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A sturdy mallet for my new carving obsession…

4 comments
16 years ago
Projects     Woodturning

So last month in my Tales from the Hoard post I highlighted a chunk of Lignum Vitae. After my recent foray into carving I decided to put that particular piece to use and turn a new carving mallet.

I thought this might make a good post on typical spindle turning. Let me warn you though that there is nothing typical about Lignum Vitae. This stuff is ridiculously hard!! I must have hit the Tormek about 3 different times while turning this mallet.

Anyway, after cutting the block to an approximate length leaving about 1 inch on either end for mounting in the lathe, I marked the centers. Then I seated the drive center on one end with a good knock from a plastic tipped hammer.

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Then I mounted the block in the lathe. You don’t need to apply too much pressure on the other end with the tail stock. Many people tighten this too much and it can damage the bearings on your head stock. I slide the tail stock close, lock it in place, and screw the live center over until it touches and then about 1/2 turn more to seat the piece. Just make sure you seat the tail stock on the center mark.

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With the diameter of this piece being over 3 inches and the length just over 12″ I dropped the speed down to 1200 RPM. Using a 1″ roughing gouge I turned the whole block into a cylinder. Then I used a pencil to mark out the transition dimensions on the blank where the mallet tapers, transitions to the handle, the handle flares, and then finally terminates.
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Using a 1/4 parting tool, I reduced the thickness at each point to my desired diameter using my Galbert caliper. The back to the roughing gouge I formed the gentle taper of the mallet head.
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With the curves of this piece being so gentle I actually use the roughing gouge to do all the shaping with the exception of the sharp taper from the mallet head to the handle. Here I used a 1/2 spindle gouge.

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Finally, I used my parting tool again to define the ends of the mallet but kept the material thick enough to support the sanding and finishing. I worked from 150 grit up to 400 grit and then put a single coat of shellawax on the mallet and it was good to go.

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During the final parting from the lathe I did taper slightly inward forming a slight concavity on both ends. This allows the mallet to stand on it’s end on the bench without rocking.

With about 30 minutes of work I now have a carving mallet to last through the ages!

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marc

Oh man been there done that. Those little baby cuts can sure add up! I’ve gotten into the habit of putting a piece of blue tape over my finger to help prevent this. But many times its something I forget about until after some damage is done. But for a ball and claw foot, the pain has to be worth it, right? 🙂

Cory

Mine left me bleeding. I did 2-3 swipes on 600 grit paper on those edges, leaving the last 1/4″ alone. I figure by the time I sharpen that 1/4″ off, I’ll reflatten the back and get those sharp corners back.

Woodcanuck

When I took up chip carving (which I suck at incidentally…but I’ll probably try it again someday) I got some of this green tape from Lee Valley….it works surprisingly well at preventing these types of cuts.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31213&cat=1,130,43332

Or maybe a chain-mail butcher’s glove…nah, that would dull the chisel.

swirt

Ouch. Why not just back up from the blade an inch or two and take a bit of 800 grit paper to the edges to ease them just a wee bit? That should keep them from cutting your fingers and in no way prevent the chisel from doing its job on the dovetails.

Dan

Ouch, the dreaded death by a thousand paper cuts.

The thing I find odd, is no matter how many times it happens, your skin never seems to get any tougher. You would think after a few dozen times, it would be harder to do, but in my experience, it’s just as easy as it was the first time.

Anonymous Comment Leaving Person

You may want to try a backbent gouge or patternmaker’s gouge (upside down), or barring that, a #2 skew chisel. They’re really good for finely controlled, convex surfaces like that.

Robert

I’ve encountered the same phenomenon with one of my old Marples Blue Chips. I use a Worksharp 3000 for work-a-day sharpening, and always keep the back buffed out. Due to this, my polished back ends up longer than most. Today I got a nasty cut beveling the top of a footstool post in much the same manner as you. Since the Blue Chips have a much higher sidewall, I have to conclude that the 90 degree intersection between the polished back and the ground sidewall results in a small, sharp serration that is doing the deed with no acute angle needed. One swipe with a slipstone seems to cure the problem.

    Shannon

    Those perfect edges smart no matter what angle. Heck I have cut myself on a freshly jointed piece of wood! Hey why don’t you write up something on that fancy new blog about your experience with the Worksharp. I’ve played around with it and always seem to take my edges out of square.

John

The edges are unnecessarily sharp – poor design in that regard. Like others, I have lightly rounded the edges for all but the last 1/2 inch or so.