Mallet preference

[mbw]

What's your preferred type of mallet for cutting dovetails?
Thanks in advance
Mark

[Peter Tremblay]

I vastly prefer a "carvers style mallet"

I tend to use one of the green head polyurethane mallets. I have two of those; 20oz and 12oz for different sized dovetails.

I also have a 5 lb stainless steel carvers mallet that I wrapped in leather and I will use that from time to time.

I like a heavier mallet as I can take lighter taps and get more control without a big swing.

[tirebob]

I like a round head vs a flat faced mallet. I always reach for my 16 ounce Blue Spruce. Lovely weight and feel in hand!

[mbw]

interesting Peter, I asked because I've seen some videos using the smaller brass mallets. I'm just getting back into hand cuts, after a long hiatus, because of painful disability in my hands. I'm switching to Japanese style saw because western grip hurts too much. I use the type mallet you described now and thought maybe a shorter handle could increase my control. Your opinion is appreciate. At this point I am primarily a box maker.

mark

[MichaelMouse]

It's the length of the stroke that gives control more than the mass of the mallet. Short stroke with the 20 oz will move more wood than the lesser mass.

I make my own out of hornbeam, and the weight's about the same in any 4.5" diameter, but the longer (lever) handle is the way I get more power.

[TobyC]

conestoga woodworks?

Link?

[AHill]

+1 I've tried a urethane coated mallet and didn't like it. To me, it just reduces feedback. They are supposedly designed to transfer more of the energy to the chisel, but in reality a lot of that energy just goes to compress the urethane vs. transferred to the chisel. I will use a square mallet for heavy duty chopping like for mortises, but lately, I've pretty much gone to a tailed tool for making loose tenon mortises.

tirebob said:

---

I like a round head vs a flat faced mallet. I always reach for my 16 ounce Blue Spruce. Lovely weight and feel in hand!

---

[Anji12305]

I like the 20 ounce Stanley "soft face" hammer.

Anything heavier, and I start mis-hitting.

Anything lighter, and the chisel wanders.

I don't like metal hammers on my chisels.

I find the larger the face, the more likely I'll strike off center.

[Derek Cohen]

Well, I prefer a steel gennou for Japanese hooped chisels. That offers the most feedback and feel ...



The round carvers mallets are totally wrong, in my opinion. I have the Blue Spruce version, and it is beautiful, just wonderful ... but wrong for bench chisels ... for me. Smaller heads offer more directed downforce in a smaller area. This translates to efficient use of force.

My second mallet is a wooden face/leather face modification of the LV Cabinetmakers mallet. Also excellent feedback with a solid wack. Good weight. Used on non-hooped chisels ...



And if I need to keep the noise down, I use an 18oz Thor ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bibliophile 13]

Since I've taken to sawing out the dovetail waste with a coping saw, I've almost stopped using a mallet altogether. I just pare with hand pressure. If I need a mallet, I just grab whatever happens to be at hand.