| Project by Will Mego | posted 130 days ago | 437 views | 0 times favorited | 16 comments |  |
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So after hammering away at a mortise a minute ago, it occured to me I haven’t posted my mallet.
pics:
I took a mulberry log, which is on of my fav woods these days, from a fallen tree last spring, and cut a section of it out. Mulberry is surprisingly stable and resistant to rot and impact. Also tough to saw through. Pics 2 shows the log, and 3 the wedge. I ended up using a power tool in this project, a drill, to bore a hole through the chunk, after I had squared off the sides with a drawknife and planes. The handle I made with hand tools out of some unknown chunk from somebody’s rotten pile of firewood, which I was throwing into the compost, and noticed this interesting and stable piece of wood. I actually had two pieces, the other became my froe mallet. This I shaped roughly to my handaxe pattern. I tried a poly glue on this project, and probably paid the price for it when the handle twisted slightly when driving it home. Of course, the glue is like steel…it’s there for life. Pic 4 shows it completed the next day…notice the yellow circle of heartwood in that shot. Pic 5 shows the final mallet several weeks later, and yes, while it has had some tung oil and wax to protect it, 90% of that color is the wonderful thing exposure to UV does to mulberry wood! That golden colored circle has become a deep, rich gold/brown, and really the only color added by the tung oil is seen on the sides of the mallet.
The mallet is pretty big, about 2-3 times the face size of a “normal” mallet used with a chisel. It’s also very heavy, coming in well over 5-6 lbs. It’s tiring for most people to wield, but I like it’s heft, and I certainly won’t miss the blow with that face size.
-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker
16 comments so far
Kindlingmaker
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1470 posts in 419 days
posted 130 days ago
From the size of it, there appears not a chisel made that could resist a blow from your Mega Mallet!
-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings
Elaine
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104 posts in 516 days
posted 130 days ago
I would have had to put a longer handle on it and used it with gluts :) Good work
-- Elaine, Conover, NC
HokieMojo
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1140 posts in 621 days
posted 130 days ago
you better not miss. ouch!
SnowyRiver
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3348 posts in 373 days
posted 130 days ago
I bet there are a few teachers out there that would like to use it. :-)
-- Wayne - Plymouth MN
lew
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4481 posts in 648 days
posted 130 days ago
Now that is one serious bug smasher!!
I often wondered how mulberry was to work. We have a tree out back that will need to come down soon. Looks like I’m keeping the wood.
tenontim
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1319 posts in 637 days
posted 130 days ago
Nice! I have one almost just like it. I use it to work on watches. :)
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
jockmike2
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7299 posts in 1140 days
posted 130 days ago
Nice persuader. We call that a Michigan screwdriver.
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
Christopher
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563 posts in 813 days
posted 130 days ago
OF DOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
-- "That Government is Best that Governs The Least."-Jefferson
Will Mego
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203 posts in 605 days
posted 130 days ago
That’s the beauty…I can’t miss..it’s huge.
Lew: I’ve been making lots out of mulberry lately, it’s great wood…and, makes some fantastic smoke on the BBQ, can’t recommend it highly enough.
-- "That which has in itself the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty." - Unknown Shaker
a1Jim
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16683 posts in 470 days
posted 130 days ago
Get a bigger hammer and you did. good job
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
cabinetmaster
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8497 posts in 451 days
posted 130 days ago
I haven’t seen any mulberry for years. Like to get my hands on some for a turning or two.
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
dustyal
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443 posts in 368 days
posted 130 days ago
I only wish I could have cut down a few of the mulberry trees that grew in our neighborhood… Mallets would have been a good use… some tree huggers claimed they were “historic” trees when in fact they were seedlings when we moved in… like, they grew to 40 feet in 15 years. Anyway, they are still there—lumber in waiting.
Nice job on the mallet… super-duper whacker. Crab shells wouldn’t stand a chance…
-- Al H. - small shop, small projects...
DAN
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6438 posts in 876 days
posted 130 days ago
THOR !
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
jockmike2
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7299 posts in 1140 days
posted 129 days ago
Thor! I’m tho thor I can hardly pith!
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
Corey Jolly
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44 posts in 116 days
posted 58 days ago
Holy Cr*p now thats a mallet…um dont miss!
-- Measure twice, cut once then go get more wood
patron
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2376 posts in 234 days
posted 58 days ago
looks like it will do just about anything ,convincingly !
just don’t get a job in a circus ,
you will have to make a bigger one !
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart