I prefer to orient the head of the mallet to the headstock end of the lathe. Introduction: Carvers Mallet. And somehow it still came out carving mallet plans and ready to whack stuff. This way the sweat carving mallet plans my palm has a place to go and also my caarving can make better contact with the handle. Participated in the Woodworking Contest View Contest.

Hi, Richard. When I wrote this article I built 4 different prototypes. I did drill out the middle portion of the head and put lead shot into a couple of them, but I found the additional weight unnecessary for my purposes, and made the mallet a bit unwieldy for regular use. The domed head is the unique attribute that really sets this mallet apart. I find that I use the domed side when striking objects that are larger than the mallet itself, and the flat side when striking objects that are smaller.

This mallet is one of the most frequently used tools in my shop. Would there be an advantages or disadvantages to making the handle and the center potion of the wood sandwich as one piece?

Very interesting idea. Hi, Michael. Yes, you may print these instructions. If you have any further questions, please contact us at I feel like I missing something here….

The 2 degree cuts on the inside of the center pieces form a tapered mortise. When the handle is put in and wedges are driven in, that creates a joint that tightens when the head tries to move away from the handle when you strike something with the mallet. Made one this weekend out of maple. I rounded my handle a little more to fit my hand. The weight feels good. Unlike most that are made from hard plastic, the head on mine is rubber on one side and metal on the other.

I am really interested in seeing how the domed side of the head will work. I am looking around the garage, what I have for scrap is what I will use. Just so happens we have alot of pine fencing slats, that actually might work. Thoughts on this idea? If anything I wasted time and got plenty of practice making the basic cuts and assembling them.

Generally pine is too soft and light for a joiners mallet. It would be good for practice however. I have scaled the drawing so that the handle is four feet long, and the dimensions are shown in the diagram we will email to you.

We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips.

We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership. Thanks for any help that you can throw my way. Hi Adam. No need to taper the tenon. The tapering will happen when you drive the wedges into place. Was wondering if shortleaf pine would be ok for the wedges.

I only have one hardwood on hand, but I wanted to have a contrast. It will be on the soft side, so it will get dinged up, but it will be beautiful and will work.

For durability it would be better to use a harder wood such as maple or oak. I made this, and it was a great, affordable way to learn by making mistakes. All the mistakes. And somehow it still came out beautifully and ready to whack stuff. Thank you for sharing!

This project forced me to learn more about and adjust my bandsaw, and it was my first wedged tenon. Thank you, too, for the very detailed instructions. Remember me. Lost your password? Privacy Policy. LOG IN. Search for:. Become A Member. Glue up the mallet head Apply glue to all mating surfaces and clamp the mallet head together.

Angle cut one end of mallet head With the blade angled 2-degrees left of degrees and the small side of the tapered mortise facing you, trim one end of mallet head to a 2-degree angle. Round edges of dome Using a stationary or hand held belt sander, carefully work to smooth over all corners of the dome head, leaving a smooth hemispherical surface.

Tenon time The next steps will guide you through the process of building a tenon that will slip into the mortise that you created in the mallet head, and be locked into place by two wedges. Cut wedge angle I suggest using a contrasting wood for the wedges that you will use to lock in your tenon because the contrast looks interesting and makes the joint look more precise and complicated than it really is.

In this project I used maple wedges with an oak tenon, which brings reasonable contrast. Set up your bandsaw by tilting the table to 2 degrees. Rip two wedges from your blank. Wander off the bevel and gouges will climb up to the greatest diameter with harsh consequences.

The assembly hammer ratchets up your skills with some interesting drilling techniques. The head can be turned from green or dry wood, depending on what you have available. Turn it round with a spindle roughing-out gouge and face the ends dead square with a spindle gouge.

Find the center of the head with dividers and make a very small V-groove with the toe of your skew. Now bring one face to a gentle convex shape with your spindle gouge. The other face should remain dead square, but put a heavy chamfer at the edge to ameliorate splitting.

I turn a bead between the two grooves to quickly identify the convex face. The next step is drilling a hole that passes through the center of the cylinder that forms the head, which is tricky on a drill press.

A time-honored lathe accessory is a crotch-center that makes the task simple. While crotch-centers were a common listing in old Delta catalogs, you will have to find one used today, or make one as shown at right.

It works with the cylinder nested in the V that runs flat through the crotch-center while you advance the tailstock wheel against a drill running in the headstock. The resulting hole has to pass through the center axis. End the tenon with a slight shoulder, leaving the rest of the handle a bit fatter.

In preparation for assembly, cut a slot about two-thirds down the length of the tenon. Smear glue on the tenon, the wedge and the walls of the hole in the mallet head. Tap the handle home until it bottoms out on the shoulder with the slot aligned so that it is across the head and will apply pressure along the grain Wood Carving Nativity Plans Company of the head.

Trim the turning bosses and the wedge, and you now have a great assembly mallet. Finish with shellac, oil or varnish. If the head is from green wood it will dry better with some finish on the end grain, but if turned from dry wood, no finish at all is a good option. Make the plate as shown above.

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