The tale of a forty-year-old mallet... and its transformation...

[BentonTool]

Good morning Brothers,

In 1985, I made made my first (and only) mallet in the (arguably) traditional style below.
It was laminated from a very dense bit of American Red Oak timber, with a full-length through tenon.

I should have left well-enough alone... but... as it was laminated, and would be subject to pounding forces,
I felt obligated to insert some dowels cross-grain.

Bad idea... both structurally (although it has yet to break) and cosmetically... I hate, hate, hate how the dowels look!

However, I love the handle. It is pleasant in appearance and very comfortable in use.
Additionally, despite the density of the oak, the end-grain striking surfaces developed some wear.

Having developed a preference for the carver's style of mallet for all my work, and having acquired a lathe, and having a plentiful supply of firewood, I made no others in this style. Additionally, I have one of Stanley's fine Lignum Vitae #12 mallets. The latter are commonly encountered here in the colonies:

I have long shunned my 1985 mallet, and occasionally ruminated over how to improve it... or at least hide the flaws.

I will outline below what I finally, after forty years, decided to do...

I found some brass sheet stock in my scrap pile, and made a few templates to apply to the sides,
I reasoned that it would add some needed weight to the mallet, and hide those ugly dowels!

I scraped-away all the old varnish. These little paint scrapers make excellent tool scrapers. I first came across them used and discarded, since most people do not resharpen them, just toss them out. So they cost me nothing. I simply sharpen them at 90 degrees on my fine diamond stone. That forms a great hook on both sides of the blade. They are very flexible. I grind them into all manner of shapes to get into all the nooks and crannies of tools. I also use old utility-knife blades sharpened in the same manner when I require a stiffer scraper.

Next, I applied some heavy veg-tan leather to the striking faces and secured them with epoxy and brass pins...
I like the way leather feels when striking tool handles, and it extends the life of your tools, and of your mallets (of all types).
Don't let the brass pins concern you. I have done this with other mallets and they have no detrimental effect on the work at hand.
If you find them ill-suited to your work, just take a punch and drive them deeper.

Drill and countersink the brass scales, then transfer the holes to the mallet sides.

Cut a groove into the mallet sides to limit the epoxy from flowing out all over your work. It makes quite a mess!

Secure the sides with screws and epoxy, then sand the screw heads flush.

Sides sanded, before final finish applied (Deft Oil).

Project done! Now it is quite a bit heavier... and I don't have to look at those ugly dowels!

My "new" mallet along with some of my old turned mallets:

 

[duke]

Very nice improvement, I do like the brass plates.

 

[Raymedullary]

I made my first mallet in the 70's during my apprenticeship... nothing unusual there apart from the timber
pau marfim.
I still use it but badly need to make a new one now.
On a similar note, I have a carvers mallet that I turned from a lignum vitae table lamp bought from a jumble sale.
I smile every time I see an old woodworking tool made into a table lamp now.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Good compromise there mate. I didn't mind the dowels but I have some pet peeves of my own about things, so I understand where you come from in not liking them.

I think my next workshop project, other than actually getting the workshop into usable shape, will be one of the 'impossible' mallets. I really like the look, and also the trickery involved in making it.

 

[Cabinetman]

My very old mallet is needing retiring as it’s so much less of a lump than it was. Its replacement is half made and sits on my bench at the back of a long list of things needing doing.
I bought a mallet from Axeminster as part of a basic kit when I arrived here a few years ago but it just doesn’t feel at all right in my hand.
I’m looking at the handle on yours Benton and thinking how comfortable it is, might be time for a change of plan.