How to Make a Mallet - Part 1

In this video you will learn how to make a Joiner's Mallet.

It is traditionally used to assemble joinery where the parts form a tight fit.

The precision and reduced rebound offered by the large wooden head makes it perfect for chiseling.

The striking surface of a Joiner's Mallet is angled 5 degrees in towards the handle.

This ensures a square strike when raised to strike the head of a chisel.

The tools that you will need are: a Pencil, a Ruler, a Try Square, a Sliding Bevel Edge, a Protractor, a Marking & Mortise Gauge, a Marking Knife, a Bench Plane, a Spokeshave, Bench Chisels, a Mallet, a Crosscut Saw, a File, a Rasp, a Clamp and a vice.

The Materials that will be needed are: a block of close-grained hardwood for the head of the Mallet and a long piece of straight-grained wood for the Handle.

Step 1 - Squaring the Workpiece.

Fix the block of wood onto the vice and plane any one side completely flat.

You can check the flatness by running any straight edge along the length of the piece and eliminating any gaps made between the surfaces.

Turn the piece over to the adjacent side and use a Try Square to mark out a line at 90 degrees from the flat side.

Use a Bench Plane to work your way down to the line.

Check with a Try Square to ensure that the two sides are perfectly square.

Step 2 - Trimming the Mallet Head.

Set a Marking Gauge to 2.5 inches

and scribe a line along the width of the block.

Hold a Ruler alongside the line and highlight it with a pencil.

Tighten the workpiece on the vice and extend the pencil line onto to the end grain.

Plane down to the 2.5 inch mark.

Now, set the Marking Gauge to measure 3 inches and proceed to scribe a line along the length of the block to mark its height.

Extend the line all the way around and use a pencil and ruler to highlight it.

Place the workpiece on the vice and use a crosscut saw to make a cut along the line.

You can smooth down the sawed side with a bench plane.

Ensure the surface is square using a trysquare.

Step 3 - Setting the Striking SurfaceAlong the length of the large face, mark two points about 7 inches apart.

Leave at least 1cm on either side.

Place a protractor at the first point to find the line sloping inward by 5 degrees.

Go over the line with a marking knife and highlight it using a pencil.

Copy the angle with a sliding bevel edge and replicate it in the opposite direction at the second point.

Use a trysquare to extent the two lines onto all sides.

Fix the workpiece to the vice and proceed to to saw down either end of the block.

Use the protractor to ensure that the angle of the striking surfaces are accurate.

Now that the wooden block has been trimmed down for the head of the mallet, you can proceed to shape the handle.

For the remaining steps, continue watching How to make a Mallet Part 2.

Watch the Video How to make a Mallet Part 2.