Project Information
Initially, I wasn't going to participate in the Mallet Swap. However, I came across a picture of the H.O. Studley infill mallet and decided I wanted to try and replicate it.
The first question that came to mind is who is Henry O. Studley and why is he so important? It turns out that he was an organ and piano maker, carpenter, and Mason who worked for the Smith Organ Co. and later for the Poole Piano Company of Quincy, Massachusetts. Studley is best known for creating the so-called Studley Tool Chest, a wall hanging tool chest that cunningly holds 218 tools in a space that takes up about 40 by 20 inches of wall space when closed. To me, the more important aspect is the amazing quality and beauty of his tools and work bench.
Studley gave the tool chest to a friend. That man's grandson, Peter Hardwick, loaned the chest to the Smithsonian in the late 1980s as part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, until it was purchased by a private collector for an undisclosed amount of money. The current owner continues to lend the chest to the Smithsonian and other venues. It has been featured on an episode of The New Yankee Workshop and is the subject of a May 1993 article in Taunton's Fine Woodworking and a popular wall poster.
The mallet caught my eye:
The brass details are exquisite:
I had no idea how to do the brass work, but some conversations with HokieKen and a lot of looking for square stock on line provided the answer. I was able to find some 1/8" thick, 1-1/2" square brass tubing. Kenny cut the angled ends for the head, bored out the handle opening, and as a bonus, put the beveled finials on as well. The finials make the mallet as far as I'm concerned. I owe a HUGE thanks to him for the work he put into this mallet.
The brass work was the hard part - THANK YOU KENNY!!!
The wood section of the mallet is a piece of Brazilian Ebony with a 3/4" mortise and beveled edges.
From there, I inset some brass triangles into the handle and pinned them with silver nickel pins
Some shaping on the handle and mallet was ready for finishing. The brass was polished and the handle was finished with Watco and wax.
Specifics:
The handle is Bocote with a brass inlay, pinned with silver nickel pins.
The wooden portion of the mallet head is Brazilian Ebony.
As a bonus item, I also sent along Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of Henry O. Studley
Kenny sent me an extra brass head piece so I can make one for myself. I will need to learn how to work with brass better before I try to finish it.
The first question that came to mind is who is Henry O. Studley and why is he so important? It turns out that he was an organ and piano maker, carpenter, and Mason who worked for the Smith Organ Co. and later for the Poole Piano Company of Quincy, Massachusetts. Studley is best known for creating the so-called Studley Tool Chest, a wall hanging tool chest that cunningly holds 218 tools in a space that takes up about 40 by 20 inches of wall space when closed. To me, the more important aspect is the amazing quality and beauty of his tools and work bench.
Studley gave the tool chest to a friend. That man's grandson, Peter Hardwick, loaned the chest to the Smithsonian in the late 1980s as part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, until it was purchased by a private collector for an undisclosed amount of money. The current owner continues to lend the chest to the Smithsonian and other venues. It has been featured on an episode of The New Yankee Workshop and is the subject of a May 1993 article in Taunton's Fine Woodworking and a popular wall poster.
The mallet caught my eye:
The brass details are exquisite:
I had no idea how to do the brass work, but some conversations with HokieKen and a lot of looking for square stock on line provided the answer. I was able to find some 1/8" thick, 1-1/2" square brass tubing. Kenny cut the angled ends for the head, bored out the handle opening, and as a bonus, put the beveled finials on as well. The finials make the mallet as far as I'm concerned. I owe a HUGE thanks to him for the work he put into this mallet.
The brass work was the hard part - THANK YOU KENNY!!!
The wood section of the mallet is a piece of Brazilian Ebony with a 3/4" mortise and beveled edges.
From there, I inset some brass triangles into the handle and pinned them with silver nickel pins
Some shaping on the handle and mallet was ready for finishing. The brass was polished and the handle was finished with Watco and wax.
Specifics:
The handle is Bocote with a brass inlay, pinned with silver nickel pins.
The wooden portion of the mallet head is Brazilian Ebony.
As a bonus item, I also sent along Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of Henry O. Studley
Kenny sent me an extra brass head piece so I can make one for myself. I will need to learn how to work with brass better before I try to finish it.