Various mallets pros and cons

[DiLeon]

I am going to talk about mallets and various kinds used for wood carving. Hopeful get lots of personal opinions on here and experience on the various mallets you use? Photos of the mallets you use? Advice for beginners in your own opinions? I will also talk about using them with extreme arthritis in the hands, wrist, elbows, and shoulders.

I first got a hard oak mallet it was ok but...did not do the work I wanted it to, hard on the bones, ...worries about breaking the chisel tops, I got another green plastic mallet....I loved that one because of less sound that one broke to pieces...guess it was faulty, as the next one was fine. But I was still not happy so I did a search with some of the master carvers who were using a variety of them so I enter the world of the mallets. Today they are a saving grace do my arthritis.

When using chisels and gouges, the mallet you choose is a critical part of getting the cuts you want. The right mallet will apply enough force to help you keep your arm from getting overly tired while also allowing you to maintain control with your cuts. Learning how to choose the best wood carving mallet for the job is pretty simple once you become familiar with the different types of mallets and how each is made and how to use each one.

Because of my damaged hands/ shoulders, I use unconventional methods to get the work done which I will discuss later in this thread.

[DiLeon]

This is a great video for beginners although I do not agree with him on some areas... worth any one time who is new to the world of mallets.

[Nebraska]

Interesting topic wish I could contribute but I have never used a mallet. I have thought about it think if I did it would be a shot filled dead blow. So no bounce back.

[DiLeon]

Interesting topic wish I could contribute but I have never used a mallet. I have thought about it think if I did it would be a shot filled dead blow. So no bounce back.

Funny you say that....out of getting hurt subject...I have yet to hit myself bounce back and other means. I can not do the full swing dead blow but there are times I wish I could ...LOL especially when I want those big chunky chips coming out. I know in the video he was talking about hitting yourself...I have no relationship to that one. No black eyes or knock outs...

[DiLeon]

On the subject I do not use a mallet..as Ed stated. Here is the awesome video as to why use a mallet. Notice no dead blowing...

[Claude]

I have used my mallet on my full-sized Pfiel tools, my Flexcut tools, and even on my Dockyard tools (the last two generally for gentle taps to precisely control the depth of the cut).

[Arthur C.]

The first mallet I bought many years ago was a heavy one (too heavy for what I do) made of lignum vitae. A few years ago I trimmed off about half of the weight and it suits me well now, although I don't use it often. I also have a small brass headed mallet that I use more often, as it's better suited for finer work. I think a mallet of some sort is needed for cuts that require more finesse and control.

[pallin]

Like Ed, I do not use a mallet, so my carving projects often take months. I notice that he often uses saw cuts to aid the coarse removal of waste wood on his sculptures. JJF also uses a chain saw to block out waste on his reliefs. I have one plastic mallet that came with the Pfeil Brienz Collection of gouges, but I don't use it.

[Randy]

I do use a mallet on a number of projects. Mostly for shaping and removing waist but also on some detail. I find , for me ,I have better control especially in hard woods. I am not good at maintaining even pressure with my hands. A change in the density of the wood offen results in me cutting farther than I was planning to. I have better control with tapping with the mallet. I like the rubber raped mallets. They are easyer on the tool handles and quieter to work with. I also use a small, I think its 8oz, brass head mallet that is nice when working in small tight areas. I have gone to smaller projecks and use my plam tool most of the time. But I like using the mallets with the larger mallet tools.
Frist is the 12oz the second is 30oz.
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[Nebraska]

[QUOTE=pallin;n1208055] Ed, often uses saw cuts to aid the coarse removal of waste wood on his sculptures. JJF also uses a chain saw to block out waste on his reliefs.

Hand saw, Bandsaw, Chainsaw, Drill press, Angle grinder, 12” disc bench sander, Microplane, Rasp, File, 80 grit sandpaper, Knife, Gouge, whatever it takes. The only rule is to get it done and make it nice.

[buckbeans]

In Asia they use square mallets if the work is sitting flat on the table like a relief carving and the round mallet for an upright carving like statues.

[DiLeon]

Mallet work is used in doing large works, in holes of sculptures going against the grain of hardwoods which need that extra push. Some hardwoods are impossible to push carve. I use mallets for top cuts for that deep dig. I use the mallet to push that chisel when it just will not move well. Most of all I use mallets for larger gouge work. I do have all the power tools, but that abortech or die grinders with sabruutooth donut burrs and noise and sawdust on hot humid days plus the tools get hot and you have to stop often, ....time to sit under the tree with a mallet. I do push tools until arthritis starts hurting, then I have to go to tap on the mallets. I use mallets for V tool work. I use a mallet a lot now due to damage to the hands...someone told me it is nerve damage for spending eight hours or more... a day using tools and pushing tools. Mallets are used when my hands and shoulder say no pushing the chisel today.

Mallets are used for nonwoodworking projects around the home. Wack the crab to eat, bang place you can't use a hammer, I used a big one the other day for banging bamboo fencing into the ground..... and the big giant square one...wack the mole.

In Indonesia and places like Thailand where they hand down wood carving from generation to generation they work long hours sitting in the sun with a few chisels and a mallet. They noted: that the mallet saves their hands and joints some.

[buckbeans]

I actually went to short wood carving courses in Thailand, Taiwan and Philippines. They use the mallet a lot more that we do here even for very light work.
What kind of mallet do you suggest for arthritis hands and wrists?

[Brian T]

First, I suggest lined gloves to soak up some of the vibration.
That helps a lot and also keeps my old hands a little warmer.

The 30 oz Wood-Is-Good, lead core, polyurethane-faced carver's mallet is heavy enough to take some getting used to. But I can choke up on the head for little tap-tap strikes as needed.
The 12 oz mallet is OK but you get nowhere, trying to move a 2/30 even in cedar.

I'm also convinced that using a mallet is a good way for more accurate cuts than pushes and slips of my hands.

[DiLeon]

I saw this guy talking about his arthritis he was using a brass small mallet, grabbing the head of the mallet he would do very light tapping. Now it is understandable that if you hit a palm tool with a brass hardtop, you will damage it so gentle taps with the mallet. My hands are very damaged, some fingers won't grip tight, some finger bone on bone, some are very deformed, wrist issues are off and on,....now their latest thing is the muscle do not like what I am doing and the whole hand cramps up into a claw, you think a charlie horse in the leg hurts, this beats it. One thing about arthritis any kind of repetitive movement for any time is a no, no. So I can not carve with one method anymore...the more variety the better. so most times I change what I am doing every hour. But those small mallets really help in pushing a more fragile wood carving tool through the wood...and I have used them a few times on carving knives....Just enough tap to push the tool to cut. I have used them on my mini chisels for fine details...where a hard push is needed I do the tap thing on the mallet. Actually, they are my favorite mallet these days and they do help the bad joints. I will show you photos of them later.

[NoDNA]

OH,Boy those wood kill my wrists and hands. Here is mine I made, the head is 2.5" x 3.5' long weighs about 1/2 pound. the handle is 13' long made from a cactus spine I brought back from Mexico. It gives me enough power to buy a chisel Ok for me and light enough for the lighter tools too. Oh and Good to see you Dileon, I must get my pic changed, HA no one could stand it! IMG_1406.jpg
Chuck