Wooden Mallet

I suppose you are now wondering what my excuse is this time, considering the last time I posted was last August.  Well, a lot has happened since then and I found that taking the time to sit down and write on this blog with not one but TWO little ones pawing at you to see what you are doing on the "GLOW BOOK!!" is quite challenging. So let me give you a quick summation of the last 9 months:

- Got a new job.
- Moved to Watertown, WI.
- Teaching two wee ones on how to Human.
(That last one actually takes all the time.)

Though with "all the time" taken, I managed to steal some of it back with the help of WIFE POWER. Basically this just means I duck into the garage for a few hours here and there so I can make birthday/Christmas presents, home essentials, and nick-nacks. So allow me to start where I left off.

The actual mallet doesn't look like this, unfortunately.

Last august it was my brother in-law's birthday (who is a wood worker himself) and I decided to make him something that any wood worker needs in his shop: a nice dead-blow hammer. I got the idea from a YouTube series called Wood Working for Mere Mortals. The guy who runs it does a good job on tutorials for simple projects.

The Wood

The head of the mallet was made out of Hard Maple and the stock out of Red Oak. Yet you may be wondering, "How dost though, sir, make a bludgeoning device with sufficient mass out of maple?" Watch and learn Peasant!

I started with a 3X6 inch block of maple and made some measurements. I then drilled two 1 1/2'' holes in the block.

I then cut them into 2 separate "squares" at a 7 degree angle. 

I then positioned and glued them on another 3x6'' block with a second in place for a firm clamping surface. The product looks like this:

Now we fill the holes with "mass." I used small lead fishing sinkers. These worked well and had more weight than sand and were more manageable than molten plutonium. 

Once that is finished, we then finish by topping of the head. 

Once sanded down uniformly...

...we use the table saw at about 12 degrees to give the head some shape by using my 

trusty Tenoning Jig.

"Ooooo!!"

The Handle

I found a nice strip of Red Oak and cut it size. Then I used the jig to cut 3 tenons into the end where 2 wedges will be glued in between to secure the head to the handle.

Tenoning Jig in Action!

Now that the handle can accept the head, shaping the handle is the next step. 

Using my drill press with a sanding drum bit made short work of it. Then I cut the wedges out of maple using the table saw and an angled miter gauge. Again, as I have said before in this blog, some things that I do (particularly on the table saw) are not as they say "couth." There are jigs you can make to make cuts like this safer, ...but who gots time for that!? I want my Hammer NOW!!*

* With all seriousness, always practice safe techniques around power tools. 

The Wedge. One of 2.

HAMMER TIME!

The wedges glued into place open up the tenons and make a pretty tight joint. 

With everything cleaned up and sanded....

...now its time to protect the surface of the head with medium leather I ordered from Amazon. By spreading a layer of Contact Cement on each surface, and letting it dry, setting them together makes a pretty irreversible bond. 

Like So!

Then I trim the edges to the contour of the face and.....

VIOLA!!

I really liked this project because it was fast and simple; and the product is incredibly useful to handymen like myself. 

Well next time I will be scribbling about another gift idea that I also got from the YouTube Channel WoodWorking For Mere Mortals: A marshmellow shooting Cross-bow. You don't want to miss this!

Pax,

Neil

P.S. For those who are wondering, I did make a few reindeer to sell at a local store. They sold about 5 of them. Which is not bad, considering I only had time to make 8. Hopefully in the future I can get better tools in order to speed production a bit for this coming year.