My first turned mallet

Hey everyone,

Unfortunately, my camera was elsewhere when I was getting ready to start this mallet so I didn't get any "before" pictures. I saw a piece of Burmese Rosewood at the local Woodcraft store that, even though it was covered in wax, had some really interesting markings. It started as a 3" x 3" x 12" block of wood. I still only have a small lathe, a Jet 1220, and I'm still really green in the turning world but keep getting my feet wet trying to learn new skills. One of my friends loves to turn mallets, as I found out last week, and after seeing all of the different sized ones he has in his shop I thought I might as well give it a try. The rosewood was not extremely wet but was still slightly damp. Again one of my first turnings I've done with wood that is not dry. I turned to shape last night and put some paste wax on the ends just in case it still had too much moisture that could cause it to crack. Today I put it back on the lathe to change the shape a little (head seemed to rectangular). I applied some Neutral color Black Bison furniture wax and then buffed it when dried. I've attached a couple of photos of the completed mallet. Feel free to comment as I find that one of the best ways for me to learn.

Regards,

Lee, we started all at the same way, in the begin is everything new, you have to explore and practice, but for sofar as you said about yourself that you are a ''newbie'', your mallet looks very good, anyway better than my first turning. Try to figure out what for you the most comfortable way is to do your turnings.
Well done!
Ad

Ad,

Thanks for the encouragement. The only turning I have done prior to buying the little lathe was on my dad's metal lathe. And you could count the number of times on that on one hand. It's amazing watching some of the better turners (to me that would be most turners <grin>). They seem to remove wood effortlessly and with such good results. I'd like to think I might be there someday. Practice, read/watch a video, practice...

Take care,

Very nice, Lee. It looks comfortable to use, and the wood's gorgeous.

Lee Laird said:

It's amazing watching some of the better turners (to me that would be most turners <grin>). They seem to remove wood effortlessly and with such good results.
,

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Don't be afraid, Lee, those guys do it to show off and scare newbbies, but in fact those videos are played a twice the speed, when one gets to know them they are a fantastic bunch of people

I love your mallet, how much does it weigh?

Good work Lee, that should last a long time!

Toni,

Thanks for the kind words about the mallet and the advice. Good to know.

I'll guess my mallet weighs about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. My accurate scale is not available. I'll see if I can get an exact weight tomorrow. With it being my first mallet, I had to guess what would feel good in the hand and in use. I took it out of the lathe and tried to see what it felt like, but it still had extra material at both ends. I just measured the mallet and it's 9 1/2" long and the head is about 3 1/8" at the largest point. I guess the size on the label was off so it must have been closer to 4" x 4" before I got started. Maybe with the dimensions and knowing the wood you might be better at estimating weight than I??

Thanks again,

Stu,

Thanks. I sure hope so. Even though it is a beginner's form, I still enjoyed the heck out of making it. Wish I had your skills. This rosewood finished so wonderfully with little effort. Funny, when I showed my wife and daughter, they each independently remarked it felt "soft". First time to use this type of wood, but after this I may have to get some more! I don't know how much this wood would cost in Japan, but I got it for about $18.

With a dark dense wood like this, what would you use to mark it as made by me, wood type and date? I've been trying to do this with the dovetailed boxes and furniture I make.

Take care,

Vaughn,

I guess I'll have to use it sometime. Funny how the end product can actually make you wonder if you REALLY want to put dents and / or dings into it. Sure not something that ever crossed my mind when I was buying this lump of wood. Hope this doesn't come across as if I'm tooting my own horn. Not at all what is intended. Just so happens that Mother Nature did a great job with the colors on this piece of wood and I lucked into showing them.

Thanks for the kind words,

Lee Laird said:

...Funny how the end product can actually make you wonder if you REALLY want to put dents and / or dings into it...

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I can fully understand. I've made some cutting boards that aren't likely to ever see the edge of a knife.

