# Roy's Mystery Mallet



## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

*Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*

Dear "Saint" Roy,




























I hate you.

Sincerely, 
Mallet Muttering in Pennsylvania

---

Actually, I don't hate Roy. And I'm not that disappointed as to this first attempt.

If you haven't gotten the April 2012 issue of Popular Woodworkinghttp://www.popularwoodworking.com/apr12, you need to get it… now. They've got a great article by Roy Underhill on making the Mystery Mallet that you've been seeing around.

This actually is turning out to be a lot of fun. Before you point out the obvious, I know I shouldn't have used poplar. But I just got this nice, thick piece of poplar and thought it would be a good place to start.

Although the joint isn't totally tight, the concept is right on the money. I am very encouraged about this.

Here's what I've learned:

1. Take extra time to lay this out with a sharp pencil or marking knife.
2. It helps to have multiple marking gauges, dividers, sliding t-bevels, etc. that you can designate for one set up at a time.
3. Mark the head of your mallet and the handle with sides (A, B, C, D) and TOP, BOTTOM. 
4. If you get stuck, bring the wood in the house, get a drink of water, go to bed (it will probably be around 1 a.m.) and sleep on it. 
5. Use something other than poplar. (I have a thick piece of oak that I've set aside for something fun, like this.)

It will take a little time to get your head around these angles, slopes, joints, etc. These practice cuts have helped me get a better understanding of how this should work. Maybe tomorrow I'll cut into the oak.

Maybe.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


I made a similar mallet a few years ago. Eventually the glue joints started popping apart and I had to use screws to keep it together. I got the plan from Woodworkers Journal quite a few years ago. I'm still using, but it won't last much longer. I might be able to salvage the handle and the screws.. Mine only lasted about 8 years. Maybe the secret is the right type of glue. I hope you have better luck than I did. I hate things that don't last!


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


Thanks for checking in, Mike.

When I first got into woodworking I didn't have a mallet, and I didn't really have the extra money to buy a "wooden hammer"-especially if this was just a passing interest. But I did have a box of hard maple flooring that someone was throwing out and gave me. A little work and planning and I glued up a simple mallet that has served me for several years.

I really like the shape of yours. That's really what I was looking to make originally. So now I might have to make 2 mallets! Thanks for the picture.


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## DocK16 (Mar 18, 2007)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


Check this months Popular WW There is an article showing Roy making this mallet


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


Sound like you have climbing up the learning curve Glen.

If you get stuck, bring the wood in the house, get a drink of water, go to bed (it will probably be around 1 a.m.) and sleep on it. HaHa…been there a few times.

Be sure to post the oak one.


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


Hey, DocK, that's what got me a step farther toward the loony bin.  I've seen it hinted at for the past month or so, but it wasn't until I got the magazine that the real planning got underway.

Thanks, Tim. And the oak is already on my bench waiting for the process to begin.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


I drew one up in SketchUp a few months back and am dieing to try it out. I've not seen the article. I'll try to do it without it first. Thanks for posting, and let us see the Oak one when you finish it.


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## planeBill (Oct 21, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 0*
> 
> Dear "Saint" Roy,
> 
> ...


Extremely neat project. Went straight to my fav list. Thanks for sharing this. I have a big chunk of hophornbeam just for this.


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

*Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*

Dear Saint Roy,

I like you a lot more this week. Lots.

Sincerely,

Mallet Boy in PA

-------
If you haven't gotten a copy of the April 2012 issue of Popular Woodworking, do it today. That's where this insanity all got started. But I'm telling you, I never could have launched into this if it weren't for that article. They do a great job. Check them out.

The second attempt with the hardwood turned out to be much better. Doing a practice run with the poplar was a great idea and helped me figure out the angles and such.

As I wrote in the previous blog, I also used my marking knife for nearly every cut. When I couldn't see the mark it was making, I used a fine-tip pen. That helped out, too. Using two dedicated marking gauges was also helpful. Same with the sliding t-bevel.

I'm pretty happy with the results.










The joints were much better, too.


























Some things I learned:

1. Perfection doesn't come the first time, and that's okay. The second time is usually going to be better, so give your project a second attempt.
2. When I was cutting the sides of the mallet head, I used my chisel to cut a starter-groove for my saw. That helped create nice, crisp joints. A must for this project.
3. The hardwood (which I think is either oak or ash-it was a hand-me-down) was easier to work with than I expected. 
4. I had my boys help me with the assembly. They were totally into it and excited with the results. More generational woodworking.
5. I test fit this and re-measured just about every way I knew possible. When I was ready to "bite the bullet," I glued it up real good, and started assembly. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE how hard I had to hit this to get it to go together. Even still, the fit is pretty much right on. 
6. The only change I would make is in the assembly. As you can see from the detail of the top of the mallet head, there is some discoloration on the right side. I didn't realize that my mallet head was bottomed out on the vise, and I sort of crushed the end grain on that side. Not a big deal, but I would be more careful about that if I were doing it again.

