Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Holly for Mallet
Mike G.
>Howdy friends,
I happen to have some Holly laying about. I know it's used mostly for inlays, but was wondering if it's suitable for use as the head of a mallet.
Thanks, Mike G. in the foothills of S. Carolina who just found out he will get another Holly tree tomorrow.
Re: Holly for Mallet
David Barnett - Venice, FL
>Holly is hard, dense, tough and will make good mallet heads. I have a heartwood holly mallet that's got the characteristic blue-grey streaks. It's been around a lot longer than I have and shows no signs of breaking down. Great wood.
Holly?
jim_reed@marietta
>Depends on what you will use the mallet for. I have a basswood mallet I use to smack my lathe tailstock with. Works great and does not leave marks (although the mallet looks pretty shabby). I covered the face of my carver's mallet (beech) with electrical tape to keep it from slipping off chisel head during blow. Most holly around here is pretty soft. How about some dogwood? That would make a great mallet head. Persimmon is also tough; I made some of those. Good luck.