| Project by Kindlingmaker | posted 04-19-2009 08:30 PM | 1597 views | 2 times favorited | 10 comments |  |
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With about a foot of a very old hickory sledge hammer handle I went to the wood pile and found a small elm log. I cut off 8” of it and stripped the bark off. I then worked it on the belt sander until it was just about round. Using a 7/8” forester bit I bored the handle hole about ¾ of the way through it. With the old hickory handle it was back to the belt sander to remove the surface splinters and to shape the end to fit the hole in the elm log that would be the hammer head, (a lot of sanding and fitting). The handle was glued in with two part epoxy. After drying the 12 degree angles were cut for the impact surfaces then some finish sanding. Two coats of wipe on varnish were applied. When all was dry a test whacking of a wood chisel showed that the center of the elm hammer face, the pith, was too soft and dented quick. So with a ¾” forester bit I bored out the pith on both ends to about 2 1/2 “ and epoxy glued red oak dowels in the holes. Dang nice little mallet now!
-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings
10 comments so far
jockmike2
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10635 posts in 3063 days
#1 posted 04-19-2009 10:24 PM
Nice michigan screwdriver. thats what we call them here in Michigan. We use them to give things a nudge.
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
johnpoolesc
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246 posts in 2176 days
#2 posted 04-19-2009 10:49 PM
looks like that one should last a while
-- It's not a sickness, i can stop buying tools anytime.
Will Mego
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#3 posted 04-20-2009 06:53 PM
with the red oak dowels in this mallet, you’ve taught me something new to me, thanks! And nice mallet!
-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - http://www.willmego.com/
Big_Bob
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170 posts in 2525 days
#4 posted 04-21-2009 12:13 AM
If at first you do not succeed. Do not force it just get a bigger hammer.
-- Bob Clark, Tool Collector and Sawdust Maker
a1Jim
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#5 posted 04-21-2009 05:30 AM
At first I thought It was a rubber mallet .Nicely done
-- http://artisticwoodstudio.com Custom furniture
eddy
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935 posts in 2181 days
#6 posted 04-21-2009 03:45 PM
nice i think i am seeing my daughter’s next project here
the head looks like it is made out of the elm tree that grows up here in the desert
i have more of that than i know what to do with.
-- self proclaimed copycat
Karson
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34929 posts in 3217 days
#7 posted 04-21-2009 03:48 PM
Nice job and a great addition to the head.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Kindlingmaker
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2654 posts in 2343 days
#8 posted 04-21-2009 04:33 PM
eddy, It is the high desert elm. I have about a hundred of them growing here. I planted them from seeds a couple of decades ago and most of them are near 50’ tall. The elm has been a good wood to work with for me for small projects and to learn cutting, slabbing and resawing. Some of the wood is outstanding in grain pattern and color. I look forward to trimming the trees or when our high winds break a branch so I have more woord to play with. ; )
-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings
eddy
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935 posts in 2181 days
#9 posted 04-22-2009 02:32 PM
wow and i thought i had a lot of them(16)
i just cut 1 down 2 weeks ago but was disapointed when i found the center was all gone
looks like termits had been having fun for a long time it is only a round tube about 2 inches thick
still got a lot of 4 to 6 inch branches to work
-- self proclaimed copycat
sharad
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1066 posts in 2621 days
#10 posted 04-27-2009 07:31 AM
The mallet is very good but your idea of putting a hard wood in the center of the head is ingenious.
Sharad
-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein
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