a day of getting a handle on things.

[tea lady]

Viewers may recall that I turned some mallets a while ago. After getting tennis elbow from using one for just a few hours last week I thought I would make a more "lady" friendly one. Also made one for one of the other ladies in our Dark Sider's Furniture Group too. Then I got carried away and made another one. These ones might be bit on the light side. Although strangely, the smallest one is the heaviest. I thought they were all red gum, but maybe the little one is Jarrah or something more dense. Will test bang on Friday. (Got carried away and sanded to 400# and oil finish. Smooooooooooooooth. )

The "old" mallet is on the right. Smallest but heaviest on the left.
Attachment 119865

In the hand.
Attachment 119866Attachment 119867

[Ed Reiss]

dangerous weapons in the right hands

[Texian]

+1 what Ed said. Nice looking bonkers (as they are called here). What, pray tell, do you bang upon with them T.L.? BTW hope your elbow is feeling better.

[jefferson]

+1 what Ed said. Nice looking bonkers (as they are called here). What, pray tell, do you bang upon with them T.L.?

I think Tea Lady takes them down to Tooradin to keep in line....

[Gil Jones]

Very nice mallets

[Ozkaban]

Nice Mallets, TL!

What sort of weight are they?

Cheers,
Dave

[Frank&Earnest]

Although strangely, the smallest one is the heaviest. I thought they were all red gum, but maybe the little one is Jarrah or something more dense.

I'we been wrong many times before but that one looks very much like red ironbark. If it is, it will sink as a stone even when dry (Jarrah should not). I have read that you were at the WWW last Sunday: in a "all for $5" box there was a red ironbark piece about 400x400x120, (that is, almost 20 kg) did you buy it? That one and a few other pieces made me swear profusely for not having taken the car there because I did not know the road...

[tea lady]

I think Tea Lady takes them down to Tooradin to keep in line....

No! I am doing that Darksiders Furnityre group. Am Banging chisels for making dove tails with them.

Nice Mallets, TL!

What sort of weight are they?

Cheers,
Dave

The big one is 550gms and the small ones all weigh 250gms. (ie; the small small one weight the same as the big small ones. )

I'we been wrong many times before but that one looks very much like red ironbark. If it is, it will sink as a stone even when dry (Jarrah should not). I have read that you were at the WWW last Sunday: in a "all for $5" box there was a red ironbark piece about 400x400x120, (that is, almost 20 kg) did you buy it? That one and a few other pieces made me swear profusely for not having taken the car there because I did not know the road...

No didn't get it. I guess it looked too boring. I always look for Silky oak. But I did get a bit of camphor laural for 50c. The small mallet will have to be just "dunno wood" The handle is actually a bit small for my hands. The other "lady" has smaller hands so maybe it will be right for her.

[artme]

Great Knockometers TL.

Armed to the teeth and ready to go.


Now- are we about to have a debate on the merits of mallet handle shapes and sizes?

[tea lady]

Great Knockometers TL.

Armed to the teeth and ready to go.


Now- are we about to have a debate on the merits of mallet handle shapes and sizes?

Debate? If you want! The size of the handle of my first mallet was to big too as well as too heavy. The corner that everyone said would stick in to you doesn't really stick in that I noticed, but I made this round of mallets smoother and rounder and narrower. I think they will feel much better to use for me at least. Might give the big mallet too some poor bloke that can't turn his own. Anyway, will test tomorrow.

[Daddy3x]

Very well done May very well try to make myself a few with the scrap maple I have sitting on the corner. I especially like the one in the foreground, just about the right size for the cabinet work I do.
Scott

[Pat]

Good looking mallets. One question, why use them on the chisels. For dovetails, a coping saw to cut out 95% of the waste, then par down to your scribed line.

[tea lady]

Good looking mallets. One question, why use them on the chisels. For dovetails, a coping saw to cut out 95% of the waste, then par down to your scribed line.

Am chopping mortices today, so maybe more necessary for that.

[IanW]

.....
Now- are we about to have a debate on the merits of mallet handle shapes and sizes?

Nope - TL's design is good, ('cos it's pretty much the same as mine! )

I like a 'grip' that fits my hand, backed up with a bit of a knob so it doesn't want to fly off somewhere on the downstroke, and thinnned down where it meets the bonking end, to reduce jarring. The latter is not so important on smaller mallets used for tapping chisels, but you'll appreciate it on larger, heavier mallets used for bashing things. It means they often break there, if there's a bit of a flaw or cross-grain in the wrong spot, but as TL has discovered, they are the work of a few minutes on the lathe, and can be cobbled from a bit of firewood or other seemingly useless scrap.

Pat - don't know what you cut dovetails in, but I tap my chisels to cut out waste, even after removing 90% of it with a coping saw (or small bowsaw for the biggies). Been doing it for a little while, now, & so far the chisels haven't complained.

Now we could have a discussion about the best wood for mallets.....
The one below is a piece of Olive wood - dense & fine-grained and has done yeoman service for many years - might even see me out. Many of our Eucalypts have a tendency to flake & split after a bit of heavy use, I've found.

Funny - I haven't ever weighed a mallet - just made them in various sizes, lengths & head diameters & picked the ones that feel right. I must weigh a few & measure the proportions of the ones I like, to see if there's a consistent pattern...

Cheers,

[Ozkaban]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your description. I noticed your chisels taper in slightly near the top [EDIT: looking at the photo again, it might just be camera angle/lense distortion], Tea LAdy's are basically parallel and other designs taper out near the top. Is there much difference in operation?

I'm not a carver but when I have a spare moment I'm going to make a few of these for carving friends.

Cheers,
Dave