Mallets

[Scoony]

I need to add a Mallet to my tool collection.  I have a big heavy mallet for mortise chopping and setting hold-fasts. The smallish round mallet that I have been using for chiseling is getting beat up to a point that I will not be able to use it anymore.

I am currently looking at the Blue Spruce mallet, and wondering what other manufacturers/mallets are out there that would be similar to the Blue Spruce quality.

Blue Spruce has a 13oz and a 16oz. Which size would you want for general chopping chores, such as removing waste on dovetails?

[four injuries]

The 16 oz blue spruce mallet is awesome. For me it is just heavy enough to make chopping easy but not too heavy to use for a long time.

[Admiral]

The 16 oz blue spruce mallet is awesome.  For me it is just heavy enough to make chopping easy but not too heavy to use for a long time.

To each his own, but honestly, why buy any mallet when they are incredibly easy to make.  Even if you don't have dense wood, you can add weight to it.  Maybe its just me.

[Bibliophile 13]

Blue Spruce and Wood Is Good both make a good mallet, or so I'm told.  

For myself, I have several mallets that I've made.  One is a turned mallet (I used a friend's lathe), and two are joiner's mallets.  Here's how I made them.

As to weight, my joiner's mallet weighs in at about 16 oz., which I find to be ideal for most striking tasks.  If I were you, I'd weigh my current mallet and then get or make one that's a little lighter.  

I do have a smaller, lighter joiner's mallet (full length but a smaller head) that I find useful for lighter striking tasks.  I find that a joiner's mallet with a small head is very useful around the shop.  It's longer than a turned mallet so you can swing it with more force, but it's lighter than a full-sized mallet and therefore easier on the wrists.  It's probably half the weight of my big mallet.  I made it for adjusting plane irons but have found it very useful for other tasks, too.

The one disadvantage of making a joiner's mallet is that it's not always easy to find dry stock thick enough for the head.  You can always laminate a head, though.

[Peter Tremblay]

Blue Spruce and Wood Is Good both make a good mallet, or so I'm told.  

I love my Wood is Good mallets.  I have two of them.

I think one is 12oz and one is 20oz.

I was tempted by the 30oz mallet but I have an 80oz stainless steel carvers mallet that has its head wrapped in hard leather.

I love that mallet for mortising 


I never did like a wood mallet as it is quite loud when a hardwood mallet strikes a hardwood chisel handle. That and I find it easy to make glancing blows when I take a larger swing.

The Wood is Good and stainless steel/leather mallets are much quieter than a hardwood mallet and they have a bit of "grip" when they strike the chisel handle. Glancing blows are more rare.

[Hank Knight]

I think mallets fall into the "personal preference" category. For example, Bibliophile and many others like the Wood is Good polyurethane mallet. I have one but I don't care for it. I don't like the deadened response I get when I strike the chisel. Granted, it's quieter than as wooden mallet, but I just don't like the feel. I much prefer the nice crisp response I get from a wooden mallet or a metal-headed striker. I have a Blue Spruce resin impregnated mallet that I love for carving and other general chisel tasks. It has excellent balance and it feels "right" when I hit a chisel with it. I also have a turned mallet with a brass head that I like for carving. I get the same crisp feedback from it. I use hooped Japanese chisels for fine joinery work. I hit them with a steel-headed hammer (a gennou). I find I get great control with this combination and I prefer it to all else. I have a large, heavy joiner's mallet I made and weighted with lead shot for mortising and other persuader tasks. It faces are covered with leather. Again, to each his own when it comes to mallets. These are the ones I use.

[Strokes77]

I would love to own one of those blue spruce mallets. I think they are a fine splurge. They can't possibly perform better than the one I made from a piece of firewood... But dang they're pretty and I bet would make me smile using it....

Which, is kind of the point of this hobby... for me anyway.

[Scoony]

Thanks all. Another Woodnet member, Ron B is sending me a mallet to try out. It is a resin impregnated which is what I am looking for.

Years ago (10ish) during a handtool secret Santa exchange, I received a beautiful turned coco-bolo mallet (commissioned by another member) made by the young pup Ryan who used to hang out here in hand tools (wonder what happened to him).  I have used and abused that mallet to the point to where its becoming unusable. The coco-bolo is probably not a good wood choice for a mallet head, but I got a lot of great use from that mallet, and it always made me think about the kind and generous folks here in the handtool section when using it. A few years ago, I was turning out furniture pieces one after the other, and that mallet chopped a lot of DTs. Current job doesn't leave much time and I have other hobbies competing for time .  Years ago, I was pinching and squeezing to get what ever high-end tool my budget could swing. I am at the point where I can more easily afford tools, so I am going through my tools and weeding out all the lower deck ones I never use, and filling the gaps with tools that I feel that I will use.

[Peter Tremblay]

Years ago (10ish) during a handtool secret Santa exchange, I received a beautiful turned coco-bolo mallet (commissioned by another member) made by the young pup Ryan who used to hang out here in hand tools (wonder what happened to him).  

I think, last I heard he had discovered girls and his interests shifted  









... said the celebate priest 

[Peter Tremblay]

Also, Ryan made the 5lb stainless steel mallet that I use and love.

I put the leather wrapping on it but he made it in his shop class.

He didn't like the weight and listed it in swap & sell.