Chris JH
Established Member
I set out to make a mallet because my old one was a bit light in the head and I was looking for a project to make with hand tools only. I had a section of old oak sleeper sitting outside, but under cover, and I figured I could cut a chunk off the end for the head and use an oak off-cut from my timber store for the handle. The weather has been around freezing for the last week so cutting the sleeper with my handsaw warmed me up! When I had made the cuts I found I could split-off a rectangular block with my axe. I found the off-cut for the handle and ripped it to make the wedge shape, making sure to keep the waste to assist with clamping in the vice for planing.
I used my favourite Stanley Bailey No 7 (with sweetheart blade) for shaping the head and the handle - perhaps not the most logical choice but it has the heft for oak and shaves so beautifully. I cut the mortise by hand, cursing the fact that I had not matched the handle to the width of one of my chisels. With lots of patient adjustment I got the head to match the handle sweetly and securely. I then used a Japanese cross-cut pull-saw to cut the mallet faces to a 7 degree angle. Next I took a spokeshave to the handle to remove the arrises and shape the grip; I used my Stanley low-angle block plane to remove the arrises from the mallet head. Finally I used a card scraper to achieve the surface I was happy with. I did have a moment of concern when I realised that the head was shrinking faster than the handle so I separated them and left them both in the unheated workshop for a couple of days to reach equilibrium before applying a finish of boiled linseed oil. Overall it was an enjoyable project that cost me nothing but my time and I am very pleased with the new bespoke tool in my toolbox.
I used my favourite Stanley Bailey No 7 (with sweetheart blade) for shaping the head and the handle - perhaps not the most logical choice but it has the heft for oak and shaves so beautifully. I cut the mortise by hand, cursing the fact that I had not matched the handle to the width of one of my chisels. With lots of patient adjustment I got the head to match the handle sweetly and securely. I then used a Japanese cross-cut pull-saw to cut the mallet faces to a 7 degree angle. Next I took a spokeshave to the handle to remove the arrises and shape the grip; I used my Stanley low-angle block plane to remove the arrises from the mallet head. Finally I used a card scraper to achieve the surface I was happy with. I did have a moment of concern when I realised that the head was shrinking faster than the handle so I separated them and left them both in the unheated workshop for a couple of days to reach equilibrium before applying a finish of boiled linseed oil. Overall it was an enjoyable project that cost me nothing but my time and I am very pleased with the new bespoke tool in my toolbox.
