Thread: Mallets anyone?

Someone was muttering about mallets the other week so given the forum decided to enforce a break upon me just as her bloody highness gave me leave to return to me tools in the cave... so after Id finished the boat thing I grabbed a saw and went to the stack of logs an stuff outside the shed... mmmm found it.... cut drag onto the bandysaw cut again and again and again grab chisel debark and onto the lathe... and with BLUNT chisels in hand I hold me breathe look at the peice... waiting waiting... aaaaaahhh there it is... a gentle whisper

"make me into a small mallet for one of your daughters"... mmmm interesting a small mallet for one of the girls I thought? mmm then it struck me if I made a nice small mallet such as a carvers mallet out of some stunning timber they could fit it in their handbag or schoolbag or next to their seat in the car any trouble WHAMMO!!! cop that dipstick! broken hand pronto

So... having no idea what wood I had just put into the lathe I arced it up... began with the big fat wide mouthed chisel (who knows the names of these things??) whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... mmmmm nice colors comin out... keep goin... mmmm excelllent colors and features... keep going... mmmmmm citrus smell??... ooooooooh right!! its some of the Mock Orange I cut down last year!!

So I changed chisels to the blunt triange shaped one (pointy tip thingy) and faced up to it again looking at it to determine the shapes... and into it... there just so... put it down grab up the wide mouthed one again and into it.. I mean theres chips and dust goin everywhere!! Im in the zone man!! mmm bedda stop Shane.., take a little more here a tad more there mmmm not bad... grab up the small blunt round mouthed one and face up again... just a bit here a tad there a skarrick here... yes thats the one... I take up the screwy sorta flat blunt one and face up again lay it flat along the peice and in I go again... mmmmm take some here turn it round there and there take a fair bit away there turn the chisel on edge and in for the cut!!... halfway through both ends I stop... turn it off... mmm pretty cool I thinks... check the shelf for what Ive got to finish it with... mmmm pretty bare up there mmm oh well a bit of eee will do the trick... so move the stand thingy outta the way grab a rag turn the lathe back on arc it up where the speeds good smeer it on... wait... just soo... there now!! grab a new rag under over and onto the wood... whirring shining whirring shining more... okay enough

turn the lathe off and move the stand thingy back in pick up the flat skewy lookin chisel again face up... mmmm hold breath... I usually just grab the jap saw and cut through the ends at this point but after watching the vids that Chris sent I thought "buggar it have a go yer mug" so I did... turned the lathe on but down LOW... real low... I did not want to be wearing this thing in the head... so cut down move to the other end cut down move back cut move cut move finally I felt just that point... just there!... pop the piece pops off in my waiting hand!!! bloody amazing!!

So after gloatingly looking at this thing I thought why not? ive got 6 girls soooo whatcha waitin for yer wombat! and within a couple of hours of the most enjoyable time in the cave Id spent in some time I ended up with 4 done and the light cought up with me so as the sight went due to darkness approaching I packed up leaving the last two for the next clear sunny day

So the mallets... or "whopper" as Tiffany who got hers this evening calls it she chose the smallest quite right too she is after all the "flea" of the family

Ive started making the carvers mallets with a small indentation turned into the hammer part for the thumb as it gives great control thats also the reason Im making them with the knob at the handle end... better grip THUNK! can you feel it? Aint no one gonna mess with my girls EVER AGAIN! cop a carvers mallet of Mock Orange in the gonads and you mister aint gonna be doin nuffin other than singing friggin falsetto!! mind you I tapped it on Joshys arm this evening and he was on the ground holding it in one hell of a hurry... so I clacked meself on the back of the hand MAN!! seriously!! a tap with this thing hurts so imagine a fear induced WHAMMOH!!... "oh whats this? well officer its a carvers mallet my dad left in the car"... "It was in my bag cause I was holding it for my dad"... "Oh this thing? I dont know I think its me dads" no worries!! The girls safety comes FIRST and if this is the only thing I can do to give them even a fighting chance then stuff what anyone says they all get one and are shown where to put it so its handy and how to use it

ooh sizes? smallest one is a smear under 5 inches the largest a smear over 7 inches... I actually think about 6in is about just right for the girls

hehe and cause theyre carver mallets and cause I aint got no carving chisels... guess who now HAS to buy some?? mmmm?? pretty cluey thinkin if I do say so meself!! gotta cover the bases ;: