Reply by Oldelm

I never gave the size of the mallet I use much thought. I have used a round carpenters mallet for 25 years or so for everything. I did weigh it after seeing your post, it weighs in a 1lb 2oz. I use it for everything on the bench from barely tapping a small gouge to a hard hit on a mortise chisel. The largest mortises I cut are 1/2” and lately have been in red oak. It seems to me that if I take really heavy blows on my mortise chisels in the oak it tends to dull the chisel faster and not drive it much farther than what I feel is just a medium hit. That is with a 30 degree grind and a very slight secondary bevel. The dulling could be a function of the chisel itself, my chisels are older and not the best. The mallet has become an extension of me over the years so I guess I have that muscle training that it talked about today. I would like to see more comments on this subject. Is it mallet weight, power of the strike, chisel weight? Good subject.

-- Jim, Missouri