Made a mallet
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / Made a mallet
- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Carlos J. Collazo.
-
AuthorPosts
-
3 April 2014 at 6:12 pm #47296
Dave,
I have mallet fever too but don’t have any 3″ thick hardwood on hand. I wonder if I should:
(1) laminate 2 pieces together around the central mortice (i.e., with the joint running verticaly down the middle of the striking face)
(2) laminate 2 half inch sides to a central 2″ core containing the mortice
or, (3) stack pieces vertically around the handle like a sandwich?
Does anyone have thoughts on this?
3 April 2014 at 7:02 pm #47343Derek,
I built a mallet some 20 years ago as per your option (1). It’s a lamination of 2″ thick red oak resulting in a head 4″ x 8″ with an 18″ long handle installed. While it is far too large for joinery work it has been used over the years to persuade quite an assortment of items together or apart. It has deep scars on it’s faces to prove it. While the head is chipped and gouged, the glue line has never faltered.
My point being that any longitudinal lamination should serve you very well for a mallet that will be used for joinery applications.
Derek, getting full 3 inch material is difficult without having to buy a whole board.
I had a bunch of cut offs that are 3/4 thick by 5 1/2 x 7-9 inches long. The mallet above is just three of these pieces laminated together. Cut your wedge shaped handle and place in the middle of the laminated boards when you glue up. Take care not to glue it into the head if you want to make it removable.
The head is only 2 1/4 thick so will serve as a light mallet for me. I also glued some leather on the faces so it will be easier on my tool handles.
I’ve got a 3 inch thick piece laminated together right now and will try the boring / cutting the mortice method out.
Greg, that’s a mighty mallet!
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.