What's a good wood to make a mallet head from.
smugtwins
Being a cheapskate, I have decided to try and make my own mallet, in
preference to the rubber mallet I've been using up to now, and because
$45 for a wooden mallet in the shops seems a bit steep.
I have a diagram to cut from, which calls for a hickory handle (no
problem there) but the head is of osage orange.
Can anyone suggest a more easily available, and cheap, alternative.
Thanks,
J.
--
To reply, read the address and do as it says.
db...@sprynet.com
a shipping company throws away, the rails(bottom parts) are about
4 by 6 inches. trouble is that it does not cut too good on a lathe.
friend tried to turn some and stated that during the process it was like
having a ball of string all around the wood. I talked to a wood carver
that was in town years ago at a craft show. He was not familar with the
tupelo gum and stated that he was using a chisel and mallet on it just
playing around and that he found that it would not chip off like other
woods he had worked. but it you can get a pallet, its free and the wood
is hard, give it a try.
Ken Vaughn
yard. Apple wood has somewhat interlocked grain and holds up well.
--
Ken Vaughn
Visit my workshop: http://home.earthlink.net/~kvaughn65/
"smugtwins" <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
John Snow
compressed laminated maple. You can't do the compressing (most likely), but
you could laminate thinnish layers of a dense wood (like oak) in varying
orientations. That should give good strength independent of wood species.
Depending on how involved you wish to get, you can also make a strap of
metal (a cutoff of a large pipe?) and force it over the ends to reduce
splitting and add heft.
Sergio A. Ramirez
"smugtwins" <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
Just for reference, I made one out of hard maple from the drawing in the FWW
25th aniversary issue. The head is laminated from 3 layers of hm to pre-cut
the mortise for the handle. So far, it's holding up pretty well. The only
thing is that some dents have developed in the strike face, since I use it
to strike wood-handled chisels. I need to be careful not to use the mallet
on the project wood since the dents do leave a mark, at least on pine, and
probably any soft wood.
Sergio
Frank McVey
The traditional wood for carpenter's mallet heads here in UK is beech, but
I've seen tinman's mallets with heads made of apple. I imagine any hard and
dense wood would do. I had a lump of cherry the English variety) too small
to do anything else with and reheaded my small mallet with it a couple of
weeks ago. Straight-forward enough job, but remember to cut the tapered
mortice before you shape the head. The other thing, when you're figuring
the angle for the striking faces, take the length of your forearm into
account as well as the length of the handle.
Regards
Frank
arbarnhart
I have a couple, for different purposes. The purpose you mention, replacing
a rubber mallet, does not require very hard wood. In fact, you want to be
careful not to use something like lam maple or you may dent other wood. I
assume you are going to use it for tapping together or apart dovetails or
other joints. I used poplar for my soft mallet. It's hard enough to stay
together and not split and crack easily but won't easily scar other wood.
For driving wood handled chisels and the like, I laminated some small oak
pieces with epoxy and I let some unthicked epoxy get sucked into the end
grain on the striking surface. It's rock hard. I did not round either head.
"smugtwins" <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
Jon Endres, P.E.
preferences in order are beech, locust, hickory, white oak or sugar maple.
No particular reason, just my preferences.
--
Jon Endres, P.E.
West Mountain Engineering Co.
wmeng...@adelphia.net
smugtwins <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
Walt Conner
Walt Conner
William E. Prisavage
"smugtwins" <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
William E. Prisavage
"smugtwins" <smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com> wrote in message
news:3BBE8DE4...@removethisbit.jkath.com...
TinkOrgYdS
about all the others mentioned are probably hard enough, but i would steer away
from any wood that is normally easy to split. Oak is generally easy to
split(White oak and pin oak are tougher but not like tupello. Tupello will
destroy your strongest splitter before it will split. Even a six inch branch
you won't split. Don't even think about trying to split it with a mall.
Dan & Dee Griffin
How about hard rock maple or Lignum Vitae?
--
@@@@@@@@
Keep the whole world singing . . . . . . .
Dan & Dee Griffin
TinkOrgYdS
tougher than just about anything else
Tchswoods
Osage or "mock" orange can often be had for the asking. It is especialy
recognizable now because th "oranges" will fall soon. (They look like green
"brains", per my son)
If the hickory for the handle is no problem I might consider it a good
replacement fo rthe head. It is hard and has some interlocking grain.
Dan J
have been pleased with them all.
