What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I've been using a $2.99 deadblow mallet from Horrible Fright, but I'm less and less happy with it. The "deadness" really does feel odd.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Glenn Madsen in the SF Bay area

>the kind of mallet which is the first project after spending money on a lathe. For me, a simple carving mallet, made of tanoak, when I need mass. Or a smaller one, made of some anegre offcuts from someone else's projects, when 'subtle' is required.

I made each of these, after my dear wife bought me a Crown Joiner's mallet among my holiday gifts from Lee Valley. There's no soul in a new, factory mallet.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Blaine Hollis

>One of my favorite tools is my round brass mallet with cherry handle from Lee Valley. It's got just the right amount of heft, and feels great in the hand.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Frank D. in Montreal

>Here's my frankenmallet, the only one I use even though I have several others including round carvers mallets. I find it so comfy and well balanced, I can use it for hours without tiring. The handle isn't round so I can control the mallet without looking at it (I can "feel" the angle of the head in the handle). I made it with leftover maple stair treads and cut a 5� angle on the faces. The handle is a 2 by 2. It looks relatively unused but the pic was taken not long after I made it.

Frank

Well said

Adam Cherubini

>Glen says:

There's no soul in a new, factory mallet.

I couldn't agree more. Moreover I think those Crown mallets are way too light headed.

Here's my two cents:

I have several mallets. I much prefer wooden mallets to anything else and I use a largish (turned) maple carver's mallet most often.

Here's what you need to know: Mass is good. Turned is good because you can focus that mass on a small area. Combine your mass with gravity or a swing and you have pressure. The flat headed (joiners) mallets can't produce that much pressure because teh contact patch is so much bigger (more A same P). So that's both an advantage and a disadvantage.

Paper analysis aside,the joiner's mallets can mark your work (due to the corners) in unexpected places when you aren't careful. This happens less with carver's mallets so I find carver's mallets easier to control and recommend them to beginners.

If you are making your own, be sure to make the top flat or a little concave with a nicely rounded edge. I find I use that face when I need less pressure,so it can sort of do the job of a joiner's mallet. I tapered my head, but i find it can splinter out the short grain. I think next time I'll make it cylindrical. Oh, and one thing I did I thought was smart- I left the centers in so I could recut it later- which I have done on a few occasions. No reason to scrap so much maple.

Adam

P.S. I so agree with Glenn. And while I prefer homemade stuff, especially the bench tools, gauges, squares etc, factory mallets offend my sensibilities.

I bet you could make a turned mallet without a wood lathe. (I know that sounds funny)

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>I find a round mallet ideal to use on chisels and such, but found it really doesn't suit me well for joinery. There were too many times when I had two pieces laying on a bench top that I wanted to tap together lightly and if you can picture doing this with a round mallet comfortably I'd like to see a picture. So I made myself a joiners mallet also; with both a round carvers mallet and a joiners mallet there is no task I shy away from. So far as pounding goes, I am not sure why you need a five pound sledge hammer for joinery. If you do, you might want to re-think your cuts. In my opinion a small joiners mallet with a very dense head and oval or square handle so you can feel the orientation is ideal.

Adam,

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>I think that, upon reflection, you will realize that the impulse is the same for a flat-faced or a round-faced mallet of the same weight, all other factors being equal.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Warren in PA

>I use three mallets that I could hardly do without.

1. Rawhide mallet(30 years) for light joinery and assembly.

2. Dogwood mallet (25 years) large squarish head for heavy joinery like mortising.

3. Carving mallet (turned)-I'm on my third: an ash mallet that was given me did not hold up; an apple mallet I made has seen better days; I'm trying persimmon. I don't like a carving mallet for joinery.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>I've tried several kinds and prefer the round mallets that LV sell.

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Mike McDaniel

>This is such a loaded question, it makes me wonder, why did you ask?

As woodworkers, it is just to easy to make your own, to trust the preferences of others. Make a couple of each, use them for a while and you will have your answer.

My first attempts were square headed. Then I turned a carvers mallet and fell in love. So for me, it's the carver that gets used. Your milage may vary, but you won't know, until you've tried both.

Mike McDaniel,

WV

Re: What Kind of Mallet -- Joinery

Jack Guzman from Maine

>My sentiments exactly.I bought a crown square headed,then made a better,heavier version of hard maple with an oak handle I turned myself(even inlaid a little walnut into the sides of the head).Finally I discovered carvers style and made a light one from maple and later a heavier one from purpleheart.I almost always reach for the maple carvers mallet.It's like an extension of my hand.The purpleheart one I use for heavy pounding(rarely),the square one almost never.Other people swear by the square headed ones,it's a matter of preference and work methods. Make your own and explore.---Jack