On the other hand, a while back I made a lathe tool handle out of cocobolo, some really pretty stuff that shined up great. Almost too nice to use. But now that I've used it some, it has a few bumps and dings, but it's still a joy to use it every time I pick it up. I'd bet the pleasure from using the mallet will far outweigh the pain of seeing a few superficial "character marks" in the surface.

Lee Laird said:

Toni,

Maybe with the dimensions and knowing the wood you might be better at estimating weight than I??

,

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Nope, I'm afraid not, I wish I could and had that sort of wood to work with

Nice mallet Lee, keep it up.

You picked a very tough wood for your first project. But, you ended up with a fine mallet that some wood carver will enjoy using for a long time.

Congrats on the great mallet Lee! I've been told that turning your first mallet or bonker is the true sign you have slipped into the turning vortex. So...

WELCOME!!

Thanks everyone for the very kind comments. And yes, I'm afraid I'm caught in edge of the vortex. I've heard if you struggle you only go deeper!
Or was that quicksand?? I certainly see why you can get hooked on turning. It is so relaxing and rewarding.

Toni,

I finally was able to put the mallet on a "good" scale. It is about 28 oz. Just a light little thingy.

Vaughn,

I know you're right about the mallet. I will likely use it and cherish the signs of use. Maybe my kids will do the same many years from now, when I'm gone.

Regards,

Lee, that mallet should serve you well for years to come. Nicely turned and beautiful wood.

Mohammad,

Thank you.

That's a good first attempt, Lee. What you'll find is that you'll wind up making a bunch of mallets over time because you'll decide you don't like the weight, or the handle, or something.

I turn a bunch of them because I teach carving - and often wind up giving a mallet to each student. But I turn them out of scrap wood that I have in the shop. For carving, you don't need a heavy mallet so any wood will do.

The thing that's changed the most over time on my mallets is the handle - trying to find a shape that's comfortable and natural. The picture shows where I'm at now.

The mallet on the left is the handle I started with. It's okay as far as comfort and has the advantage that you can hang the mallet from the handle. The other three mallets have the new shape I started making. I find this handle is a bit more natural in your hand. The overall length is about 10 3/4" and the head is about 2 1/2" in diameter. I like a handle that many would find too big so you may think those handles are large.

What I would recommend is to take whatever scrap you can get your hands on and turn several mallets with different shaped and sized handles. Hold them in your hand and see how they feel. I find that my perception changes so the best time to check them is the next day. I think what happens is that after you've grabbed several while turning, you lose your feel so the next day it's like grabbing one for the first time.

Best is to actually use them for a while before deciding which one you really like. Once you decide, you can then make one in nice wood, using a ruler and calipers to copy the handle.

BTW, the absolute best wood I've found for mallets is lignum vita. It's dense (heavy) and stands up to the hammering. Most woods began to delaminate after you've used them for a while, which is why I try to leave the center marks on my mallets - so I can put them back in the lathe and sand them again (if you don't leave the center mark, you can put the head in your four jaw chuck - then sand the very top by hand). But, except for really fancy mallets (like ones made from laminates of fancy wood), it's easy enough to just make a new mallet.

Good job - it's the beginning of a long process.

Mike

[Oh, one other thing. If you decide you want the mallet to be heavier, the easiest way to do that is to drill a hole in the head end and put some lead into it, then plug the hole with a wooden plug. Just make sure the hole is centered so the mallet is balanced. Best way to drill the hole is with your lathe.]

That is a good looking mallet and beautiful wood. Well done.

Mike,

Thanks. I know what you mean. I roughed out the mallet Saturday evening and when I came back to it on Sunday I felt it needed some fine tuning. I refined the shape of the head (added a little more angle from top to bottom) and modified the handle shape. The handle on mine is 1 7/16" at the narrow part and 1 7/8" at the thicker part. This feels larger than ones I've picked up in the stores, but seems like it will initiate a relaxed functional grip. How does the 28 oz. weight of mine compare to those you make/use?

Bernie,

Thank you. Hope it's a positive trend! I appreciate your comments.

Regards,