How to make a mallet

[Mark Kelly]

Ok, I need to make a mallet that is similar to a carvers mallet. However, I don't have a piece of wood that I can turn for this reason, so I have to laminate some blanks to do it. Can anyone please help me in how to laminate pieces to get a block and handle to turn? I would really appreciate it as I seem to be having a mental block on this.

This is a picture of a mallet that I would like to turn:

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item.../41b5001s2.jpg

[Michael Stafford]

Mark,

There are excellent plans for a hardwood mallet in the June/JUly issue #96 of wood magazine.

Basically you start with a 1 1/2" square blank of ash of the length you want your mallet to be plus some waste. About half way up you laminate a dense hardwood (the article used morado or Peruvian rosewood). Turn to shape.

Someone on the Creek turned one but it escapes me when I saw it. Hope this helps.

[Michael Stafford]

Mark,

I found the post I mentioned.

If you will go to Dan Moening's post of 7/16/04 entitled " Made it round-round 2" you will see an excellent example of a mallet turned according to the plans in that issue of Wood.

Hope that helps.

[Leif Hanson]

I'm not that great of a turner, but I've turned dozens of mallets - usually, they start out made up from scraps glued up together like the one on the right, which are then turned using whatever I have that is sharp to make it like the one on the left.



These are hickory handles with a beech wrap. Pretty standard fair in my shop - I often send these out to friends. It usually starts at a slow speed with a roughing gouge, then graduates to higher speeds and a skew chisel - then finished with sandpaper right on the lathe. The only finish is boiled linseed oil and paste wax.

I try not to spend too much time on them, as you beat them to death anyway .

[George Tokarev]

Use woods with almost invisible annual rings, like maple, beech or hop-hornbeam. I made the mistake of using some elm a couple of years back, and it is like splint making with black ash, separating with use. If you carve in long sessions, this is your opportunity to make a stable of weights, lengths, and grips to minimize hand fatigue.

If you have time, and care to, get some PEG and turn mallets from green limb stock. Soak for three months or so, and enjoy a dead blow effect from the hygroscopic properties of the PEG. A great aid for carver's elbow.

[Steve Inniss]

Mark,

If you, or anyone you know have seasoned(or unseasoned) firewood, use that. Choose a solid piece that's large enough, without cracks. I lob off the checked ends on the bandsaw and turn a mallet. The whole process takes minutes and the ones I use to drive chisels have been around for years. They make great gifts for anyone you know who does even minimal woodworking.

I attached a photo of the ones in the area this afternoon. All are from firewood - apologies for the quality, I did not have the flash in the shop. The sun was sure nice on a blustery November afternoon though. -Steve

[Mark Kelly]

Hmm, that would be a good idea...but the pecan firewood I have has lots of termite damage. Most of it does anyway. Maybe I can find some that doesn't.

[Glenn Hodges]

I made a couple of mallets for a saddle maker in Montana, and he covers his mallets in rawhide.