Step by step process on how I make my thumb-slot woodworking mallet for fine detail work. This how to video shows how to make a basic woodworking mallet, and then turn it into a comfortable detail mallet for intricate work.
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Some items used in this video and others:
Power carving burrs: amzn.to/37PeaLf
Micro Mesh pads: amzn.to/2SjO1hC
Titebond 3 wood glue: amzn.to/2Y3TuOJ
Makita belt sander: amzn.to/2Slu9KR
Festool Sander: amzn.to/2JP5kDp
Glue tray and brush: amzn.to/2XWoCff
CA glue and activator: amzn.to/2JOppJN
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Nicely done. I am a woodcarver and I see great value in this.
That’s awesome to hear!
Looks great, but why rounded woking plane though? You just made it harder for yourself to hit the chisel, cuz if you're not hitting dead center, the mallet will slip
@@glebprokudin2000 If you watch him use it, it is slipping a bunch. I was thinking the same thing. It is rounded a bit too much.
@@glebprokudin2000 Dovetailing mallet are often entirely round, they're not hammers to hit nails. You don't have to hit dead center, at all.
Clicked because of the beautiful mallet in the thumbnail, stayed (and replayed) for the straightforward informative tips and shoptalk.
I appreciate that Justin!
This is a valuable addition to my woodwork collection kzhead.infoUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO I still will rate this woodwork plan as the best in my reference library. It always seem to stand out from the rest whenever you go through the library. This is a masterpiece.
2x4x9, pt for the base plate
I know I am outside the lines… I watched your mallet video. Back in the day when I was in carpenter school I was grinding out thumb notches in my framing hammers. The OGs made fun of me. Then I bought two of them top of the line Vaughan hammers. I hogged out flat spots where their thumbs went. Then I glued it larger pieces of wood. Then I used my chisels and an old Craftsman drill with a heavy grit paper on a dowel that I made. I finished it off using leather stamp/punches for texture. They LOVED it. The thumb notch controlled where the strike was going to fall. It kept the hammer from rolling in a sweaty palm. You also did not need to grip your hammer as tightly.This is when a journeyman carpenter had to drive a #16 Green CC Sinker in three strikes. I was thrilled to see someone still using a trick of the trade. This was after the dinosaurs…..
Really great video, I liked the voice over instead of the annoying background music so many creators are adding to videos.
Oh thanks. I hate that music too.
Strongly agree :)
I’ve got my great grandfather’s mallet….round and made from Lignumvitae. Great feel and sentimental too :)
A sander in a vice? Mindblowing
Watching you sand isn't like watching paint dry. Sanding is relaxing - doing or watching. I'm a woodworker because it's fun... :) Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Peter!
I am blown away at how much knowledge you have about woodworking. Mallets are amazing!
Thats the best looking mallet I’ve ever seen...
Thanks verbal!
Watched this video three times. like a favorite episode of family guy or something. Except it’s super cool woodworking
I’d have preferred Simpson’s. But thanks 😊
This kind of innovation is why I still go through KZhead videos . Thanks for sharing this one . excellent Idea .
It’s a work of art, who would have thought that a piece of equipment as egalitarian as a mallet could be so beautiful!
Really appreciate that!
Beautiful craftmanship , as a custom gunsmith I really appreciate the amount of hand work involved in this process.
Apologies if others have suggested this already (hundreds of comments to check) - but if you created mallet faces on both sides of the head, you could swivel the mallet and use it with or without the thumb stock grip, depending on the angle of use. Love this project - definitely going to take some of your tips and techniques and have a go. Thank you for the video.
To add to this I've seen mallets with an angled face, which might be used for the down chiseling. I'm not a woodworker, so I'm not sure, but I imagine that could help on the ergonomics.
I feel like he could just hold it normally too if working vertically, no need to swivel.
I live in Yucatán and here tje katalox Is very common, nice work I a fan of your work
I made mine, without the thumb slot, in West Australian Jarrah. I used automotive paper to 1400 then wax and it practically glows in the dark !! Thanks for the video.
Nice man!
The " thumb part" is genius
That is a great mallet. any Woodworker, mason, or fellowcraft would be proud to make one and use it. Any F&AM would be proud to own one. ; )
That mallet is a work of art! I would suggest a ridged mini tubing cutter would make that copper a little less prickly and might even allow for a more precise length.
I like your mallets and as a fellow wood worker I am very envious of your toys LOL
They’re pretty good!
