How I make Mallets.

Chuck Thoits

Member
Messages
4,045
Location
NH
First off I start with some good green Hickory

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Than cut out the head mine is 2.75 wide by 3.75 tall by 5 inches

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It is hard to see in the pic but each end is cut at a 5drege angle.
Now that the head is cut to size it's time to drill it. I am using a 1.25 bit for this.

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Now to bevel the top. i whipped up this quick sled for the job of putting a 5 degree bevel on the top of the head.

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A quick trip around the head with a .25 inch round over bit.


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Now it's time to set the head aside in some DNA for a spell.

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You can see one laying on it's side with a .75 by .5 slot cut into it. I did that with a plug router. That slot will be 1/2 to 3/4 filled with steel shot. To make a dead blow mallet.

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While we wait for the DNA to work. It's time to make the handle. I need to add that for making an oval handle like this you will want either a large heavy lathe like mine or your mindy bolted down to something big. There is a lot of vibration with the out of balance spin.
First off I mark out the handle center and a mark 3/16 to each side of center.

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Than I put it on the lathe on the center marks and rough it round to 1.5 inches.

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I than lay out the handle and the head tenon.

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Now I move it to the first off center mark.

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Turn off 3/16 of an inch I marked it with a black marker so it could be seen better.

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Now move it to the other off center mark and take off 3/16.

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Again marked for better viewing

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You can see that by taking 3/16 off each side has left a line in the middle where they come together. I marked it for better viewing.

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I return it back to the center mark and set the bench mark for the tenon. And finish shaping the handle.

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I take the extra off for the tenon.


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Chuck way to go so cool. Here i was last night actually doing research on making a mallet. I just finished my sharpening of all those old chisels and decided I needed a decent mallet to go with them. :thumb:

The pine junk i brought with me from SA just dont cut it. But i think it is made similar to your design so when i go to the shop just now i am gonna take it apart. It aint got any shot though.

You said steel shot, is this gonna just be a slug of steel or you gonna fill it with loose bits. If you do is it gonna be steel as opposed to say lead?

I am thinking of taking some old lead sinkers i have from my childhood days and melting them down to pour into the mallet head. Thoughts on that?

Thanks for the tutorial. BTW forget the races man stick to woodworking cars a waste of time.:D:scram:
 
Hi Rob.

If you melt those lead shots into the mallet, you won`t get a dead blow, you'll get only momentum and a heavier mallet. The pellets or shots need to be loose inside the mallet, so that they kill the bouncing back.
 
Hi Rob.

If you melt those lead shots into the mallet, you won`t get a dead blow, you'll get only momentum and a heavier mallet. The pellets or shots need to be loose inside the mallet, so that they kill the bouncing back.

The reason for the steel bird shot is if I use the 4 or 5 pounds of lead shot I have over time the lead shot will form a mass (being a soft metal) and end up a glop stuck in the head turning it into a heavy mallet in stead of a dead blow.

larry merlau hey chuck, will the shot being on one side only make it hit off target?
And just what makes you think that slot is only on one side.:thumb::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Cool stuff, Chuck. I copied your first post to the Tutorials area, and when you add more pics, I'll copy them over as well. ;)
 
I take it off and check the fit. Looks like a winner.

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Return it to the lathe and part the ends off.

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Handle end all cleaned up. As you can see this handle is an oval.

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Cut a grove in the head end and make a wedge.

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Now set it aside and wait for the DNA to do it's trick. Once that has worked and all is dry I'll up date this with the assembled mallet.
The tool I use to get things round.
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The tool I use to take things to the size I want them.
Some may ask why and the only answer I can give is this is what works for me.
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The tool I use to part things. as you can see I use it a bit different than most. But again this is what works for me.

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The tool I use for some shape.

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The rest of the pics are just shots at different times.
 

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Cool stuff, Chuck. I copied your first post to the Tutorials area, and when you add more pics, I'll copy them over as well. ;)

Thanks Vaughn:thumb::thumb:
Thought I would toss this in. I am not going to sand these a lot and put a fancy finish on them. They are users not lookers. If I sand them to much and get carried away with the finish people will want to hang them on the wall to look at.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
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