Little Gavel

In this instructable I will be showing you how I made this cute little Gavel Hammer. This project is a little advanced and requires a wood lathe.

Supplies

• timber of choice
• sand paper 240grit-600grit
• steel wool
• Brass pipe
• 5 minute two-Part epoxy glue
• cotton bud
• Bees wax
• clean rag
• sketch Book
• Pencil

Tools

• Hand Drill
• hammer
• centre punch
• Coping saw
• Lathe Chisels
• Lathe
• Measuring Calliper
• 5mm Drill bit
• Ruler
• vice

Firstly sketch the design on a piece of paper. I recommend grid paper as it helps with measuring and symmetry.

Mounted the timber in the jaws of the chuck. Next pushed the tail stock to the timber to keep it firmly in place.

Rounded off the edges of the timber using the lathe chisel by lightly pressing it into the timber and sliding down the tool rest.

Now turned the timber to the main diameter based of the sketch drawn.

Next measure the inside diameter of the brass pipe, (which and be acquired at your local plumbing or hardware store). Turn the diameter of the timber to the inside diameter of the pipe leaving the edges wider for detailing.

Allow a little extra room for a parting chisel, as you will loose some material when separating the two halves.

Measure out the placement of your beads and slots.

Cut out the slots, making sure both halves are symmetrical. Next using a sharp angle lathe chisel, such as a diamond shaped, round over the edges.

Now that the design is satisfactory, used sand paper to smooth the surface and remove any rough splinters.

Seal the timber with bees wax to give it a nice smooth rich surface. It can be applied as the lathe is turning.

Using a coping saw cut the halves in two. Sand the ends smooth.

Follow the instruction on the glue packet as not all brands are the same. I use 5 minute epoxy because it is strong and cures fast.

Apply the glue to the inside of the pipe and outside edges of the mallet face and press them firmly together.

Once Dry, clamp in a vice. Use a centre punch and 5mm drill to bore a hole in the centre of the brass pipe.

The handle can be any shape you desire however the end that joins to the head of the mallet needs to be turned to the size of the hole previously drilled, which was 5mm.

Once turned to size, sand and wax the handle. Using the coping saw again remove the handle from the excess timber.

Now simply glue the end of the handle and insert it into the head of the mallet and wait for it to dry.

This is a great little mallet for a laugh in meetings or small auctions.