Bontz Mallet

[cbygeorge]

About a month ago, Ron asked me to "test drive" his resin infused  hard maple mallet.  I was getting set to work on a dozen woodspirits out of poplar and I thought that would be a good test run.

You can view the original thread here:  https://www.forums.woodnet.net/showthrea...id=7327449



And this is after a month of solid carving, (sorry about the poor quality picture)



I can't find a ding on that mallet!  Below is a comparison of what I had been using,

Ron's mallet is 10 3/4" long and the urethane mallet is 10 1/2" long.  Ron's is 19 oz and the urethane one is 21.8 oz.  The head on Ron's goes from 3" to 2 3/8" and the other is 3 3/8 to 2 7/8 in diameter.  I found Ron's handle to be much more comfortable for my fit.  Also, when carving details, I tend to choke up on the handle and wrap my hand around the head somewhat.  This was much easier to accomplish with the smaller diameter head but still having close to the same weight. 

Like a lot of hand tools, the choice of a mallet is going to end up being somewhat of a personal choice.  After a month of using this mallet I can tell you that I am quite pleased with the fit and balance (not to mention the looks of the wood).  Showing no dings whatsoever I believe this one will last for quite some time.

Chuck

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I like a little "grip" to my carvers mallets so I wrap them in tape. It makes them softer and gives them a little stickiness. Probably like the urethane. How do you like the bare wood feel?

[RonB1957]

Thanks for your thoughts, Chuck. Much appreciated. The final version has a slightly shorter handle, so the overall length is 10.25" to 10.5".

Jim: I often do just what you said. Especially if my hands are sweaty. I use 1/2" to 1" wide cloth tape for that little extra grip. Same as I would use on a hockey stick. The mallets really don't require any finish as the entire mallet is infused. Fine sand paper and a soft cloth do well. A little wax on the handle even better.
Again. Thanks for the thoughts.
Best wishes,
Ron

[Dave Diaman]

I have been testing one of Ron's mallets too. I have been using it for the last 6 weeks or so for carving and chopping dovetails. I have a Blue Spruce mallet that I got as a gift a few years ago which is infused. I don't really care for the Blue Spruce mallet. It is a little small and has a tendency to glance off my chisels when I'm chopping dovetails. Ron's mallet is a different story. His mallet is bigger and has I larger better shaped head. It also has more weight which is a plus. Up until now I have been using a Wood is Good urethane mallet but have switched to the mallet from Ron now. The mallet has took quite a beating over the last weeks and still looks new so I would say it gets good marks for durability too.

[cbygeorge]

Jim, I found I have better results with a loose grip.  Years ago I used the "death grip" on the mallet.  As far as the bare wood as opposed to the urethane, I really thought I was going to really notice the impact more but that turned out to not be true.  Maybe it has something to do with the density of the infused wood, but that is far above my pay grade!  In addition, I have arthritis in my hand but using Ron's mallet for a month did not cause any change that I noticed. 

Chuck

[Timberwolf]

Jim, I found I have better results with a loose grip.  Years ago I used the "death grip" on the mallet.  As far as the bare wood as opposed to the urethane, I really thought I was going to really notice the impact more but that turned out to not be true.  Maybe it has something to do with the density of the infused wood, but that is far above my pay grade!  In addition, I have arthritis in my hand but using Ron's mallet for a month did not cause any change that I noticed. 

Chuck

.................
I haven't used one, but I would imagine that the urethane mallet would have too much "rebound" to suit me, and not the solid "smack" of the infused mallet...

[AHill]

.................
I haven't used one, but I would imagine that the urethane mallet would have too much "rebound" to suit me, and not the solid "smack" of the infused mallet...

I have a urethane mallet.  It compresses when you whack something, with very little or no rebound.  That's one of the selling points of the mallet.  It allegedly transfers more energy into the chisel.  That said, I really didn't care for mine.  It just felt odd to use it.  I wanted more feedback when using it.  The infused mallets really do last a very long time.  I have a Blue Spruce one and it looks practically brand new.  I am really liking my homemade lignum vitae mallet, though.  I soaked it in BLO overnight and then let it "cure" for a couple of weeks before I started to use it.  For some reason, it developed a blue-green hue, but it's still a great mallet.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Sorry to lead you guys down the wrong rabbet hole when I said "grip". I guess I should have used "bite" instead. The wooden grips on my mallets are ok. My issue is with the face. I wrap the mallet head in tape because it keeps the head from bouncing off the chisel. I have never tried a urethane head--it seems a little too bouncy for me. But I really like the softening characteristics of tape over wood. I imagine every user has a specific preference.

[Dave Diaman]

Jim, I have been using a urethane mallet for years and at least the one I use does not have much bounce back at all. The urethane on the Wood Is Good brand mallets is not real thick though. The bulk of the mallet is wood with a relatively thin urethane sleeve over the head. With the Blue Spruce mallet I did have issues with it glancing off my work though. It has a fairly small head that tapers in both directions. This makes the mallet attractive but the sweat spot is very small when using it. When I am using a mallet I am looking at the tip of my chisel and not at the handle so it was really easy to miss the sweat spot and hit the chisel with a glancing blow and damage my work. I tried wrapping the mallet but I ended up constantly re wrapping the mallet and eventually stopped using it for chisel work. When I carve I tend to palm the head of the mallet so the Blue Spruce mallet worked well for that since it has a small dense head. The mallet Ron sent me has a totally different shaped head and a different overall feel. For starters the swell in the middle of the handle lets it rest perfectly on my palm. It is also significantly larger without being bulky which is nice. The biggest difference though is the shape of the head. The head is larger and the taper is totally different. Based on my use so far I have not found it to have a problem with glancing off my chisels. Tape would be one extra step to make sure that doesn’t happen but so far it hasn’t seemed necessary for me.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

About a month ago, Ron asked me to "test drive" his resin infused  hard maple mallet.  I was getting set to work on a dozen woodspirits out of poplar and I thought that would be a good test run.

You can view the original thread here:  https://www.forums.woodnet.net/showthrea...id=7327449



And this is after a month of solid carving, (sorry about the poor quality picture)



I can't find a ding on that mallet!  Below is a comparison of what I had been using,

Ron's mallet is 10 3/4" long and the urethane mallet is 10 1/2" long.  Ron's is 19 oz and the urethane one is 21.8 oz.  The head on Ron's goes from 3" to 2 3/8" and the other is 3 3/8 to 2 7/8 in diameter.  I found Ron's handle to be much more comfortable for my fit.  Also, when carving details, I tend to choke up on the handle and wrap my hand around the head somewhat.  This was much easier to accomplish with the smaller diameter head but still having close to the same weight. 

Like a lot of hand tools, the choice of a mallet is going to end up being somewhat of a personal choice.  After a month of using this mallet I can tell you that I am quite pleased with the fit and balance (not to mention the looks of the wood).  Showing no dings whatsoever I believe this one will last for quite some time.

Chuck

Sorry for the long winded tape discussion. Now we are back to the mallet. It is beautiful. We all have utilitarian tools in our woodshops that get the job done. If we are lucky, we have tools like this that not only get the job done but delight us with their beauty. Outstanding work, Ron.