I turned a mallet from a sycamore log using the same shape for the handle as you have. It was very light and could easily crack in half. So I soaked it in genuine turpentine and linseed oil untill it wouldn't absorb any more, it took over a week. Once it had dried it worked perfectly, great weight, great durability. I have hit stuff so hard with it, lost my temper, that it hurt my shoulder, and it still held up. It was forty years ago that I made it and its still serving me well. The thing is with a round mallet, every time you use it you don’t worry if you have the thing held correctly, with the face lined up, it always is, 360 deg.
That doesn’t look like it’ll break your thumb. Beautiful craftsmanship and looks like it offers lovely control over that fine work.
I really like the darkness of the wood.
Very nice work, now I will need to make at least one. I will try using Iron wood for the mallet and Walnut for the handle. Love your video's , you have shown me some new tricks.
Man I just made a key for my china hutch today and I definitely feel the "woodworker who attempts metalwork" comment
Very beautiful Mallet! Great job!
"If you're hurting your thumb, don't use it". With the added tone of voice, I laughed pretty good at that. That thing is beautiful sanded like that. Fantastic work.
I’m here to help 🤷🏻♂️
Whao!!! That's actually... Brilliant. Who'd thought to improve an age old tool with ingenuity that may be arguably timeless!
I think that wood you made the mallet with is gorgeous! I really love the design touches!
+1 and a heartfelt "thank you" for showing off different grits of micromesh!
I love the sheen on polished wood. I make a lot birch bowls and go up to 5000 grit on them.
Riggs probably didn't notice, but it looked like there was some blotching on the leg assembly (bottom rail). may have been the light angle though. Interesting leg assembly. Good that you listened to your wife! Good job!
For no particular reason, I like your design. Nicely done!
Katalox is such a cool wood. Love seeing more people use it.
One of the best videos I've seen on hand-crafting a woodworking tool!
Oh wow, thanks for saying so !
@@BlacktailStudio - You're welcome! The (many) reasons 'why' I think it's one of the best (if not 'THE' best) is because (1) Your voice isn't annoying to listen to. Some KZheadrs are just WAY too animated. Some struggle with basic speech. Some just have an annoying tone. (2) You not only walk us through the build process, but you explain 'WHY' you are doing things a certain way. (3) Through your narration and sometimes through your videography, you tell / show us the dimensions / angles you cut the blanks to before glue-up. (4) Speaking of videography, I'd give yours (on a scale of 1-10) a definite '10' ! - The lighting , clarity and close-ups were REALLY good. Anyway - Your video was not only exceptionally well done, but it was also 'therapeutic', not only to watch, but to listen to, as well... I subscribed to your channel after watching only this one video AND rang that bell, for notifications. Please keep up the great work, as I look forward to watching more of your builds. EDIT: Typos
Da Wabbitt man, I appreciate the feedback! It’s all done on my iPhone, but working on stepping up to the DSLR game though. And I try and keep it tolerable. I’m not a fan of the too animated hosts either.
Your craftsmanship is on a very high and impressive level. Ever thought of trying a curved or angled handle? Might give a more comfortable angle for vertical work 😊.
liked your mallet greetings from California.
this mallet is just awsome. the details on it, the colors, everything is just perfect! well done man
Oh thanks man!
@@BlacktailStudio you are welcome, again congratulations on this one!
Wonderful..I would never dare to beat with it some rough thing...
Yup...This mallet is now on my "to do" list! : ) I love your artistry in this piece.
It is lovely though I feel the copper pipe could of been the next size smaller.
Awesome design and excellent work. I really like that copper inlay as well.
Absolute work of art. I've been planning to make a few more mallets in the near future. I built my first one a while back just using some scraps of oak and walnut. I laminated the handle so the walnut is running down the center of the handle, then I also used walnut for the wedges. It's not the prettiest thing ever, but man has it held up really well even if it hasn't been the greatest of designs. It will always have a spot in my shop for simple nostalgia. My local hardwood store had a few scraps of wenge last time I was in there...I wish I had picked it up. Hopefully they'll still have some next time I stop by...that would make for a great mallet with some hard maple I already have.
Beautiful work, in a word superb!
How… how did i miss these tooling episodes? I get all the alerts but i still missed them ☹️🙁😕
Wow, now that is some mallet. I've just finish making a carving mallet. I can't afford any fancy machines, lathe, belt-sander etc, no fancy wood just some scrapes of oak I found laying around at the back of my shed/workshop, so it was just rasps and sand-paper. I think it turned out ok because I made it. Love watching your Tubes, you make some incredible items.
My grandpa had a mallet which was made around the 1930's from seasoned, true ebony - hard like iron, I (mis-)used it to shape copper and aluminium sheeting with nearly no damage to the surface. A light sanding and polishing and it was like new.
I made a carving mallet for my niece out of a very dense oak. It came out nice and she likes it. Finished it with teak oil and bees wax.
