Thread: Mallet

I mainly use this one for taking things apart but it works just as well when putting things together.
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I use a soft-faced hammer for assembly of dovetails etc.



I bought this one from a Hare & Forbes catalog and it is not quite what I wanted but it is fine for the purpose. The faces are interchangeable but so far I have not seen the need. It looks much more used than this pic which was taken when new.

The one I really wanted has the handle fitted through the head. Paul Sellers (paulsellers.com) recommends this style and also uses it as his go to chisel mallet.

It will still mark softer timbers if you get aggressive but I have had no problems assembling hardwood jobs. If it gets a bit too hard I resort to a lump hammer and wooden block!

Bruce


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I have two, both weighing in around 19-20oz.

One is the Veritas Cabinetmakers mallet. This comes with a bronze head and wooden faces. The other is a Thor (same as popularised by Paul Sellers). I really recommend the Thor (Google for a local seller) ...



I rehandled the Veritas abd added UHMW faces. The UHMW is hard enough not to be damaged and has enough give not to damage hardwood ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

From the auto parts bin. Thee is a body work mallet that is a no-bounce style. It is mostly made with polyurethane. When I bought mine at Harbor Freight it was much less than $10US.

Doesn't bounce, doesn't dent and doesn't marr.

I use this shop made 2.3kg Spotted Gum and blackwood mallet with a leather patch on one face. The leather prevents dinting of the timber for the most part - unless it's soft wood and I'm really wailing on it.

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Cheers, Dom

Nice mallet Dom. Almost too nice to use.

I have several shop-made mallets in different sizes. They last a couple of years usually and I can mostly just make a new head.

Bruce


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2.3kg Spotted Gum

Dom, are you certain about that weight? That is 81oz!

Compare to the 20oz mallets I posted. These are my go to for heavy chiseling, such as morticing or chopping into hard, hard wood. Otherwise I use an 8oz or 225gm gennou for dovetailing.

I do have a super heavy mallet, which is 36oz, but find it too fatiguing - and this is less than half the weight of yours. Infilled brass and Jarrah head, with curly Marri handle ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

Something like this?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/thor-ham...ammer_p5560228

How about for budget options? Are the rubber ones ok around the $20 mark?
https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/p...directFrom=Any

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Dom, are you certain about that weight? That is 81oz!

Compare to the 20oz mallets I posted. These are my go to for heavy chiseling, such as morticing or chopping into hard, hard wood. Otherwise I use an 8oz or 225gm gennou for dovetailing.

I do have a super heavy mallet, which is 36oz, but find it too fatiguing - and this is less than half the weight of yours. Infilled brass and Jarrah head, with curly Marri handle ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

Nice! Love that brass and jarrah / marri mallet!

Yeah, i'm pretty sure that's the all up weight. May be a little out but I'll need to put it on a scale later tonight to double check- it is what I remember it coming in at tho. I'll double check to be sure. Certainly over 2kg.

Cheers, Dom

When the need arose I knocked this up quickly with stuff I had lying around. 32mm did' x 220mm Vic Ash dowel handle (it needs to be about 300mm for better balance). The Head is a 90 square laminated Spotty gum offcutt from a post. The face has a 3 degree slant from memory. It works ok, has plenty of heft but could be much improved. It'll be interesting at least to see how long the glue used in the lamination holds on.

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Derek, I just double checked the weight of my mallet and it's 2.290kg. So I wasn't far off!

Cheers, Dom

Well Dom my good friend, if you can manage that weight, I am definitely not going to argue with YOU!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Well Dom my good friend, if you can manage that weight, I am definitely not going to argue with YOU!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Haha. I have only been using it for my timber garage project to knock together large joinery so far, two handed mainly and swinging hard. It could actually do with more weight tbh. Not a daily user for smaller projects i'm sure. Although it will come in handy for those odd occasions...

It actually has a good balance and feel in hand. Held closer to the head it is comfortable one handed.
Cheers, Dom

Originally Posted by DomAU

Haha. I have only been using it for my timber garage project to knock together large joinery so far, two handed mainly and swinging hard. It could actually do with more weight tbh. Not a daily user for smaller projects i'm sure. Although it will come in handy for those odd occasions...

Cheers, Dom

well it's good to know you won't look like a one-armed Popeye from cutting dovetails with it