09-07-2017, 08:46 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2017, 08:53 AM by Jack in omaha.)
Is this a homemade mallet? It is heavy and the head is iron with two wood inserts. Has anyone seen this type of mallet before? I thought it might have been a barrel maker or wheelwright tool.
09-07-2017, 12:20 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2017, 03:39 PM by Bill_Houghton.
Edit Reason: Clean up inadvertent extra URL
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You ask, "Has anyone seen this type of mallet before?" I betcha Rob Lee has at least one, and probably one example of every mallet of that style/size/weight, in his library of tools.
Another approach is the Garland hammer, which comes in two halves held together by a nut:
They're pretty cool, and still made new (here's the manufacturer's description), but not hard to find on the used market either. I own three, two of which need repair, previous owners having had no idea how to treat them; but the one that's in service is darned impressive - weighty but with a soft face. Garland hammers come in sizes, so you could have a smaller one for normal use and a big 'un for heavy mortising and the like.
(09-07-2017, 12:20 PM)Bill_Houghton Wrote: You ask, "Has anyone seen this type of mallet before?" I betcha Rob Lee has at least one, and probably one example of every mallet of that style/size/weight, in his library of tools.
Another approach is the Garland hammer, which comes in two halves held together by a nut:
They're pretty cool, and still made new (here's the manufacturer's description), but[url=http://www.garlandmfg.com/mallets/split.html][/url] not hard to find on the used market either. I own three, two of which need repair, previous owners having had no idea how to treat them; but the one that's in service is darned impressive - weighty but with a soft face. Garland hammers come in sizes, so you could have a smaller one for normal use and a big 'un for heavy mortising and the like.
But I digress from the original question.
Thanks to one and all. It is very heavy and much abused.
Here are some mallets with replaceable head inserts.
They were once quite common and are still made. Often were used in aircraft building and in automotive specialty work. Like soap in a sock, they carry a wallop and don't leave marks. The faces can be lead, copper, wood, composite, rawhide, etc. Timber framers use the large ones with wooden faces to knock together mortice joints and to insert treenails. I am fitting most of these with hickory faces so I can bash on large vises. The rawhide faces work well to replace paint can lids. I will outfit one of the smaller ones with hickory and use it with my Japanese chisels. These things are pretty handy to have around the woodshop. I find new uses every day.
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Please visit my website
splintermaking.com
I found one that was made for leather work. It used rolled up rawhide in the ends. I turned down some maple ends and stuck them in. Nice heft for a small mallet.
AHillLee Valley makes a similar mallet, but the ends are not replaceable.
THE INSERTS ARE REPLACEABLE:
Cabinetmaker’s Mallet
Care and Maintenance General When wood that is exposed to moisture has limited space to swell, such as in this tool, excessive swelling will permanently compress the wood. In such a case, the wood will actually be smaller after it returns to the moisture content it had when it was tight. Consequently, do not expose the mallet to water or rain and, if possible, avoid humidity extremes. Both conditions will cause the handle and inserts to loosen. Handle The handle is made of carefully selected and seasoned white ash or hickory (depending on supply). With care, it should require little or no maintenance; however, it may become loose after much use or severe fl uctuation in moisture content. To tighten it up, position the end of the handle fi rmly on your bench top. Use a steel hammer and a nail set or steel punch to drive the steel wedge deeper into the handle. Inserts The inserts provided with the mallet are made of dense, close-grained hardwood. They should provide years of service; however, if the mallet is used to drive a cold chisel or any other kind of steel tool, this will dramatically shorten the life of the inserts. You can remove a damaged insert by boring a series of holes in a line across the face, through to the bottom of the cavity (which is about 13/16"deep) with a 1/4" twist drill bit. Avoid drilling into the brass casting. Pry the two halves of the insert out with a slot screwdriver. Make the new insert 1.6" diameter by 1" long and such that the end grain is on the striking face. Make sure to use well-seasoned wood so that the moisture content in your workpiece is as low as or lower than you would expect it to be during the driest part of the year. If you live in a climate that causes large fl uctuations in moisture content, you may fi nd the inserts become loose during the driest part of the season. To eliminate the potential for loose inserts, you may want to apply a 1/4" bead of silicone caulking around the bottom perimeter of each cavity just prior to installation. The interior cavities of the mallet head are ribbed to help retain the inserts in spite of moisture content fluctuation. During dry periods, the inserts may seem loose, but should not fall out.
George
if it ain't broke, you're not tryin'
Quando omni flunkus, moritati.
Red Green
I found another use for my hickory faced hammer today when I needed to use my letter stamps. When I was making blades, I would stamp model numbers on the steel before heat treating. I used a ball pein hammer and over time the number stamp ends were mushroomed. Today I used the stamps to stamp a name in a tool and I used the new (to me) mallet. WOW! It carries lots of wallop and puts a serious blow on the stamps. Best part is--no mushrooming.
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Please visit my website
splintermaking.com
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.