Make a wood carver's mallet on the lathe - Woodturning

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Bandsaw

Hand saw

Carving tools set

Making your own custom carving mallets is really satisfying. You can also make them to fit your needs exactly the way you want. I made this one out of bitter orange wood. 

I used some masking tape to create a guideline. This way I cut one edge with a handsaw perpendicular to the main cylinder of my wood blank. 

I then marked my centers and mounted the blank between centers on the lathe. 

With the lathe set at around 500 rpm I started trueing up the blank with a roughing gouge. 

Once the blank was true I increased the speed of the lathe. I started shaping the mallet with the roughing gouge trying to follow the bevel of my cutting edge. 

This type of wood cracks really easily. I filled a big crack using super glue and wood savings. 

To shape the handle I used a spindle gouge and a round scraper. 

I also used the skew to create grooves on the handle so that sweat drops from my hand can escape. 

I also used the skew on the end grain, so I could cut it off easier on the bandsaw. 

I sanded with 100 and 220 grit. 

I used a metal wire to burn inside the handle grooves. This gives the mallet a more traditional look. 

I polished the mallet with wood savings. This is a classic old school technique.

Finally I cut the excess pieces on the bandsaw. I placed a drill chuck with a sanding attachment on the lathe. And I cleaned the saw marks.

I finished the mallet with a coat of mineral oil.

I made a really heavy mallet that fits my hand. You can customize yours to fit your needs exactly.

But anyway, I hope you liked this one, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video.

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