Source For Maul/mallet Material

[Fonzarellis]

I want to make my own mallets or mauls and was considering perhaps a cylindrical chunk of nylon like a big bushing is made from. Anyone have any other ideas or a source perhaps. Surely this has been done before. Just can't bring myself to drop the cash for a 'store bought' one.

[zuludog]

I also thought a bought mallet was rather a lot of money, and was about to make my own, but found a hide mallet in an arts & crafts shop sale, at a fraction of the price from a leathercraft supplier

For my mallet I was thinking of a head from a piece of sycamore, scrounged from the tree surgeons when they were working at a local park, and faced with 1/2" dense polythene (?) from an old kitchen chopping board. I would attach it with some small (long but narrow) countersunk screws around the circumference of the faces

The handle was to be made from an old chair leg

[Gump]

Check around for a plastics/polymer supplier and ask for 'ultra high molecular weight' UHMW poly. It is used by stone masons to make their mauls, as it doesn't mushroom over the ends of chisels. I bought 2ft of 2" dia. for $12. It drills easily and can be cut with a hand saw or any wood cutting power tool.

[Tokarsky]

I'm about to check the scraps wood bin at my work for a 4x4 post scrap, affix a handle... boom, Mjölnir!

[Nuttish]

I made mine on an engine lathe with a 4" rod of HDPE from McMaster-Carr.

[TinkerTailor]

There are videos on YouTube which show how to melt down and recycle milk jugs into a mallet head in a toaster oven looked like it worked and couldn't be cheaper. Will post link later

[Nuttish]

I made a whacking stick for $20 in 30 minutes. Works good. Time is worth more than melting milk jugs for poor quality plastic.

[TinkerTailor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyP7YJ9O3TY

Milk jugs are made of hdpe.........blown up like a balloon. Cut into little pieces, melt in toaster oven for a while and then push into the mold shape of your choice. Watch the video. I was a sceptic as well...
Plus, no engine lathe needed.......Filing/sanding that taper by hand will definitely take longer than recycling some perfectly acceptable plastic.

Edited March 11, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[TinkerTailor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyP7YJ9O3TY

Milk jugs are made of hdpe.........blown up like a balloon. Cut into little pieces, melt in toaster oven for a while and then push into the mold shape of your choice. Watch the video. I was a sceptic as well...

Plus, no engine lathe needed.......Filing/sanding that taper by hand will definitely take longer than recycling some perfectly acceptable plastic.

I have also heard of using the nylon rollers/wheels that are on the front of pallet jacks. Try a forklift supply place for the wheels. they are just under 3" around and 4" long with a 1 inch hole. I think that leaving the bearings in would add weight and allow a smaller handle shaft. Just fill up the bearings with epoxy to stop them from moving when you beat on stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PALLET-JACK-LOAD-WHEELS-3-5-8-LONG-X-2-7-8-DIAMETER-/181608594847

Edited March 11, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[Ole South]

www.amazon.com/Wooden-Leathercraft-Carving-Leather-Cowhide/dp/B00PY24OQK
www.ebay.com/itm/Strengthen-PE-Wooden-Material-Leather-Cutting-Hammer-Craft-Stamping-Tools-Set-/121585628994
www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-Stamping-DIY-Tools-Set-Craft-Tool-For-Leather-Cutting-Tools-Hammer-US/141495177407?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28772%26meid%3D2bf4876311c24d728c82f11951ab40cd%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D121585628994&rt=nc

The wooden handled ones are 14-15oz. The aluminum handles are about a pound (I've seen these for $12 + free shipping). I was thinking of getting a wooden one and filling it with lead shot. Deadblow mallet heh.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Ole South

[Nuttish]

My time is worth more than melting garbage or taking it apart. Is yours?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#hdpe/=w99ep8

[Ole South]

Half the joy of tools are in the making. Tool or project.

