Project by RichBolduc | posted 11-15-2019 01:41 PM | 1116 views | 0 times favorited | 18 comments | ![]() |
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For this years mallet swap we had a few people from over seas asking if they could participate. I jumped on that and got my recipient fairly early and started right away on my entries for the year. My items went to Norway to Tek after a short stop in France. Then to Norway….Then back to France for more cheese and wine.. Then back to Norway…. I did a set of 3 mallets with 2 based heavily on what GrantA sent me in last years swap. One of the ones Grant sent me I use on almost any non-turning project it seems and that’s where my hex head one came from. This is a solid brass head with a hickory handle. The other brass was my take on the carbon fiber and stainless steel mallet he sent me. My take was brass and blood wood. Lastly I did a traditional carvers mallet from the firewood pile. Spalted Pecan that I stabilized and filled the cracks and bug tunnels with crushed turquoise stone.
I’ll do a reply below for each with more pics
Rich
-- https://www.2dogswhiskey.com/ 10% off all products with code LJ10 https://www.facebook.com/2DogsWhiskey/ https://www.instagram.com/2dogswhiskey/
18 comments so far
RichBolduc
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1443 posts in 1091 days
#1 posted 11-15-2019 01:44 PM
Bloodwood and Brass
This one I had to redo a couple of times. Originally I wanted to do a spalted pecan handle with red resin inlays that was stabilized, but it broke in the head. I had to re-bore the head and come up with a new solution. Once redone, I sanded the head up to 800 and brought it to the buffing wheels… I now need new wheels. The brass was turned on a wood lathe with a set of carbide tools from Dave (Kelley Crafts who makes awesome tools), files and like 40 grit sand paper.
This was the original handle with issues
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RichBolduc
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1443 posts in 1091 days
#2 posted 11-15-2019 01:49 PM
Next was the hex head. At first I was going to do a similar handle to the original one I had planned for the round brass, but after the issues I had I decided against it. This one was going to be blue though instead of red. For this, the shape was already there, I just had to cut to length, drill out the hole and work a handle for it. This handle started out as spalted hickory and was cut to rough shape on the handsaw. I then finished the shaping with a shinto rasp and finished with about 6 coats of Waterlox
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RichBolduc
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1443 posts in 1091 days
#3 posted 11-15-2019 01:54 PM
The last one was the carted mallet. From a single piece of wood that was punky, wet, cracked and full of bug tunnels right from the fire wood pile…. Exactly what I wanted!! This one got rough turned, dried in an oven for more cracks, stabilized, re-turned, loaded with superglue and the crushed turquoise accents then sanded . I really like how the stabilizing darkened the wood a little and how the crushed stone pops against it. Mental note… Next time filling cracks with turquoise and superglue… don’t do it on a plate.. you’ll lose the plate…
-- https://www.2dogswhiskey.com/ 10% off all products with code LJ10 https://www.facebook.com/2DogsWhiskey/ https://www.instagram.com/2dogswhiskey/
Bill Berklich
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#4 posted 11-15-2019 01:57 PM
Nice work Rich!!
-- Bill - Rochester MI
swirt
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#5 posted 11-15-2019 02:39 PM
Beautiful!
-- Galootish log blog, http://www.timberframe-tools.com
HokieKen
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#6 posted 11-15-2019 02:58 PM
Meh. Those are okay Rich but I expect more from you.
Those are all awesome man! I especially like the brass carver’s mallet. I gotta get me one of those :-)))
-- Kenny, SW VA, Go Hokies!!!
RichBolduc
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#7 posted 11-15-2019 03:01 PM
Woodcraft sells a Pfeil version for like $80… lol
Rich
-- https://www.2dogswhiskey.com/ 10% off all products with code LJ10 https://www.facebook.com/2DogsWhiskey/ https://www.instagram.com/2dogswhiskey/
HokieKen
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16053 posts in 2113 days
#8 posted 11-15-2019 03:04 PM
Not to me they don’t.
-- Kenny, SW VA, Go Hokies!!!
Dave Polaschek
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#9 posted 11-15-2019 03:10 PM
Nicely done, Rich! And sent overseas, no less!
-- Dave - Santa Fe
TEK73
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#10 posted 11-15-2019 04:08 PM
I was the lucky receipient of those mallet – and I have to say I love them Rich, and I really appriciate the work you lay into them.
Good job Rich, and thank you so much!
-- It’s good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. - Ursula K. LeGuin
EarlS
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#11 posted 11-15-2019 04:44 PM
Rich – your mallets look like something I would expect to see if I open a master woodworker’s tool chest. Great choice of wood. Glad to see you kept with it even with the difficulties.
-- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected"
Woodknack
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#12 posted 11-15-2019 05:03 PM
Love that stubby brass mallet
-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/
hairy
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#13 posted 11-15-2019 05:10 PM
Next swap I’m going to bribe the boss to make sure you get my name. Great work!!!
-- You can lead a horse to water, but you can't tie his shoes. Blaze Foley
jeffswildwood
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#14 posted 11-15-2019 09:41 PM
Super job Rich. Wow, you really put a lot of work into those. I really like that shiny brass carvers mallet.
-- We all make mistakes, the trick is to fix it in a way that says "I meant to do that".
bobasaurus
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#15 posted 11-16-2019 12:05 AM
Interesting set of hammers there, especially love the polished carving mallet.
-- Allen, Colorado (Instagram @bobasaurus_woodworking)
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