Smashed out another mallet tonight. The hole in the green wood was a pain to make, but I finally got there by chiseling enough of a hole to then use a drill bit/auger.
Took a fair bit of whittling the handle and trying it in the hole, only to get it stuck halfway and then bash it back out with a metal rod to whittle down some more.
I peeled the bark off the hammer part, but I left the bark on the handle for now. I will probably shape the handle a bit more in the future.
Lordy but that was a hard hole to drill!!! Good thing I know how to sharpen old drill bits. Had to lean on it with all my weight to get it done.
Real tight fit with the handle. Happy with that.
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mallet materials and tools
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drilling handle hole
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drilling handle hole
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hole drilled in greenwood mallet head
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compound mallet
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finished mallet
Zone 8a Handicapped Gardener with crutches, sometimes a wheelchair
I built a mallet at the PEP1 event today! The handle was a dead chunk of serviceberry and the head is from the same tree my club mallet came from. I really lucked out on getting the handle to fit. Shaving it down on the shave horse was very helpful. Thanks Jeremy for the use of your brace and bit
My first compound mallet... some freshly cut fir for the head, some older, much drier fir for the handle. I clamped the head in a vise to use a manual drill, then used hatchet and Morakniv for shaping and a rasp to smooth the end to go in the hole. Knocked it down and in with the hatchet and there is no movement at all.
Could you tell us a bit about the wood, and show a picture of the handle going all the way through the head of the mallet? Then I can certify it! Thanks!