Need help with a mallet design

Haven’t built my own mallet. But if you do a search here on lumberjock’s you might be able to get some info.

-- Tim, Missouri ....Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the heck happened

glue can be any wood glue such as titebond (I, II, III) Elmers yellow glue, or similar. I use Titebond I mostly.

Oak should be ok for the mallet, and the head should be hefty, usually if you’ll laminate 3 layers of 3/4” you’ll get a rough width of 2 1/4” for the head. rest of the measurements are really personal, and are up to you to choose, just make sure it has some weight to it. 3×5 is a good size, but draw it out and see how it looks/feels to you.

and most important – welcome to Lumberjocks! :) sounds like you are one already.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Thanks!

Tim: there are quite a few great handmade mallets on LJ but little in the way of specifics.

PurpLec: That’s exactly the stuff I needed to know. I see a trip to the store happening after work! I’ll grab some graph paper and plan it out first, though.

Oh yeah, should I stain/coat it with something?

you can put Boiled Linseed Oil or similar (penetrating oil finish) to make it more durable, but I wouldn’t put anything else on it such as a top coat finish since you want it to stay soft (not the hard coating of a poly finish) and with some friction (not the smoothness of a poly finish).

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

It is important to remember that the wood’s annual rings should be parallel to the direction of the hammer strikes, ensuring maximum handle durability. This is also true for all hammer and axe handles.

-- Methods are many,Principles are few.Methods change often,Principles never do.

Are you planning on making a hammer type mallet or a turned carvers mallet? I wouldn’t use Oak (specifically red oak) for a carvers mallet because the open grain would splinter after extended use. As a hammer style mallet I think it would be ok, especially if you pad the face with lather. Beech, walnut and maple make great mallet heads also. As for glue up, regular yellow glue (titebond, elmers, etc.) will work fine.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

UnionLabel: Excellent point.

Chris: a hammer type. Rectangular head. I’ll use it on chisels and any place else where a regular hammer is damaging.

A long time ago, I found a simple cheat for preventing hammer damage – put a paperback book on the item and then hammer the book.

Chris, here is the location for a simple mallet plan.
http://www.leevalley.com/home/Articles.aspx?c=2&cat=32%2c47175&action=32

-- Methods are many,Principles are few.Methods change often,Principles never do.

You could go to Lee Jesbergers page also. He has made some very nice mallets I am sure he could give you the information that you need.

AKA…..........Woodchic

-- Robin Renee'

Why not just print your graph paper rather than making a trip to the store.

Free online graph paper

Jim

-- A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including his/her life".

Thanks Jim. That’s exactly the site I use.

Update: The mallet is done. If you looked at it, you’d think it was the pure work of a gen…um, no, that’s not the right phrase. It’s a sight to beho….um, no, that’s not it either. It’s not to shabby. Yep, that’s the right phrase. :)

I’ll post up a photo tonight. It’s a three-piece head with lead fishing weights added. Everything is made from oak. Laminated together with titebond. Handle is about 12 inches long with 3 inches of that inside the head. ok, so it’s 12” in total length. Once it was laminated together and allowed to dry, I sanded it down and put on a coat of the Boiled Linseed Oil. I added a small ring-bolt in the end of the handle so it could hang above my bench.

To be honest, one mallet-face side is angled wrong. After the glue dried the next day (before I oiled it), I put it in a vise and pulled out my circular saw to even up a misaligned piece. That didn’t go as planned. I cut straight across but I didn’t have the blade perpendicular to the head – it was slightly askew. :( I figure it’s a reminder that I’m a rookie with this with limited tools. I’m proud of the mallet. If I wanted, I’ve got a friend who said he could square that side up for me. Next weekend project is a measuring gauge.

Project has been added!
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/27262