How to Make Your Own Joiner's Wooden Mallet

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Like a bit of joinery? Having trouble with dents from using metal hammers or mallets? Then why not make your own beautiful and functional wooden joiner's mallet?

Follow this simple guide to find out how. Be warned, however, while simple, this project will require some basic joinery skills.  

Like any project of this nature, you will need some tools and materials to get started. 

• Timber lengths (different tones)
• Bar clamps
• Double-edged pull saw
• Wood coring drill bit
• Wood glue
• Ball-bearing balls
• Sand paper
• Steel or aluminum sheet
• Circular saw
• Angle grinder
• Metal files
• Masking tape
• Wood stain/varnish
• Finishing cloths

First, grab your timber, clamp it down, and saw out the different pieces you will need. No dimensions are provided, so watch the video for more details. 

You will need various larger and smaller lengths of wood to make a rough mallet-shaped set of blocks once assembled. 

Now, grab your coring tool and cut a series of holes, of different diameters, into the smaller lengths of wood, as shown in the video. 

Next, glue the smaller lengths of wooden to the larger pieces, as shown in the video and image below. Clamp and wait for the glue to fully cure before moving on to the next step.

Now, pour the ball bearing balls into the voids of the mallet lengths. 

Level off the ball bearing balls using the other facepiece of the mallet. This will add much-needed weight to the mallet -- after all it will be used to bash things later.

Add more glue to fix the ball bearing balls into place, and secure the other face of the mallet into place. 

Clamp and allow the glue to cure. 

While clamped, scrap and clean off any and all excess glue that has been squeezed out between the wood pieces. 

Remove the mallet head from the clamps, and sand down each and every surface. 

If you want to add some angles to the mallet head, place a piece of sacrificial straight wood at the desired angle, clamp all pieces securely, and cut off the angles with your saw, as shown in the video. 

Now, if desired, cut to size and glue on two thinner pieces, or veneers, of wood to the mallet head faces. 

Secure with clamps, once again, and wait for the glue to fully cure. Trim off any excess pieces using your saw. 

If desired, bevel the edges of the mallet's facepieces. You can use a power tool, or so it the old-fashioned way -- good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Sand down, as needed. 

Next, secure the mallet's handle into a frame, and cut a series of grooves along its lower length, as shown in the video. 

Next, cut some small lengths of metal the same length as the grooves. Glue into place as shown. 

Hammer the pieces into the grooves, as needed. Cut off any excess pieces of metal, and clean off any excess glue.

If desired, mark out a rough shape you want the final handle to be, and cut to shape using your angle grinder. 

File down the metal, and sand down the wood faces, as needed. This needs to be a smooth as possible as you will be handling it. You don't want to get metal barbs or splinters in your hand after all!

Next, clamp the handle down, and drill a pair of holes on the top of the mallet handle, and cut straight lines from the top to the holes, as shown in the video. 

Now, add masking tape around the edges of the mallet head, add glue to the mallet head's interior, and the top of the handle. Match the handle with the head and secure it into place. 

Once in place, add small slithers of wood to the cuts you made earlier. This will keep the head and handle very snuggly together.

Gently knock the slithers into the slits. Once complete, and the glue has been allowed to cure, cut off any excess pieces.

Remove any masking tape, sand down, and buff as needed.

With that, the mallet is basically complete. Now you can add some final touches, like wood stain and /or varnish. Apply to some finishing cloths, and cover the entire exposed surfaces of the mallet. 

With that, your wooden-Thor's mallet is complete. Now just sit back and enjoy your masterpiece. 

If you feel brave enough, why not test it out? Alternatively, just place it on your mantlepiece to impress your guests?