Robert Lee
can cause compressions and tearing. Another solution would be to face a
wooden mallet with something like raw hide. I inherited two mallets from my
father-in-law when he passed away. The heads are made of solid raw hide and
they have wooden handles. I love them for tapping parts together. I'd love
to know how they make them. I've seen rawhide at the local Tandy Leather
retail store.
The choice of Osage Orange is excellent if you have a source. I have two
of the bell shaped mallets to use with my chisels. One is out the stump of
a citrus tree, probably orange, the other out of Osage orange. The Osage
Orange takes the abuse better, but the citrus is okay. Incidentally there
are about 50 annulary rings per inch. It must have been an old tree.
Robert Lee
"arbarnhart" <arbar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:bNHv7.59847$0x.22...@typhoon.southeast.rr.com...
William Herrera
>The choice of Osage Orange is excellent if you have a source. I have two
>of the bell shaped mallets to use with my chisels. One is out the stump of
>a citrus tree, probably orange, the other out of Osage orange. The Osage
>Orange takes the abuse better, but the citrus is okay. Incidentally there
>are about 50 annulary rings per inch. It must have been an old tree.
I have a mallet made orginally from a windfall bough of an old black walnut
tree.
---
The above from: address is spamblocked. Use wherrera (at) lynxview (dot) com for the reply address.
George
mean real Populus species like aspen with interlocked grain, and elm, which
is also almost impossible to split. The poplar takes the place of my
white-rubber mallet for adjusting other wood, the elm is a great striking
mallet. Alternative to elm is yellow birch, which has rowed grain and
resists splitting.
For carver mallets, I like maple or hop-hornbeam with the heart centered.
Get the wood green, turn to desired shape, submerge in 50/50 PEG for a
couple three months. Makes a heavy mallet with great "dead-blow"
characteristics.
"arbarnhart" <arbar...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:bNHv7.59847$0x.22...@typhoon.southeast.rr.com...
>
> I have a couple, for different purposes. The purpose you mention,
replacing
> a rubber mallet, does not require very hard wood.
SNIP
Jack-of-all-trades
(smugtwins) wrote:
Being a cheapskate, I have decided to try and make my own mallet, <snip
of some technical wood talk>
I just came by to post a question and saw this thread and decided
to read your post. Had to laugh when I read this (didn't bother to read
any of the responses).
I used to use a rubber ballet too. How I have 7 (seven, count 'em)
shop made mallets I use instead. However, I did not make them with a
head and handle like you. I turned them on the lathe, much faster and
they are easier to use than the type you wan to make. Just be sure to
cut the head end flat, so you can stan them up. Why 7?, you ask. So I
can use lighter ones for light beating, and heavier ones when I need a
bit ore oomph.
And what type of wood? Well, I think one is probably poplar, maybe
pine, it is smallest and light. The others vary, maybe one or two are
hickory, at least one is dogwood, pssibly one or two is holly, and not
sure. They all work great and look good. If I ever need a replacement
I will just toss a chunk of wood in the lathe and have one in just a
couple of minutes. Just stop the lathes and check how the handle fits
your hand. You don't even need plans for something like that.
EXPENSE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE ASSIGNING VALUES TO.
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
http://rehler.com/sound/Walk_Like_An_Egyptian.mid AMAZING POPCORN
http://www.popcornsong.com/files/mod/popcorn2.zip TURKISH MARCH
http://people.nnu.edu/wdhughes/turkish2.mid SCULLY SINGS TO MULDER
http://www.geocities.com/rosegirl60/jeremiah.wav
Sergio Ramirez
I should have added that I made the mistake to cover the mallet head
with Behlen's Rock Hard Tabletop Varnish. The varnish hasn't chipped
away, but probably a good percentage of a dent is in the varnish film,
not in the end grain of hard maple.
Sergio
Old Bob
"Sergio Ramirez" <sr...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:c6c4c607.01100...@posting.google.com...
Roy F. Gordon Jr.
>
> Sat, Oct 6, 2001, 4:35am (EDT+4) smug...@removethisbit.jkath.com
> (smugtwins) wrote:
>
I used to use a rubber ballet too. How I have 7 (seven, count 'em)
> shop made mallets I use instead. However, I did not make them with a
> head and handle like you. I turned them on the lathe,
>
I turned mine out of a Louisville Slugger bat that broke at the handle
end.
White Ash!
Roy