jennygutt Report post Posted January 26, 2015 Hi everyone I'm new to the site and had my first question. I need to buy a new maul. I have a round rawhide one now that's worn out. I saw some that are squared instead of round and I'm wondering what the differenece is as far as using a square one. I'm wondering if iris easier to use.Looks like it would be but i mostly see people using round ones and I'm wondering if there is a con to a square one that I don't know..I wear the dead middle of a maul out I apparently hit it center every time and after a while they start hitting the tool crooked because I've worn o hole about 1/2 wide in the dead center....I'm wondering if a square maul would work better. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking about a leather Wrangler "whacker" I think they are wood..not sure about that either....thanks in advance for any help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted January 26, 2015 Welcome to the best site on the internet! I think the shape of the maul will primarily be personal preference, but it may also depend on the type of tooling you need to do. I find that lighter repetitive work like walking a beveler is easier with a round headed maul as I can shift myself around and don't have to worry about the tool face being square. However if there's work that requires more force, like 1" letters, then a flat face might have less chance of deflection from what would be a harder swing. Since you've got a rawhide mallet with a nice hole already started in the center, why not move the handle to there to give you a round tapper? That would give you the option of test driving before buying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oltoot Report post Posted January 26, 2015 Never having used one or even seen a rawhide one I would guess that square would be bad from about every angle. More care would need to be exercised in keeping a flat face parallel to the work surface to prevent glancing blows and that would just be the start. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
REN Report post Posted March 15, 2015 I'm also having this problem. What did you get ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
REN Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Welcome to the best site on the internet! I think the shape of the maul will primarily be personal preference, but it may also depend on the type of tooling you need to do. I find that lighter repetitive work like walking a beveler is easier with a round headed maul as I can shift myself around and don't have to worry about the tool face being square. However if there's work that requires more force, like 1" letters, then a flat face might have less chance of deflection from what would be a harder swing. Since you've got a rawhide mallet with a nice hole already started in the center, why not move the handle to there to give you a round tapper? That would give you the option of test driving before buying. Hello I'm also new here. What do you mean by saying "tool face being square"? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGGUNDOCTOR Report post Posted March 15, 2015 I have always used a rawhide mallet, and don't have a problem hitting the tool squarely. By that reasoning shouldn't carpenters use round hammers? I would think the chance of a glancing blow would be greater with a round surface where you have a smaller sweet spot to work with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Actually I used to think the same thing until I switched from a rawhide mallet to a round maul and I have never looked back. As to carpenters using round hammers/mauls some wood workers and cabinet makers do use round and flat faced mauls. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Hello I'm also new here. What do you mean by saying "tool face being square"? 'being square' is just a term I've picked up from lots of building/repairing of things- it means that one surface is perpendicular to the other. In this case, if the stamping tool is vertical, the maul/mallet face should be horizontal at the time of the blow. If you hold the maul at an angle, either it or the stamping tool will deflect to the side when the strike is made. There is a smaller 'sweet spot' with a round mallet face, but I've found that to be a good thing. It made me learn to control my strikes and hit the tool properly, as opposed to looking like I was playing 'whack-a-mole'. Even with my wooden mallets (with flat faces), I started to get a hole in the center of the face. That just means that you're consistent in how you hold and strike with the tool. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oltoot Report post Posted March 15, 2015 "square" meaning that you would have to exercise care to hold the mallet so that it would be square to tool face vs it being aimed regardless of how you would hold it, rotating as you go to distribute wear. Sure sweet spot is smaller but its always right there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Cent Report post Posted March 16, 2015 http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dead+blow+hammer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