I use Osage for Canes, I bet they would make really good Mallets. That is the prettiest mallet I believe I have seen.
That would make a great cane. And thanks!
That's a gorgeous mallet my Brother. I have made one out of Calico Hickory and Black Walnut. The Hickory is a very solid wood for the mallet head. I love your thumbhole. Thinking of trying one like that. Your polishing technic is AWESOME!! Take care and stay healthy
Cheers buddy! stay safe
Love the design and the details of the build! Making my first mallet out of Cedar Elm from my backyard.
I appreciate when craftsmen make their tools their own! Great job and beautiful mallet!
Awesome mallet, sir! I'm in TN and made one (not nearly as amazing as yours) out of white oak from an old 1700's barn...needless to say, it was so hard that I had to sharpen every blade I used afterwards. Oak is not the most exotic looking wood out there, but old barns are much easier to come by down here than a Goby store ;)
White oak can be beautiful depends on the grain. I made my sister a cake Turner out of some and it had a burl look to it. I sanded it to a high grit and a fee coats of beeswax turned out beautiful
I live in northeast Texas and Osage Orange is simply beautiful wood. It's incredibly dense and when sanded to 2000 grit or higher it takes on a wonderful shimmer that's got many facets within it.
I am confusedly. Are you sanding the wood to 2000 Raw or with a finish on it? I'm just trying to understand how it works. D o you wax it and then sand, finish then sand, it or is it just raw wood? I mean I definitely wet sanded a finished wood with high grits but I've never sanded raw wood over 220 without a finish on it so I don't know how it will come out.
@@brownstonecustomcabinetry5309 I start sanding with a nearly finished project.. I start sanding with about 150 grit sandpaper and gradually work my way up to 2000 grit. Slowly increasing to higher grit as I go. Often I don't even put a finish on my finished project because by the time you get go 2000 grit the wood is beautiful. If I put a finish on it I normally use wax or butchers block oil. I hope this helps.
@@scottharrison7696 Wow! I thought this guy was doing some movie magic. Learn something new every day.
Glad you made this video. Saw one of these on your Instagram and have been wanting to make one. Great video
I really like vine maple with the bark on for making bonkers. I just turn down to a handle on one end.
Can, the best wood for a mallet head? Melted milk jugs. Promise you the satisfaction of recycling plastic and making a superior hammer for use in the shop that you will get is incredible. I’d post a picture of a few I’ve done but it will not allow me. Great video. I’d like to see you carve a head from one piece of wood next time.
Outstanding video. Very informative. I was able to create the mallet in about a week. You made it very easy. Thank you again.
I’m totally stoked to throw my festool into a vice and use it like that..your so right on haven’t lived yet till you try it.. thanks for the tip Cam!
Cheers Johnny!
Just be careful not to pinch any moving parts. I killed a hand-held belt sander with a vise. Turned out the only flat faces pushed right on the end of bearings.
Hey Cam, great inspiration. I made my first yesterday, happy to report it didn’t fall apart! Love the circle brass inlays you have on your other designs and wondering how you did those... keep up the good work!
Beautiful work and an absolutely gorgeous tool. My preferred woods for mallet heads are persimmon and hop hornbeam (sometimes called musclewood or ironwood). Both are wicked hard, so make sure your tools are nice and sharp. For handles, I like either hickory or ash. No particular reason, just what I grew up using. BTW, persimmon takes aniline dyes really well and can be dyed jet black to mimic African ebony. The hornbeam might, too, but I just like its natural creamy color, especially when finished with beeswax.
That's one beautiful mallet.
Honestly, it's nice to see loose clamps and bad tools. No everyone can have mega supreme tools. Or even a dedicated work space. As a hobbyist, my work table is also my workbench for other house projects.
Wow! That is a beautiful mallet!
So glad i found your channel last week. Different perspectives and design with intent and purpose. Using the different finishes helps build the mental library of what can be used on different species of wood. Also, finding different species. I was a flooring contractor full time for 12 years and really loved installing hardwood flooring. It too exposed me to multiple different woods that i carry in my beginning hobby as a wood worker some years later. Thanks again for sharing.
Awesome, thanks!
I’ve found my favorite wood for mallets, granted I make joiners mallets, is marblewood. It’s beautiful but also extremely dense and durable. Gives a nice weight to the head of the mallet and holds up to use.
In the UK we use old Crown Bowls which were made of Lignum Vitae and turn them into mallets.
Brilliant, love the look and finish
I have not made a nice mallet like you, but I have turned many on my wood lathe out of hickory wood. When it is dry, the wood is very hard and makes a nice mallet for wood working. It's just a basic mallet; nothing fancy, but gets the job done.
