Finger Mallet From a Tree Branch | DIY Woodworking Tools #8

by Yonatan24 in Workshop > Woodworking

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Finger Mallet From a Tree Branch | DIY Woodworking Tools #8

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I've built quite a bit of mallets in the past months. A Plywood Mallet, A Hot-Glue Mallet, And my favorite: A Dead-Blow Mallet from an old transformer.

What I haven't built, is a small and light duty mallet.

So today, I'll show you how to make a small mallet that attaches to your finger (without a handle), from an old Olive wood tree branch. This also my first woodturning project, so I'll probably make a bunch of mistakes ;)

I don't know how useful this will be, but my goal was to go do some woodturning, take good pictures, and hopefully have a lot of fun, which I definitely did!

Let's get started!



*Pssst! Don't forget to check out more info about the giveaway in the comments!

What You'll Need:

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Hardware & Materials:

A Tree Branch (I used Olive wood)

Chemicals & Adhesives:

Varnish

Tools (+Attachments):

Paintbrush

Turning tools

Clamps

Homemade Wooden Vise

Backsaw

Hacksaw

Fine & Course Files (or Sandpaper)

12mm Drill-Bit (The diameter of my finger)

Hammer

Electric/Power Tools:

Drill

6-in-1 Woodworking Machine (It contains the Lathe)

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Why: First woodturning project: A Mallet!

Recommended Safety Equipment: Earmuffs, Respirator, Safety Goggles

Cost (for me): FREE!

Difficulty: Medium

Approximate Time: 2 Hours

Leave Your Chosen Branch to Dry

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After choosing the branch that I wanted, I Iet it dry for a couple months.

Right before starting the project, I noticed that the wood attracted some tiny bugs, so I put it in the sun for a few days to kill them.

Saw Off the Twigs (small Branches)

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I sawed off the small twigs that I thought would annoy me while turning the wood. At this point I realized that a wood that reads almost 3000 on the Janka Scale, is not something that is easy to work with hand tools, but I kept going.

I also did my best to square up the edges, so it would be easier to mount the branch in the Lathe.

Mount the Branch in the Lathe

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I've never done any woodturning projects, so some of the things that I mention here may be either very obvious, or incorrect.

This Lathe is made mostly of Aluminum so I thought it would be a good idea to clamp it down to the table because it would stop any vibrations. Keep in mind that I have modified this Lathe so it will be able to hold bigger pieces of wood-- This is a kit that is meant to be used for smaller turning projects.

I hammered the drive center (I think that's the name) into the center of one end, and pushed the center of the other side into the tailstock.

Ready for turning!

Start Turning!

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As you might know, or see, I don't have any of those fancy carbide gouges or super sharp chisels, so I had to improvise with what I had.

Other than the fact that it shoots razor sharp pieces of wood at you, woodturning is pretty fun. And yes, Rasp Planes work fairly well for this!

Smooth Out the Blank

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Blank. That's what it's called, isn't it?

I wanted to experiment with smoothing it out with files, and it worked pretty well. I started with a rough file, and then moved on to a super fine one, as shown in the pictures.

Saw, & Square the Edges Again

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To save some work, I let the Lathe turn the wood, and held the hacksaw in place.

After I was done with one side, I clamped the blank onto the table, and sawed the other, again, with a hacksaw. This wood feels harder than metal!

Drill a Hole in the Middle of the Blank

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After clamping the blank in my Homemade Wooden Vise, I used a 12mm Spade Drill-Bit to drill a hole in the middle.

Why 12 millimeters? That's the diameter of my finger. Choose the Bit according to the diameter of your finger, or a handle, if you want to add one

Apply Varnish

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I used a paintbrush to apply 1 coat of varnish. I wanted to see how well it would hold up, since this is a light duty Mallet.

LOOK AT THAT BEAUTY!

Have Fun! Use It!

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What kind of projects do you think that this can be used for?

Non-decoration ones, that is! :)

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DONE!

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