Pretty Mallet

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Tailmaker
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Pretty Mallet

Post by Tailmaker »

I hope this did not become too pretty to use...I needed a new chisel mallet when my 20 year old one finally splintered apart. I used a chunk of Mulberry (very tough wood similar species to Osage Orange with beuatiful grain patterns) that was sitting outside on my wood pile for many years, resawed on the band saw, then planed. But I could have used lumber yard hardwood just as well. Design in external 3-d CAD but all 2d and 3d toolpaths made in Aspire.

Preparing the blanks halves for the head. I had to fill a few cracks with medium CA glue.
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Cutting the 2 handle halves with head fitting recess:
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Handle halves prepared with dowel holes:
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Glueing handle halves and head halves:
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Last edited by Tailmaker on Mon Oct 01, 2018 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tailmaker
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by Tailmaker »

Continued pics:

Both mallet halves glued up and sanded flush:
DSC01467.JPG
Holding the halves in place for 3d finish cut on dowels (only friction):
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Finish cut with 1/4" ballnose (not too accurate because it needs to be thoroughly sanded anyway):
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Finish cut complete. The parts are then pried off carefully from the dowels:
DSC01475.JPG

Tailmaker
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by Tailmaker »

Continued pics:

Cutting center layer from 0.2" walnut:
DSC01476.JPG
All glued up, doweled, sanded and fininshed:
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DSC01480.JPG
DSC01479.JPG

Savannahdan
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by Savannahdan »

So, you're going to actually use that? I'd probably create a display plaque and put it on the wall. What wood did you use for the dowels? I like it a lot. I have one that I turned on the lathe quite some time back and need to make one along the lines of yours. Thank you for sharing.

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scottp55
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by scottp55 »

Glad you finished with the pics while I was looking up Mulberry in the Wood Database and downloading another Janka chart G. :)
STUNNING piece!
Is it my eyeballs, or is the wood slightly chatoyant?
Better bang it around now, or you'll be afraid to use it! :D
Hope it fits your hand as beautiful as it looks.
WELL done!
scott
I've learned my lesson well. You can't please everyone,so you have to please yourself
R.N.

Tailmaker
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by Tailmaker »

Savannahdan wrote:So, you're going to actually use that? I'd probably create a display plaque and put it on the wall. What wood did you use for the dowels? I like it a lot. I have one that I turned on the lathe quite some time back and need to make one along the lines of yours. Thank you for sharing.
Well, I guess this is my new mallet now and I am not going to buy another one to hang this on the wall.
For these dowels (like most others that I use) I took 5mm bamboo rods (a.k.a marshmallow roasting skewers). They are stronger than hardwood dowels of same size and dirt cheap, like 20 bucks or so for over 300 feet. I found them also to quite diameter accurate, at least the bag that I bought which will probably last me for my life.

But other than for alignment of the 2 halves I guess the dowels are mostly decorative. I use that newfangled hybrid silane glue (in this case the crystal clear Gorilla Glue) which sticks very well, does not foam and does not stain. It would not split without the dowels anyway.

Tailmaker
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by Tailmaker »

scottp55 wrote:.....Is it my eyeballs, or is the wood slightly chatoyant?...
Now I had to look up the word "chatoyant". Anyway, it is somewhat like that but mainly it is the medullary rays in that wood that reflect light differenly dependent on the lighting angle.
DSC01484.JPG
DSC01483.JPG

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scottp55
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Re: Pretty Mallet

Post by scottp55 »

Serves you right G. , as I was looking up Silane, then Hybrid Silane, and then finally Gorilla Clear :D
So long as the the light rolls as the object does..I'd call it a "Cats Eye" effect:)
Beautiful wood! And reading about "Island Mulberry" made me think chatoyant.
(also learned my Black Locust is fluorescent under UV thanks to the database....easy to find in my "Pile" now)
Thanks G.!
scott
I've learned my lesson well. You can't please everyone,so you have to please yourself
R.N.

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