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Thread: What do you use to whack your holdfasts?

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    What do you use to whack your holdfasts?

    I use this jointer's mallet that I made. The faces are covered with leather. I've noticed lately some serious indentations in the face of the mallet. Maybe I'm striking the holdfasts too hard, or maybe I should use a different tool? The mallet head is white oak. What do you use for pounding your holdfasts?

    mallet.jpg

  2. #2
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    It depends on the circumstances. Sometimes they are just pressed down with my body weight.

    I do not whack them as hard as I used to. It seems the wood holding them tends to split if they are driven in too hard. Of course that is likely due to my bench being made for retail sales instead of by the person who will be using it.

    My mallet faces are also effected by hard driving on a holdfast.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #3
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    I ONLY ever whacked my hold fasts with wooden mallets. In the Cabinet Shop,they hit them with steel hammers,making a LOUD noise,and mushrooming their hold fasts severely over time. Eventually they would crack. Hard on their hammers too. I don't know why they did that,but with the master's ego,I did not try to tell them otherwise. My holdfasts never showed any signs of abuse.

  4. #4
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    I use a dead blow hammer. Seems to work well for me. (However, I am even now seriously rethinking this practice since George uses something else. )
    I am never wrong.

    Well...I thought I was wrong once...but I was mistaken.

  5. #5
    Since George taught me better last year, I switched from a metal hammer to either a rubber mallet or a wooden one. My holdfasts are much happier now. (Thanks again George!)

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    I use an old iron split head mallet with leather faced oak striking surfaces.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  7. #7
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    Leather faced wooden mallet, it's practically the only reason why I still have one in the shop.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Thor mallet (18 oz)



    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  9. #9
    Rubber mallet for me. Plenty of force and no marring.

    Michael

  10. #10
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    There is nothing wrong with using a dead blow mallet. I might could have used one myself,but when I was in costume,it would not have been 18th. C..! I do use one for setting work down snugly against the bottom of milling machine vises.(No matter which vise you have,the moving jaw always has a tendency to lift. And,that includes my $600.00 Kurt vise).

  11. #11
    I'm with Harold. I use a dead blow mallet and it works just fine. I once tried a rubber mallet but it was too bouncy and much of the force is dissipated by the resilience of the rubber.
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  12. #12
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    SK Tools #8723 rubber mallet here. I've had this puppy for years. No bounce, no noise, no problem.
    Bill
    On the other hand, I still have five fingers.

  13. #13
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    Whatever is handy if I need to hit one (like Jim, hand pressure is often sufficient), which is almost always my large shop mallet which I call Mjolnir.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Harold Burrell View Post
    I use a dead blow hammer. Seems to work well for me.
    Quote Originally Posted by Harold Burrell View Post
    )
    +1. I also use the Dead Blow for chisels

  15. #15
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    For chisels or carving tools,I like to use a hard mallet made of wood. I like a blow that delivers an accurate, controllable impulse to tools like chisels and carving tools. Perhaps dead blow hammers might work fine,but I just don't like the feel of them for situations like using chisels. They are great for setting things down in the vise,or for hold fasts,too.

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