2. Workshop

Mallet and Holder

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For my handle I used a piece of Wenge. The shape for that was pretty simple, it's just a slightly tapered rectangular length, and then I added some beveling to the corners later.
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For my handle I used a piece of Wenge. The shape for that was pretty simple, it's just a slightly tapered rectangular length, and then I added some beveling to the corners later.

  • I started this project with a chunk of desert ironwood I picked up at a garage sale. This stuff is super cool because it's super dense, and is really heavy. It even sinks when placed in water. I figured it was perfect for a mallet, and since the one I'd been using was just a slice of an alder with an end whittled down for a handle, I was definitely due.
  • I started by chopping out a rough outline about the right size. Initially I cut it rectangular without a lot of concern for alignment of the sides, and then once I had some flat stuff to work with I honed the angles down from there.
  • Here's the rough starting block. From here I planed down the sides, top, and bottom to bring them closer to the shape I wanted, and then measured an angle on each end and cut those exactly as well.
  • My wood had a lot of imperfections, so once I had the shape cut I filled in all the cracks and holes with epoxy I colored black. This took a few days since each side had to be hardened before I could do another.
  • Once everything was epoxied I flattened those spots to blend them with the wood.
  • At this point I rounded the top of the mallet with a hand plane into a nice arc.
  • For my handle I used a piece of Wenge. The shape for that was pretty simple, it's just a slightly tapered rectangular length, and then I added some beveling to the corners later.
  • I started the hole in the mallet head with the drill press, hollowing out a bit of wood before using a chisel to fine tune the rest. To get the proper alignment and size I held the handle against the outside and transferred those measurements across to the center on both top and bottom. This part is pretty delicate, as a hairs-breadth difference will change the depth and angle of the handle noticably. I got it close enough, but it's not quite perfect on this one!
  • With some careful shaving and trial the handle goes in for the first time. Wood has quite a bit of expansion and contraction, so with fresh cuts like this I left plenty of room for the handle to settle in over time.
  • I gave the head a visual curve by adding these rounded divots in each side on the bottom. The bottom is actually flat, but with this feature it gives the impression that it is curved similarly to the top.
  • I cut some sharp edged bevels into both ends of the handle with a chisel. The top end shown here has a subtle point to it, but the handle end is flat.
  • Using mostly sandpaper I smoothed a portion of the handle for comfortable gripping, leaving both the top and bottom more sharp.
  • I gave the head a pretty smooth surface with sandpaper before applying any finish.
  • I coated the whole thing with Tung oil for this piece, and then since I didn't particularly like the shine it had after that, I sanded that into a nice 1000 grit finish that keeps the wood showing beautifully without being all reflective.
  • Since I use this thing fairly often I wanted it to be immediately available, so I decided to mount it to the wall above my workbench. To start on my hammer holder I cut a piece of oak for to the right size for the frame.
  • I cut some gracefully curved arms out of the same oak, and then attached them using dovetails that I cut a bit deeper than the width of the arms, so the tips protrude a bit when it's all assembled.
  • Here's the assortment of pieces for the hammer holder cut and ready for assembly.
  • The assembled hammer holder just prior to staining. I used as much glue as I could fit into the cracks on this thing, as the oak has a tendency to split along the grain.
  • Once I stained it I coated the hammer holder with polyurethane and stuck it on the wall.
  • Here's the finished mallet. I had some trouble with shaving the handle down a bit too much so I may rebuild that part someday, but it works just fine as it is.
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