| Project by Dalbergian | posted 92 days ago | 406 views | 2 times favorited | 11 comments |  |
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For years I have been using a 2.5 lb club hammer to drive my chisels but after seeing various beautiful examples of lignum vitae mallets on the web I convinced myself that such a thing was essential.
Now,my first port of call whenever I’m looking to buy wood or supplies these days is,of course,eBay.
The first suitably sized piece of lignum listed (5”long cylinder by 5.5” diameter)seemed,at £27.50,a little too salty to me but 3 listings below it there was a set of 4 vintage lignum vitae lawn bowls,buy it now £10.
“Drat,pick up only,knew it was too good to be true!”
Click on it anyway -item location,City of Edinburgh
WHOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!
BUYBUYBUY!!!
Send message to arrange pickup.
I have only ever worked small pieces of lignum in the past,small turned inlay & the sole of a tiny smoothing plane so to say I was unprepared for the edge destroying abilities of this ferocious timber is an understatement.I swear it felt like I was sharpening more than turning.
That said lignum vitae is a beautiful material to work taking a crisp,glossy finish.
I decided to use maple for the handle as it is a lovely creamy white which will contrast even better once the lignum oxidises to its eventual deep,leafy green.
The finished mallet is 275mm long & the head is 100mm at its widest & weighs 964grams.
http://dalbergiantimes.blogspot.com/
inquiries welcome
-- "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible." ~ Frank Zappa
11 comments so far
Roz
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474 posts in 684 days
posted 92 days ago
Never heard of the wood, but the result is beautiful.
-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."
a1Jim
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17022 posts in 475 days
posted 92 days ago
great mallet . you’ve pick the right wood for the job
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com
TedM
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1844 posts in 630 days
posted 91 days ago
Great score! Ingenuity too! And a tool that will last a lifetime, and more!
-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com
spanky46
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737 posts in 288 days
posted 91 days ago
Very nice work! Welcome to Lumberjocks! Lots of friends with lots of talent!
I look forward to your projects and posts.
-- spanky46 -- Never enough clamps...Never enough tools...Never enough time.
MsDebbieP
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14167 posts in 1058 days
posted 91 days ago
you made that from that?
Gorgeous mallet .. just gorgeous.
(liked the story as well)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
SgtSnafu
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63 posts in 169 days
posted 91 days ago
That is an awesome mallet – Very well done !
-- ~ SgtSnafu - Central North Carolina
Craftsman on the lake
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818 posts in 335 days
posted 91 days ago
Beautiful contrast between the two woods.
My brother worked for years at the portsmouth naval shipyard in Maine. He brought home a piece of this wood once. He mentioned that it was used as a bearing for the submarine propeller shaft. Seems it’s as hard as steel but swells when wet so it makes a good seal. I’d suppose it was on older subs. Lignum Vitae is the name of the wood as I understand it. The small wedge we had was very dense and heavy.
-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html
BTKS
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492 posts in 362 days
posted 91 days ago
Wonderful grain and finish. What a score on the wood source. Congrats on a job well done. BTKS
mmh
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1392 posts in 620 days
posted 91 days ago
Beautiful tool! The wood grain is magnificent! I could just enjoy looking at this tool without using it for fear of damage, but I understand that Lignum Vitae is extremely hard and oily, self-lubricating, so that’s why they use it for maritime machinery. It’s quite hard to find, but I believe they still utilize it.
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
Innovator
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3125 posts in 311 days
posted 91 days ago
Great looking mallet. Hopefully you will get good use out of it!
-- Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!
jockmike2
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7352 posts in 1144 days
posted 90 days ago
Great looking mallet. I just made two out of walnut. They should hold up nicely. Sure aren’t as pretty as yours.
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com