A Good friend Retires

On my bench, always standing at the ready, is an old friend that needs to be coaxed into retirement. My mallet has served me for many years, but I noticed a while back that its age was beginning to show.

I turned this mallet when I was 15 or 16 years old. That was some 35 years back. The mallet kept its original shape and showed no signs of wear for many years. But throughout those early years, it was inexperienced and was not called into duty very often. It was only after I decided to hand cut all my dovetails that my mallet saw steady action. It was my reliable sidekick during my learning phase and became a trusted friend as my skills increased.  

It’s not that this re-purposed baseball bat couldn’t do the work any more. I could pick it up and whack out any dovetails whenever necessary. But I noticed that my friend was losing weight and that I was swinging harder with each thwack. (I noticed that in my shoulder and wrist.) I was absorbing more to compensate for my mallet’s shortcomings. As more and more glancing blows were delivered, I felt that the time had come.

This is not the first time I pressed my mallet into semi-retirement or had to do the job with a stand-in. I was woodworking with a friend at his place when we began a dovetail discussion. In order to demonstrate my point, I needed to cut a couple dovetails. He had a mallet, but I didn’t. And he wouldn’t let me use his mallet (big boy games you know). So I picked up an old baluster, then whacked out a set of dovetails much to his surprise. I’ve also used a square piece of stock while In a pinch and without my tools.

I did acquire a new mallet a while back and it worked great. The only difference was the new guy was a bit square. Sure, it was balanced correctly. It was, and continues to be, durable. But I discovered that I changed my methods when using my square mallet. I no longer spun the mallet in my hand as I drew back for the next blow. I continuously beat on the same face. It was just a matter of time before the square mallet would begin to show signs of battle. This new mallet worked and it did so without being flashy. In the end, that lack of flash may have been its demise.

I was mesmerized when a round mallet came into the Popular Woodworking shop from Blue Spruce Toolworks. This mallet was infused with acrylic and offered a lifetime of service.

Even though the mallet was sent to editor Christopher Schwarz, I borrowed it from his bench while he was away and gave it a quick try on the dovetailed bracket feet for a couple blanket chests , our October cover project. I immediately coveted this tool.

When I found out a new mallet could be ordered in a variety of colors, I quickly placed my order for a red body with that striking black handle. It was the true definition of flashy. When my mallet arrived, it was a bit less than the brillant red I had envisioned , Schwarz called it pink in a Woodworking Magazine blog entry (click here). To me, it has the word “flashy” written all over it.

I’ve had opportunity to put my new friend to the test and so far I’ve been more than pleased. Whacking steel-banded chisels has added a few small blemishes, but I don’t expect this mallet to show any significant signs of wear for some time to come.

What are you using for a mallet? Better yet, what have you used? Have you gone the way of a baluster or something else? Leave a comment so we can create a list.

– Glen D. Huey

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