Beautiful design! I made my mallet out of wenge and maple, and I love the way it came out
That’s a good combo right there
Curious if after some use, if you found wenge to be hard enough for a mallet?
I love the shape of the handle, and as I'm getting arthritics in my thumbs I'm going to have to make on of these. Thanks for the inspiration.
Excellent!
Very nicely done !! I'm brand new to woodworking and this was Great to watch. I have the confidence now to make a basic one. I look forward to making a more advanced one as I gain experience. Thanks for sharing your talent and videos, Rodney
Awesome!
I bought that Japanese carving knife. Love it. Great for tracing a stencil. Every video I watch it see another tool I need.
I’ll keep em coming!
Hey brother @BlacktailStudio. You do some amazing work! I learned so much from watching your videos. I'm not new to woodworking but new to fine finishing. Everything is so in depth and thorough. I haven't had the chance to apply it yet but very soon I will. Thanks for the quality videos. Keep'em coming my man. Be safe.
Beautiful work of art to make art with.👍
Really beautiful. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for saying so Patrick!
On your copper ring, try a 1/2" tube, lightly countersink each side of the hole, using a ballpein ball up, clamped in a vise, and another ballpein topside struck with a soft hammer, then you have a perfect copper gommet for your lanyard.
Incredible work Sam 👏🏽
Beautiful piece of tooling and amazing choice of wood.
This mallet is a Thing of Beauty!!
Oh thanks!
turned out awesome, unique and functional!
Gorgeous mallet!
That’s a beautiful mallet! I love the ergonomic design. My last mallet was made of Osage Orange with Red Oak handle.
That’s some hard wood!
Beautiful job. Really like to see inspiring work like this!
Thanks so much!
that dark colour wood looks beautiful
As others here have said, one of the pipe cutters that you spin around the pipe would be a great addition. Plus, it will squeeze the end of the pipe down a little making it easier to hammer into the handle without worrying about blowing out the wood on the other side. Just make the pipe long enough to sand down the smaller part. Awesome job on the mallet! A beautiful work of art!
Thanks!
A new hacksaw blade is cheaper plus he's only going to grind the ends of the pipe piece down flush anyway. No need for precision here.
@@bobclifton8021 I guess I didn't explain it right. It didn't have anything to do with precision. He mentioned in the video that he had to be careful not to blow out the other side of the wood when he hammered in the pipe. The pipe cutter reduces the size on the end of the pipe making it much less likely of blowing out a big chunk of wood like a sharp edged pipe would. Plus, after seeing all the cool, awesome tools he's got, I didn't think a $16.48 tubing cutter from Home Depot would break the bank. It's just another way of doing it that might save the aggravation of a few messed up handles. Y'all have a great day!
Beautiful mallet, beautiful tools and beautifully explained 😊Thank you for the tutorial.
My pleasure!
A great small project, Cam.
Wow, I just now saw this video for some reason. I love the idea of the thumb hole, I'm going to try that on the one I'm working on now. I like to use purple heart for my mallet heads. It's beautiful and it's extremely hard it's extremely hard. I'm sure you won't read this comment on such an old video but in case you do, I just wanted to say thanks. I love your videos and I always get the best ideas from them. I'm also a self-taught nonconformist lol. Thanks again.
Cheers!
Much better and prettier option than mine. I simply use a small heavy piece of log for hammering drive centers etc. into wood. Kind regards.
Brilliant sir. I am left handed myself and I plan on making my own custom mallet using your video as inspiration. Thank you very much. Excellent work.
"if you dont put your sander in a vise you arent livin" i found this way too funny lmao nice video and mallet
That's fantastic! Exactly the kind of mallet I was looking for but didn't know it. And I love that wood I think it's beautiful
Great work .. and I love the wedges. It is a cool accent and great way to tighten rather than fitting it perfectly in the hole it goes in (the mallet head).
Great show. Thanks for the info and the beautiful mallet. I might hang it on the wall, but it is obviously functional. The thumb slot must help stabilize your strikes.
Wow bro! What a beautiful and motivating video. I’m so inspired to make one for myself Thank you
The Mexican Ebony is a beautiful wood. Looks like the Mallard is made of chocolate!
It really does
Thank you for the inspiration and recommendations. I didn’t take the step to add tape prior to epoxy, but I did add a golden metallic powder to blend the wood tones
Thanks frank!
@@BlacktailStudio would like to show my work but not sure how?
Very nice. I really like this unique design. I’m going to try this for my own use. Beautiful. 👍🏻
Trust me, watching sanding is much more entertaining and relaxing than watching grass grow :)
Very nice video. Thanks for taking the time to make this video
Thanks for taking the time to say so