Mallet needed - advice please

[Aled Dafis]

For Japanese chisels and others reinforced with steel hoops, I use a gennou. This is a very new Tenryuu which I handled in Jarrah ..

.....

Are you sure it's a tenryuu? It looks very much like a ha-ma. :lol:
I use a western style ha-ma for a lot of things, especially my kla-ha-ma.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

It looks very much like a ha-ma

:lol:

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[EdK]

Ah I see, I think I will need a few mallets then.

I've saved a chunk of oak and will try and make a rectangular mallet (thanks for the great pdf) possibly with a maple handle or an ash handle.

Also have asked for an off-cut of the hardest wood I can get from my brother - I think that this will be Ipe. I'll try and make another mallet from this - might even be a round one but seeing as I don't have a lathe it might end up rectangular too.

Anyway - will post my efforts once I get into gear...
Ed

 

[bugbear]

Ah I see, I think I will need a few mallets then.

I've saved a chunk of oak and will try and make a rectangular mallet (thanks for the great pdf) possibly with a maple handle or an ash handle.

Also have asked for an off-cut of the hardest wood I can get from my brother - I think that this will be Ipe.

Dense is good. I'm not so sure about hard (per se). I've seen several carpenters' mallets in lignum vitae and boxwood that were chipped to hell, since those woods are prone to be brittle.

Both these woods work well in the classic carvers mallet, since there aren't too many corners to chip in that design.

BugBear

 

[dunbarhamlin]

I'd go ash rather than maple for the handle - I've had maple handles shatter, but never ash.

 

[Racers]

Hi, Ed

I would use something not to hard, you want your mallet to be sacrificial not your chisels :shock:

I use Apple or Hawthorn.

Pete

 

[EdK]

OK - ash handle and an oak head ?

 

[EdK]

Well had a go at making a mallet... result is rubbish !

I tried a tapered mortice in oak and the results were poor - it started out ok with square edges and the like but with the trimming I think I was a little over zealous and there are some horrible gaps....

Oh well it'll remain as a reminder not to rush things and when it breaks I'll make a better one - actually I might make a better one over Christmas and turn that one into firewood.

Was sort of going with an offcut of firewood anyway. Live and learn.

Ed (humbled)