Making a Wooden Mallet

Stuart Ablett

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Now that I have two holdfasts, I need a decent wooden mallet, I found >> THIS << little tidbit on Lee Valley

Using the "Sandwich" method, suer seems a lot easier than trying to make that tapered mortise in a hard piece of Beech :D

I'm looking at the traditional "English" style of mallet, like this.....

35e0102s1.jpg


How does one make the tapered mortice, just out of curiosity :dunno: :wave:
 
Might look cool if you use a different type/color of wood for the center or "meat" of the sanwich. :dunno:

Just out of curiosity...why not just turn a BIG heavy round mallet? What, are you sliding back up the slope towards more flatwork? :D :p:wave:
 
I don't know but...

My guess is to place a spacer under the block of wood you are using as the head, one side at a time so that the block is presented to the mortiser at an angle.
 

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...How does one make the tapered mortice, just out of curiosity :dunno: :wave:

With a mallet and a chisel. :D I'd probably make a guide block for the chisel to help keep the mortise's ends straight.

Somewhere - don't recall where - I saw a mallet that was made in one piece by gluing up quarter inch thick alternating pieces of maple and cherry, then shaping with a rasp. Made a pretty nice looking mallet.
 
Like Jim said. Drill & chisel the mortise straight first and then chisel the angle using a reference block to make sure your chisel is at the right angle. I have never done it in hard beech. At least that is how I did it while making wedged mortise and tenon. Looking foreward to seeing how you make out.
 
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Just drill the holes at an angle, slightly shy of the ends of the mortise and then clamp the mallet head AND a spacer the same thickness as the head in your bench vice with the spacer level and the mallet head tilted to the appropriate angle. lay the chisle flat on the spacer (as your guide) and pare the mortice to the proper dimension & shape.
 
Stu - you're a big turner. Turn one with offset axis like mine in the picture. I offset the axis by 5/16" on either side of the primary axis, but 1/4" would be fine, also.

I also turned the handle with offset axis, just at the bottom - the top remained the primary axis.

Mike
 

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Stu - you're a big turner.

Hey................. I resemble that remark.......... :rolleyes: :D

Mike Henderson said:
Turn one with offset axis like mine in the picture. I offset the axis by 5/16" on either side of the primary axis, but 1/4" would be fine, also.

I also turned the handle with offset axis, just at the bottom - the top remained the primary axis.

Mike

That is very neat Mike, I'll have to try one like that!

On these mallets, what is the rake on the faces? Something like 5%......7% :dunno:
 
The amount of offset affects the rake of the face. On mine, with the 5/16" offset the rake is about 5*.

I'm sure you figured this out but when you turn the head, you offset one side one way and the other side the other way. Then turn half the head. Reverse and turn the other side.

Mike
 
Now that I have two holdfasts, I need a decent wooden mallet, I found >> THIS << little tidbit on Lee Valley

Using the "Sandwich" method, suer seems a lot easier than trying to make that tapered mortise in a hard piece of Beech :D

I'm looking at the traditional "English" style of mallet, like this.....

I have a wooden mallet I made... oh I dunno, must be about 13-14 years ago using this method. I was very new to the hobby, didn't have many tools, much money, nor much wood... So it's kinda homely. But Leonard Lee was right... the glue joint is solid, and the mallet has never given any indication of falling apart.
 
This is what I mean by carvers mallet. Bonkers are clubs. :rofl:

I knew what you meant, Frank. That one is still a club to me! - just a well-handled bonker... :rofl: :rofl: (actually, I have one of those - in lignum vitae - and do use it on occasion.)

A mallet is something you play polo, or croquet, with! :D :D
 
The amount of offset affects the rake of the face. On mine, with the 5/16" offset the rake is about 5*.

I'm sure you figured this out but when you turn the head, you offset one side one way and the other side the other way. Then turn half the head. Reverse and turn the other side.

Mike


Ok Mike another one of your many homemade tools, how about a short tutorial for the newbies like me to turn one of these. I generally understand what you are saying but just cannot put together in my mind how to do it in practice. I guess its all done in a chuck without support of the one end. But how do you get to the initial stage of both ends being round?:dunno::huh: I am a very new turner and spindles and a basic bowl are it for me up to now. This would be a great step forward and I really would not mind adding the mallet to my tool set. I gave my first brass hammer to a good friend of mind:D
 
Okay, Rob. Here are a few pictures of the process. There's a back story on this mallet. Tomorrow I'm being interviewed at Cerritos College for the position of part time instructor in the Woodworking Department. For part of the interview, I have to give a five minute lecture on a subject. They gave me four options and one of them was offset turning, which I chose. I'm mainly a spindle turner because I do turning for furniture so I developed the idea for this mallet since it's spindle turning but offset.

Start with a block of wood that's significantly larger than the mallet head you want. I used poplar here because I have to have samples of the steps along the way so I chose a cheap wood. For a real mallet, use a better wood than poplar.
Offset-Mallet-1.jpg

Note that I've squared the ends - cut them off on the miter saw really - then used the ends to draw a line along one side in the middle of the block. I've taken the line down both faces. Then, mark the center on each end, and along the top of the block.

On each side of the center mark on each end, I put two additional marks. These will be your offset centers. I spaced them 5/16" from the center but 1/4" will do. The more the offset, the more "bent" the mallet will be.
Offset-mallet-3.jpg

Then drill a hole through the top of the block. I think I used a 3/4" drill but 7/8" would be okay, also. This is where your handle will go.
Offset-mallet-4.jpg Offset-mallet-5.jpg

Now, put the block in your lathe, using the primary center marks, and turn it round.
Offset-mallet-6.jpg

Once you have it round, reset the blank in your lathe on to one set of offset marks. That is, put your headstock point up by 5/16" and the tailstock point down by 5/16". When you turn the lathe on, the blank will be wobbling.
Offset-mallet-7.jpg

I used a roughing gouge to turn half the head round again. This will reduce the size of the blank quite a bit, which is why I said to start with a fair sized blank. Turn that half straight, not tapered. I used a pair of calipers to check the diameter all along the half.
Offset-mallet-8.jpg

Then use a parting tool (you could also use a spindle gouge) to flatten the face.
Offset-mallet-9.jpg

Then do the same on the other side. You will have to sand the faces of the mallet head to get rid of the part you couldn't part off. Also, this leaves the center marks on the mallet face. You could make the head longer and cut the faces on your miter saw when you finish if you want to get rid of those marks. Note that the face is square to the half side of the mallet so when you put it in the CMS just make sure you register it correctly. But it's a mallet and the marks will disappear with any use at all.
Offset-mallet-10.jpg

When turning half, stop every now and again and see how you're doing in reference to the hole for the handle. I used the "top" hole as a guide and turned to a bit less than the middle of the top hole. This may overdo the bottom but you can sand it out.

Next, turn a handle. Just sneak up on the 3/4" part that goes into the hole - you want it tight. I actually did offset turning on the bottom of the handle so it would be an oval but I didn't take any pictures of that.

If you fit the handle into the hole tightly, you won't be able to drive a wedge in without cutting a V shaped notch in the top of the handle. Make a wedge.

Spread glue, put the handle in, put a small amount of glue on the wedge and drive it in. Set aside to allow the glue to set.

When well set, cut the excess of the handle off (the top) and sand smooth.

You now have an offset wooden mallet.

Mike

You can also see this tutorial in the tip & tutorial thread.
 
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Thanks for the great tutorial Mike. I gotta try one of those.

I made the one shown out of Keawi wood, which is quite similar to mesquite.

Best of luck in your new position.

Aloha, Tony
 

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