced beech mallet for whacking wood about - knocking frames apart etc spreads the load with less marking.
Round for hitting chisels - you get a bit of feedback about whether or not you are hitting square on and you can use the whole available area instead of just the 2 faces.

 

[MickCheese]

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/mini-review-kt-tools-carvers-mallet-t53570.html?hilit= Mallet

Have a look here for mine.

I love it.

Made by Jim for me a while ago now. Still love using it.

Mick

 

[RossJarvis]

I've two, a standard beech one off a market stall, but I prefer the larger one of my dad's, it still has the price six shillings fourpence on it (or was it sevenpence?). Both work fine for me but there again I'm nowhere near an expert with the chisels. The big 'un came in handy last week for fitting the beads into PVCu windows!

 

[graduate_owner]

A few years ago I picked out a piece of beech (I think) from the log pile and turned it up on the lathe. I tried holding it, modified it, tried again etc until I was happy with it, then parted it off.
It's looking a bit battered now, and has split as well, but I still use it. It has served me well and it's simple enough to make another when I'm in the mood to do so.
Cost - £0.00 but of course it's not lignum vitae and it's not posh. But then neither am I (posh, that is).

K

 

[matthewwh]

My current 'best' one is in the middle of the homepage on the website, burr elm and ash, lovely for light carving and tapping, the long face gives another option for varying the force of the blow. I also use a hefty beech carpenters mallet for when a square face is preferable or things need a proper donk. We have another load of Continental ones due in on Thursday, I will try to get them all photographed and listed straight away.

 

[G S Haydon]

20oz Estwing Claw on The Site Irwins.

Big Narex at the bench.

Small Emir for lighter work.

Would like to make one, not found the time yet.

 

[Racers]

I have made lots usually Hawthorn heads and beech handles like a carpenters mallet but with a round head.
But bowling ball mallets are now my favourite ones.



Pete

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Some rather pretty mallets you have there. Mine are a bit more basic ....

Standard beech mallet (Crown) for subtle work :wink: , one turned from ash on the pole lathe, and a bit of improvisation with an elm branch which is really quite useful - just the thing for whacking a froe.

 

[jimi43]

So pleased your little LV mallet is still going strong Mick....it can take a bit of punishment so should last you a while...

One of my favourites for posh work is this one which has had major use (and abuse!) over the years....:

Salvaged from a bootfair for a quid or so if I remember correctly, this sad looking tool held a hidden secret.

Once I had the head off to confirm my suspicions...a bit of work on the lathe...and it was back in fine fettle again for another 100 years:

I simply love the mix of the colours....

I have a few gems from bootfairs but the most elegant is this gem, turned entirely out of lignum vitae...

I use this all the time and it's glorious.

I suppose I have a bit of an LV bias!

Cheers

Jimi

 

[Flynnwood]

An entertaining video by Frank (Wallace & Grommit style) on the making of a carver's mallet (2 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV1jKCKoPAo

 

[Peter Sefton]

The full time students made these mallets this term as part of their tool making projects; they used riven English Ash for the handles prepared by last year’s students which we dried in readiness for this year. They turned the heads from Lignum Vitae. The idea was for them each to design a turn a mallet that suited them for size and weight.

 

[paulm]

Turned up this one a while ago from an old bowling ball, good fun to do





With hindsight it's a bit too large and heavy for most work I do, so I turned up another smaller one for more delicate work but don't have any pics to hand, will try and remember to take some tomorrow.

And a couple more, the smaller one in one piece of iroko, the larger with I think an ash or maple head (I forget) and an iroko handle





And another early attempt



And no, they don't all get used that often, what can I say, I just like making them :roll: :lol:

Cheers, Paul

 

[MMUK]

What is the advantage of having a circular or barrel shaped mallet over your bog standard square headed beech or boxwood mallet? I've never seen the point to be honest :?