Bowling Ball Mallet

[Berncarpenter]

At last Sundays Car boot i picked up an old bowling ball for the pricey some of £3 . After searching the forums and you tube for inspiration i decided on a traditional design not that far from the one Rod has made. Had some rather nice ash left over from a job i did in 2010 . Got it from a country estate not far from Cowbridge , it was green then and has been drying out in the workshop .

Put it through the band saw to create a flat surface to make holding and drilling the 1'' hole easier.

Clamped down and drilled with a spade bit which went well

Had a bit of pitch pine that was already turned , so used this to bung the holes up for mounting on the lathe

Not quite centred and a little bit lumpy to start with

But it soon calmed down and the shavings were pilling off, there is a hand under there

Burnished and waxed

Ash for the handle ,this spent some time in the hay barn on the estate after being felled and you can still smell the hay its beautiful stuff .

Burnished and waxed with some renaissance Stuff that my dad gave me.

Used pu glue and and a little more of the ebony piano keys for the wedge

Cleaned up with a block plane and cabinet scraper

There are a couple of star shakes radiating from two knots and i hope these wont get any worse in use

I am pleased how it turned out and not bad for a £3 investment

Cheers Bern

 

[Woodmonkey]

Nice, what kind of wood is the bowling ball?

 

[Mr Finch]

That's awesome, I love it!

 

[n0legs]

That's really cool. Good work Bern =D>

 

[nathandavies]

I can't believe what you did to a perfectly good bowling ball :wink:

were the splits in it right from the start?

 

[Berncarpenter]

Nice, what kind of wood is the bowling ball?

Lignum Vitae a beautiful very hard wood

Cheers Bern

 

[Bodrighy]

I am amazed you got it for £3. Haven't seen them that cheap for years. Got a really good mallet for next to nothing there.

Pete

 

[Berncarpenter]

That's really cool. Good work Bern =D>

Thanks glad you like it

I can't believe what you did to a perfectly good bowling ball :wink:

were the splits in it right from the start?

Oh no here we go again , i havent recovered from the chisel sager yet still having nightmares #-o

discovered the shakes as soon as i sliced it open on the band saw , too late to work around them so i hope they will be kind to me and not get any worse , only time will tell .

I am amazed you got it for £3. Haven't seen them that cheap for years. Got a really good mallet for next to nothing there.



Pete

Thanks Pete
Got it from a house clearance guy at Camarthen car boot ,did try for £2 but he wouldnt let it go for that .
Cheers Bern

 

[Dalboy]

I like it and a very useful piece of kit for the workshop I also made one from a bowling ball and have used it for my carving

 

[Grahamshed]

Great use for an old unwanted ball Looks gorgeous.

 

[MickCheese]

Bern

I have one made for me by Jimi43 about three years ago. It came with a few shakes which have not changed shape at all.

Have a look here in an old thread.

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

It is a real pleasure to use but I find myself not whacking things with it, I use it for more gentle tasks.

Yours is really nice. The shape of the handle is quite important, your one looks like a comfortable fit but you must have large hands or the perspective is fooling me?

Well done.

Mick

 

[Berncarpenter]

I like it and a very useful piece of kit for the workshop I also made one from a bowling ball and have used it for my carving

Thanks Derek
Very impressed with your work just got lost looking through the photo bucket

Great use for an old unwanted ball Looks gorgeous.

Thanks Graham

Bern

I have one made for me by Jimi43 about three years ago. It came with a few shakes which have not changed shape at all.

Have a look here in an old thread.

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

It is a real pleasure to use but I find myself not whacking things with it, I use it for more gentle tasks.

Yours is really nice. The shape of the handle is quite important, your one looks like a comfortable fit but you must have large hands or the perspective is fooling me?

Well done.

Mick

Thanks Mick

Just had a look at yours on that old thread , what a beauty . Mine is a little heavier at 500g and i only have little hands so it must be the perspective making it look out. Glad to here that the shakes shouldn't be a problem ,i wont be whacking it too much going to use it for large dovetails mainly.

Cheers Bern

 

[gregmcateer]

Bern,
That looks lovely and thank you for including a series of WIP pictures for the newbies amongst our number.
I've got another excuse to go to the next boot fair now :wink:
If SWMBO complains I'll just blame you
Cheers
Greg

 

[Sheptonphil]

Our local second hand shop has several. but clearly knows the value as he charges £8 each for them.

Phil

 

[Berncarpenter]

Bern,
That looks lovely and thank you for including a series of WIP pictures for the newbies amongst our number.
I've got another excuse to go to the next boot fair now :wink:
If SWMBO complains I'll just blame you
Cheers
Greg

Thanks Greg
I am a bit of a newbe myself when it comes to turning , this is the first mallet i have turned . Bought a cheap old Wadkin for £175 a couple of years ago and just had a go at it . Took me quite a while to get to stop things flying off with dig ins but seem to have got past that stage now.Love the car boot sales and was at one his morning but no luck today came home empty handed.

Cheers Bern

 

[Berncarpenter]

Our local second hand shop has several. but clearly knows the value as he charges £8 each for them.

Phil

At £8 still worth getting them Phill

Cheers Bern

 

[DannyEssex]

very nice work there bern, I really like the shape =D> =D>

 

[Sheptonphil]

Our local second hand shop has several. but clearly knows the value as he charges £8 each for them.

Phil

At £8 still worth getting them Phill

Cheers Bern

After seeing what you have created, you have inspired me. I think I will pop in and pick up a couple, not matched and see if I can get a deal. I was also wanting to try a gavel as well. Will post when I've had a go.

Phil

 

[Dalboy]

Looks like I am going to have to sweet talk my sister she plays bowls.

 

[kernowjoiner24]

Very nicely made, lignum is so hard id have thought youd need to give it a serious bashing to make those shakes any worse !