The Father’s Day (Joiner’s) Mallet

Hitting ‘em hard!

What is it?

The joiner’s mallet is a key tool in a woodworker’s shop! It is used to drive chisels, encourage tough joints to align, and in rare occasions, “release some tension.” Ashten and Adam worked together to create a new mallet for Adam as a gift from Ashten for Father’s Day.

What did we learn?

Making a joiner’s mallet is remarkably easy. It can be made from a solid block of hardwood or by laminating several pieces or species of hardwoods together. We selected a couple of different species to give different “zones” for various tasks during woodworking. A large handle complements the larger mallet size and is more comfortable for the user (in this case).

We tried a slightly different finishing technique with boiled linseed oil (BLO) on this project. The first coat was done with a thinned mix of BLO / mineral spirits and then super saturated the wood before letting it cure for a few days. We then added a final layer of pure BLO to provide a comfortable finish.

In Closing…

It was such a wonderful Father’s day as the kids gave Adam the gift of “quality time” in their own way. God has blessed our family with great kids, for whom we are eternally thankful. The time spent working on something together is immeasurably more valuable than the mallet itself.