I always wanted a dead blow wooden mallet, so I made one. I got the design idea from GarageWoodworks and made it from pieces of scrap red maple and walnut. I changed up the design a little to suit my personal style, but it is really similar. I wish I had made a video of the build, but alas, I did not.
On both sides of the head, I cut as large of a diameter hole the center maple piece would allow. This large of a hole was not a good idea. It left the striking face a little too thin and I wound up cracking it rather early in its life. For my next one, I will likely change the grain direction of the center piece to be vertical instead of horizontal and will leave a bit more “meat” on the striking face.
I filled the holes with standard BBs for weight and to achieve the dead blow effect. In retrospect, I should have used small diameter lead shot. The BBs work, but there is still a little more rebound than I would like.
I do not own a lathe…yet! So, for the handle, I created a profile template of what I thought I would like the handle to look like once complete. I then traced that pattern on the square handle and cut as much of the waste material off as I could at the band saw. The rest of the shaping I did on the belt sander, using the end of the belt to “cut” into the handle to create the indentations. The rest of the shaping was done by hand with files and sandpaper.
All told, this was a fun project. I learned what not to do for my next wooden mallet…and that I need a lathe!
- Wood Type: Walnut and Red Maple
- Finish: Boiled Linseed Oil
- Inspiration: GarageWoodworks