Is this a Mallet? Good Question.

You know they say that if it looks like a duck it must be a duck. So it must be that you have good mallet to add to your arsenal of tools. That was a lot more adventurous than my first turning which have been mushrooms. Great tool.

What a very cool story and blog entry! I love the lathe . . . looks like you have done that before.

Congratulations on the lathe!

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

No David, this is the first attempt at anything on a lathe. Thanks for the comments.

I watched my Grandpa for hours on end. (He passed about 35 years ago now.) He always told me that you (meaning I) can learn a lot by just sitting and watching. Which I did, but, never did I understand what he meant until now.

Thanks Buckskin!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Great job with a newly found talent. Keep up the good work.

-- Hard work spotlights the character of people; some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all!

Thanks Woodgizmo!.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

well i think it looks pretty darn good.

-- pat,ohio...http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/patshwigar/

art: a form of expression (hmmm is your message that you love woodworking??)
functional: usable (looks like a good mallet to me!!)

art + functional = functional wood art !!!

Bravo. I’m impressed.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

came out really good .. my suggestion is to use mineral oil for the finish and keep it in the kitchen. I gave my wife a mallet years ago and she uses propably more the she should. Frozen foods, anything else she feels like hitting.

-- ..... smalll army of cast iron wingnuts !! cool photo in FORUM

Your first attempt and you turn out a great looking mallet, awesome.

-- Andy Stark

It’s awesome! I’ve never turned a mallet and have hundreds of hours at the lathe. Nice job!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Well done.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Congratulations on:

1) being able to get the lathe back togeher and operational
2) having the patience to watch the how-to videos (I usually don’t)
3) a fine mallet!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Panama,
I think it’s just dandy. That is one great knockometer. It will probably intrique your great grand children. Now that you know you can, don’t wait around, get to turning. Have fun.
Tom

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Great looking mallet! I really like the cherry handle. Beauty and function!

Looks like you are off to some super adventures with turning. I look forward to seeing them!

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

Hi Panama;

Great mallet, but I wouldn’t follow Dan’s advice and give one to your wife. That’s just plain wrong.LOL

Good job.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Thanks Hawg! I took lessons from WayneC and I am going to use this mallet on those chisels I have been sharpening up.

”Knockometer”...I like that Tom (Thos Angle)! I will remember that one.

Thanks also MsDebbie, Charlie M, WayneC and everyone else. MsDebbie, as always I appreciate your comments.

Tom (Mot), I have to admit, I got lucky. Didn’t “pop” either piece off the lathe one time. As you know, I might not be so lucky the next time. I played it safe with the “Ace” apron in the pic. and a safety visor on top of saftey glasses.

Lee...This one is for me. I agree with that. Thanks.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

i’m impressed ~ that’s more than i can do with a lathe!

-- life can always be weaved into a song.

Jack: a great first project. Yes make it a user. You can make your wife a petite one next.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Who turns a mallet these days? That is SO cool!

Better not let the wife have even a small one… they seem to swing those harder! haha

-- Brian, Alabaster, AL

Far superior to my pathetic first attempts nine or ten years ago! One or two coats of oil should bring it up a treat.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

nice mallet. very well done. the mallet you bought for a pattern looks like persimmon wood. i have 2 just like it that where made by a now deceased craftsman on a foot powered lathe. they are prize possesions. the wood is very hard and tough. i have had them for 30 yrs and use them every day.
keep up the good work.

-- jerryw-wva.

Nice job!

-- Jesus is Lord!

that’s very brave of you to chuck anything nicer than firewood on the lathe first (second, third…) for practice! Nice Mallet.

-- The opposite of war isn't peace. It's creation. -- Wood T's: http://www.printfection.com/snbcreative

Great job on the lathe re-birth and the mallet

-- Rick, Jackson, TN "Do What You Like. Like What You Do" Life Is Good

This had to be my first project since I sharpened all those chisels and planer blades that WayneC taught me how to do in his blogs. Thanks Wayne!

Thanks to all the positive feedback from y’all. I truly appreciate it all. Thanks!!! I may have just gotten lucky, time will tell.

Scott. I saved a lot of firewood a couple of weeks ago. A neighbor cut down a tulip and an old oak tree. Went to Woodcraft in Indianapolis and got some wax for the ends. I got a lot of 4-10 inch branches and cut them to about 36”. The tulip tree was smaller and I saved some of trunk and bigger branches. I guess one just waxes the ends. I didn’t have enough to do all the wood I got, except for the ends. My only storage is outside at the present, I hope it’s an okay storage place.

Jerry, that pattern mallet is quite heavy. One can tell that it has been used a lot and it shows little if any blemishes or wood compression.

Karson, I truly believe that IF I made one for my wife that she would use it on me. Maybe I’ll make a smaller one for her….

I think I am going to take it to the woodworking club meeting tonight and get some criticism from those folks. There are a couple of woodturners there. I will see Alan Lacer tonight at Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin Indiana. I bet he will have some tips for me. (He might tell me to give it up!) I plan on take a couple of pictures while there for three hours. I will be wearing my famous LumberJocks bright yellow T-Shirt tonight.

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Thanks for the detailed photos.I will need to make one of these and then find something to smack.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

Nice mallet, good job turning. You are going to love it!!!

-- Maplewood, MN

Argyllshire it was a lot of fun. I am surprised that it turned out so well, being the first real time on the lathe with no lessons. It works really well now that I have been putting it to use.

Lately I have been trying my “techniques” out on scrap woods with my wood chisels. Somepeople (my wife) say that I have been pounding out the flustrations of a retail job on the wood scraps!

Thanks rikkor and Argyllshire!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Amazed to see your first attempt on lathe. Mallet is very good and selection of wood adds to its beauty. Advice of your grandpa to observe and watch is very good. I have learnt many things just by observing. I have not used a lathe so far and taking encouragement from u to try one simple lathe if possible. I will soon send my first project soon. Be on watch. Hope u will make more complicated projects on your lathe
Patanjali

-- patanjali