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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Default A few shop made tools

    I decided yesterday that I spend far too much time either talking about woodworking, typing about woodworking, collecting tools for woodworking or collecting wood for woodworking, without actually doing much woodworking!

    In an attempt to remedy this, here's the first two of my "5 projects in 5 days" that I'm doing over the long weekend.

    The first is a simple laminated mallet, the wood is something unknown I salvaged from a pallet but I knew I liked it a lot. It's very very hard. I had no idea what to do with it so took an offcut to work and played with it all week, trying to find out what it wanted to be. This is what it decided to become!. It's a little rough but I'm very proud of it, and it feels just right in my hand.

    The second is something I've been wanting to make for ages, and never got around to. It's a simple framing square, the wood's from a $6 piece of meranti, the finish is raw linseed oil. It's as square as the bought squares in my shop and I can see myself using it a lot. 20 minutes work and again I'm happy with the result, even if it is something a 10 year old could make!

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  3. #2
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    Nov 2007
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    Default

    That's good. I am sure others will have made tools out of off cuts.

  4. #3
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    Jul 2010
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    Default

    I'm a great believer in experimenting with recycled timbers.. i've used the odd "one-way" pallet to make some great tool handles.

    Ken.

  5. #4
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    Default

    If anyone has any idea what it is please tell me - I still have two short lengths left, one may become the top piece of a carpenters square later today if I can convince the coping saw to cut the shape I want.

    It somehow just felt right to be making something to use - the mallet handle didn't come out anything like I'd imagined, it was to be wider at the base and I was going to round it, but once I picked it up I decided it was just right - there was some rounding on one side already, just where my fingers wrap around, could have been made to fit my hand. Why mess with what is already better than anything I could have done?

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
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    Brisbane (western suburbs)
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    Default

    That bit of wood certainly made an attractive mallet head, Andrew. I've always wondered how a laminated head stands up to heavy (ab)use - I guess there is only one way to find out. The good news is, as you've discovered, it ain't hard to make a new one if you do bust it!

    By coincidence, I also made a couple more mallets yesterday, too. I was cleaning up & about to chuck some scraps from a previous mallet-making session back on the firewood pile, but thought, "nah, there's a couple more in there.." I used traditional construction - a through-mortise, which is pared back on the exit side so that the wedges spread the handle and lock the head on.

    These are Ironbark & a bit smaller than the ones I made previously - around 600g, while the 'original' (centre in the pic) is about 800-odd. It's good for heavy bashing, but I decided I needed something smaller for tapping chisels & the like. Haven't figured out the 'ideal' weight, yet - p'raps there isn't, so I'll just have to keep several sizes.

    Cheers,
    IW

  7. #6
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    Feb 2006
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    Perth
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    27,756

    Default

    Just a tip about the face of a mallet. If the intention is to strike an object smaller than the mallet face (eg a chisel) then a flat face is OK but if the intention is to strike a surface of greater area than the mallet (eg a board) then a slightly curved face will be less likely to leave a dent in the surface being struck.

    this is a small wooden plane setting mallet I made few years ago. To make the curve I roughly shaped the face with a plane and then rocked the face following the curve on a belt sander.

  8. #7
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    Default

    Ian & Bob - thank you for sharing yours, they look great.

    I'm eager to see how it holds up too, but like Ian said, worst case, an hour and another scrap of wood and I can try again!

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