Project Information
Ever since I've seen David Barron use his palm mallet I've wanted one. Being the cheap one that I am, I found a piece of brass that come out of a tractor differential the perfect size, 1-1/2"x4". I cut an inch off of it, mounted it in my wood lathe and used an angle grinder with a paint stripper pad to cut the grooves out and shape the rounded over end.
I sanded through 2000 grit paper and it polished up good. It was a little tricky turning it around in the chuck without maring the finish. I used some leather and it gripped good enough though I did have to tap it several times with it on low speed, to get it true.
Handle is turned from cherry with black walnut spline. Still need to drill and put a brass pin through it because the head is heavy and I can turn it if I try. It feels good taping on a chisel and fits my hand well. I think it'll get a lot of shop time.
I changed the handle design to fit my hand better. see last pic
I sanded through 2000 grit paper and it polished up good. It was a little tricky turning it around in the chuck without maring the finish. I used some leather and it gripped good enough though I did have to tap it several times with it on low speed, to get it true.
Handle is turned from cherry with black walnut spline. Still need to drill and put a brass pin through it because the head is heavy and I can turn it if I try. It feels good taping on a chisel and fits my hand well. I think it'll get a lot of shop time.
I changed the handle design to fit my hand better. see last pic