I'll add some finish and include a closing picture later.

Thanks for looking in.


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## dpow (Aug 12, 2010)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*
> 
> Dear Saint Roy,
> 
> ...


Looks good Glen. That should serve you well. Thanks for sharing .


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*
> 
> Dear Saint Roy,
> 
> ...


Mallet boy you should be proud of this! Very nice, the "practice poplar " one definitely helped you figure out the joints. looking forward to the pics with the finish on it, you will get many years of use out of it.


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*
> 
> Dear Saint Roy,
> 
> ...


Very nice and very impressive.


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## yrob (May 26, 2008)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*
> 
> Dear Saint Roy,
> 
> ...


Very good job. I did one too but I had an advantage. I did it in the shop with Roy so his guidance helped me to not have it break the first time.


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Mallet - 1, Glen - 1*
> 
> Dear Saint Roy,
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting, everyone.

yrob - GOOD FOR YOU!! That's a nice one, too. And I went into the first one knowing it was a practice. So it was a good learning opportunity. The second one was with the good stuff. And because the head is hardwood, too, it should last a while.

As much as I enjoyed making it on my own, in my shop, with Roy's instructions nearby, I would have much rather joined your class in North Carolina.


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

*Dressed and Ready for Work*

As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.





































As you can see, I shaped the handle a little differently than they showed in the magazine. I like the squared-off handle better. I also stained the head one color and then applied several coats of tung oil to the whole thing.

Thanks, again, to venues like LJ, Roy Underhill, and the folks over at Popular Woodworking. My woodworking is better because of you all.


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

pastorglen said:


> *Dressed and Ready for Work*
> 
> As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.
> 
> ...


Turned out really nice Glen, thanks for posting. like the stain too.


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## kmh2412 (Feb 8, 2012)

pastorglen said:


> *Dressed and Ready for Work*
> 
> As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.
> 
> ...


Turned out great. I like looking at the different designs, I want to make my own mallet soon.


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## SamuelP (Feb 26, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Dressed and Ready for Work*
> 
> As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.
> 
> ...


i watched that episode after you post and really like the mallet. Great job.


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *Dressed and Ready for Work*
> 
> As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.
> 
> ...


O sure appreciate your kind words. Thanks for stopping by.

Oh, I was going to post this thought and didn't. I really like the contrast between the head and handle, but it would have been easier if I had stained the head by itself and let it set overnight before assembling. But I was just too excited! I had to fit this together!!

At it turned out, I masked it off the head, put a couple of coats of finish on the handle, then stained the head. That helped, but it still would have been better to do it the other way.


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## SeanK (Mar 14, 2012)

pastorglen said:


> *Dressed and Ready for Work*
> 
> As promised, here's the final outcome of Roy Underhill's Mystery Mallet.
> 
> ...


That looks great! I really like how your handle is flush with the head of the mallet on top. I hope to make one of my own someday.

- Sean


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

*How Small Can You Go?*

So I had some extra time on my hands… and I wondered, just how small can you go with this rising dovetail mystery mallet?

So I pulled out a piece of 3/4" oak that was sitting around, cut it in half, and started laying out the cuts for a very thin "mallet." I used a blue pen, which is part of the dark line you see along the joints. (They actually are very tight-tighter than I expected.) I didn't take a lot of time to in laying it out, and my entire time in the shop was 45 minutes. As you can see, I did not include the tenon. But I did include both side dovetails.




























Why am I posting this? To show how versatile and simple this joint really is. I also wanted to check to see if you actually need to relief-cut the back sides of the dovetails. I didn't this time. I simply clamped dovetails to compress them and began sliding it in place. I used a 3 lbs hammer to drive the "handle" into the "head," but I didn't really it it that hard this time. Once it got started, the whole thing went together very easily.

Practice. This is a great exercise in layout, chiseling, sawing, getting your head around these goofy angles!

So get out to the shop and have some fun!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

pastorglen said:


> *How Small Can You Go?*
> 
> So I had some extra time on my hands… and I wondered, just how small can you go with this rising dovetail mystery mallet?
> 
> ...


Cool.


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## Timbo (Aug 21, 2008)

pastorglen said:


> *How Small Can You Go?*
> 
> So I had some extra time on my hands… and I wondered, just how small can you go with this rising dovetail mystery mallet?
> 
> ...


Glen, your having too much fun with this! But I think you can go smaller


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## pastorglen (Jan 13, 2011)

pastorglen said:


> *How Small Can You Go?*
> 
> So I had some extra time on my hands… and I wondered, just how small can you go with this rising dovetail mystery mallet?
> 
> ...


Tim… you made ma laugh right out loud.

I'll see…

g


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