I recently made a wine rack out of oak boards but the project left me with some scrap that was just calling to become another project. Then I happened upon a video by Steve Ramsey (video below) that seemed like the perfect use of this wood. Then I stumbled upon a video by Rex Krueger (video also below) and decided I liked some elements of his mallet as well.
So I decided to combine aspects of both mallets into one. The result is somewhat boxy, but a fun project and a good use of the scrap I had left over. For this one I didn’t make a pretty CAD model and drawing like I often do, I just roughed something out in my new projects notebook and made it happen.
I don’t know if I need much in the way of an explanation, but I will say that I made it largely with hand tools which was a good way to learn. Also, I got some questions about the lead weights in the center. They’re fishing weights, and they’re glued into place. I coated it in boiled linseed oil. The final mallet is approximately dimensioned to the drawing, although I did cut the ends in at 7 degrees (not shown on the drawing) which was an idea from Rex’s video. The mallet weighs in at 20.5 oz or 580 grams.
So far the mallet has been working well when I use it with a chisel. Overall a successful project I think!
