Hi,
I've never used a wooden mallet before and after reading a thread here I decided I wasn't a real man until I had a wooden mallet, so I made one. I liked the look of one made by Rex Krueger on YouTube but I didn't follow it religiously and ended up making the job more complicated by putting a shoulder on the joint between the head and the handle. That made measuring the tapered angle to fit the mortise a much harder and more precise job.
I also had a big hole to drill with the new drill press that the people of this forum kindly got working for me! That nearly turned sour, though. I was using a drill bit similar to an auger type with that snail shape bit at the end. I had the wood in the heavy metal vice with a light grip on the handle and started to drill. After about 1" the bit pulled the whole lot up into the air and started to spin it! I managed to turn it off and then bolt the vice to the table before slowly carrying on. Lesson learned!
The one thing I liked about the design of the Rex Krueger mallet was the bit to pinch for light-controlled wallops...
Anyway, it turned out good in the end and it's very comfortable to use, but it feels too light compared to my hammer. I might get used to it or I might make a heavier one.
Any suggestions on the finish? I was just going to throw BLO on but I know it'll make it a nasty yellow colour.
cheers.
I've never used a wooden mallet before and after reading a thread here I decided I wasn't a real man until I had a wooden mallet, so I made one. I liked the look of one made by Rex Krueger on YouTube but I didn't follow it religiously and ended up making the job more complicated by putting a shoulder on the joint between the head and the handle. That made measuring the tapered angle to fit the mortise a much harder and more precise job.
I also had a big hole to drill with the new drill press that the people of this forum kindly got working for me! That nearly turned sour, though. I was using a drill bit similar to an auger type with that snail shape bit at the end. I had the wood in the heavy metal vice with a light grip on the handle and started to drill. After about 1" the bit pulled the whole lot up into the air and started to spin it! I managed to turn it off and then bolt the vice to the table before slowly carrying on. Lesson learned!
The one thing I liked about the design of the Rex Krueger mallet was the bit to pinch for light-controlled wallops...
Anyway, it turned out good in the end and it's very comfortable to use, but it feels too light compared to my hammer. I might get used to it or I might make a heavier one.
Any suggestions on the finish? I was just going to throw BLO on but I know it'll make it a nasty yellow colour.
cheers.
