Official Luthiers Forum!

Guys.... I'll be using my chisels and gouges a little more. I'm very torn over what kind of mallet to buy. There's the traditional carver's mallet with it's rounded mushroom-type top. Then there's the one that looks a bit more like a hammer. And finally, there's the one that's a bit more compact with a wood handle and a brass top. I have absolutely no clue which one to buy. An old furniture maker told me he favors the carver's style one with the rounded mushroom-type head on top. What's a good one for luthiers?
-John

I don't make arch tops, and I've never found mallets useful for luthierie. For other types of carving, the carvers mallet, for sure.

Anecdote: Do you know what this type of mallet is called in my Norwegian dialect? "Kneppert". Funny word, even in Norwegian!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

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I use a carvers mallet often. It can give both more force and a more controlled cut.

Like this one: http://www.axminster.co.uk/images/products/CTS104_l.jpg

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I always tend to grab my carvers mallet for any job now even though the standard on is hanging next to it and I feel I have more control with that than trying to hut the butt end of the chisel with my palm, I've seen carvers whose hands are permanently claw grip after doing that for most of their working lives.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Mallets can also be a good thing to have when OLFers come over and if you have a nice stash of BRW.....

Try making a variety out of scrap and see which one you keep reaching for. If you can build a guitar, you can build a mallet. The advantage of the round head is that you can strike it whichever way you pick it up. I'd also offer that you don't want on that is too massive if you will be using it for extended periods of time due to fatigue issues.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Thanks guys. Hesh, yes, a mallet can be very useful for getting a hold of some nice BRW!!
So, it's seems like the carver's mallet is the one that comes up the most. A mallet will definitely be of use to me as I plan to rough out some stock with a gouge, and I also want to cut some of my own dovetails.
-John

First off make your own like so many others have said bit I found a turners group and offered them wood to turn mallets for me you would not beleive what came back some I use some I dont . This is just a suggestion as turners are just as crazy as us.

Lots of good and accurate advise so far, but I'll chime in. The carver's mallet with a wooden head is a very versatile tool, and is always the one I reach for first. It's easy to control, and will almost never give you a glancing blow on the end of your chisel or gouge. If the head is heavy, it'll do most of the work for you. You just sort of lift it and let it fall with only a gentle nudge forward. I've had one with a tapered head, four inches long by four inches diameter near the end, for nearly forty years. The head on mine is impregnated with beeswax as a further hedge against glancing. A lighter head will sometimes require more striking force, so, for me at least, the fatigue issue would average itself out over a period of time. I personally would not favor a metal head, unless I happened to be cutting stone with stone chisels. It really comes down to what feels good for you and your style of tool use. You should only need very light taps to do the work. I agree that you can easily make a few of different types out of scrap wood. Then you can use the one best suited for the task at hand. And I don't think you'd need a lathe to make an acceptable round-headed mallet, although you might make a slightly prettier mallet with a lathe. For some folks, that would be an issue. Be adventurous and make a couple. Pretty soon you'll be making tools to make tools to make more tools. It's addictive!
Patrick

Glad to see more input on this. Making my own is definitely not an option. I'm currently trying to recover from a year long illness and I'd like to focus what energy I have left on making guitars! Joseph, I would deeply appreciate if you could point me in the direction of that turner's group you mentioned. It would be a great step because I also have some chisels that need some handles and I was thinking how great it would be to have some turned.

Being the tool addict that I am, I've already started pricing lathes but I doubt I'll get anything soon. Like I said, right now it's about guitars and I'm also working in a very small place so space is a concern. Down the line when I'm a little more able bodied I might think about a small lathe, possibly mounting it on some kind of modular table, etc... We'll see. For now I'm more than happy buying a mallet. What do you think of this Marples?
http://www.toolnut.co.uk/products/hamme ... allet.html
I was also thinking about the Sorby:
https://www.buckandryan.co.uk/product.p ... n/SOR42213

Problem seems to be they're all in the UK! Every time I find a site that carries them it's not a domestic store. Anyone have any leads?
-John

John, this is a $20-25 tool. The differences between them may matter to a professional woodcarver, but there's little point in your obsessing over it or making your own. Woodcraft, Highland Hardware, Woodworkers Supply, Japan Woodworker, etc. etc. Any place that sells carving tools has them.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

John,
I got this mallet from Woodcraft a year ago. I paid $23.99 then and now it's up to $25.99. Boy, prices really have gone up in a year. Better get 'em while they're hot.

https://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=141342&FamilyID=7355

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Thanks Howard and Chuck. I don't know how I missed those. For some reason I kept coming up with overseas sources. Thanks!