[TinkerTailor]

My time is worth more than melting garbage or taking it apart. Is yours?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#hdpe/=w99ep8

I am required by law to separate plastics by type and clean it and recycle it anyways. It is also the responsible thing to do, recycling plastics instead of trashing them, whether you do it yourself or take it somewhere to have it done.

And YES, recycling and re-using materials is important enough to me to spend my time doing it. Did you watch the video to see how long it takes?

I'm going to make my mallets my way and i thought the original poster would want to know my method, as this is what was asked for in the thread title.

Btw, now I make the handles out of oak from old pallets(the ones marked HT are not sprayed with fungicide.) The last ones i did i turned on a springpole lathe i built myself. I have spent a lot of time living off the grid and needed to be resourceful enough to figure out how to make a hammer without a catalog to order stuff.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I agree with Nuttish. I can have one turned, and drilled in far less time than it would take to melt a mess of milk jugs.

If you have your heart set on recycling plastic, take a holesaw to some 5 gallon buckets, or one 55 gallon poly drum. Cut the discs out, and stack them. Cut out the big diameter first, then go back with the handle size hole saw.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

OK, just watched the video, and all I can say is I'll send my jugs out for recycling. I could have a mallet made in the time it took him to just get his material ready. He mentions it took 1 hour to fit the handle alone. I can turn and drill the head from a chunk of stock in 5 minutes. I will have also used less resources than he did.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for reducing our waste stream, and conserving resources. I live in the desert, and have gotten my MONTHLY water usage down to 300-400 gallons. I compost my kitchen waste, and buy as few (over)packaged items as possible. I also do blacksmithing, so I take scrap metal, and make other items from that. I am retails worst nightmare, I purchase used far more than new. I am also looking to go subterranean with my home someday to make it more comfortable , especially during the summer.

Sometimes you just have to pick your battles, and melting milk jugs for mallets is not one I am willing to take up. But, I would like to see some pics of the one you make.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Old shovel, hoe, mop, and other similar handles work good. Since scrap wood is so available it would be a good choice too. When it gets too beat up, just replace it, and toss the old one in the fireplace.

As to the pallet jack wheel, I have never seen a front wheel that large of diameter, and never of solid plastic. Most are cast around a steel core.

Now if you want to get fancy, cut a strip from a 55 gallon poly drum,heat it up till it is floppy, and roll it up like a rawhide mallet.could even weld it as it is being rolled. 5 gallon buckets would take a lot more due to the thickness.

HDPE is a thermoplastic, meaning it is weldable. Heat the surfaces until they get glossy, and touch them together, done.

[TinkerTailor]

Not everyone has access to a machine shop or the funds to get one-off work done at a job shop. Most machinists in my area either won't touch anything for less than 100 bux, if at all.That is if you can find one that doesn't only do cnc.

I found a toaster oven at a thrift store for 5 bux to melt plastic in. Stainless martini shaker to mold the mallet head in was 3 dollars. Poly buckets are polyethylene as well (any plastic with a 2 in a triangle) use your holesaw (or whatever) to punch out a bunch of little pieces of plastic, put in oven and bake at 350 until melted, and then press into martini cup. IT WILL BE VERY HOT AND BURN YOU BE CAREFUL.

Stacked disks as you suggest tend to sepparate during use and are not as effective as a solid head.

I want to make my own mallets or mauls and was considering perhaps a cylindrical chunk of nylon like a big bushing is made from. Anyone have any other ideas or a source perhaps. Surely this has been done before. Just can't bring myself to drop the cash for a 'store bought' one.

I have also heard of using the nylon rollers/wheels that are on the front of pallet jacks. Try a forklift supply place for the wheels. they are just under 3" around and 4" long with a 1 inch hole. I think that leaving the bearings in would add weight and allow a smaller handle shaft. Just fill up the bearings with epoxy to stop them from moving when you beat on stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PALLET-JACK-LOAD-WHEELS-3-5-8-LONG-X-2-7-8-DIAMETER-/181608594847

[TinkerTailor]

Old shovel, hoe, mop, and other similar handles work good. Since scrap wood is so available it would be a good choice too. When it gets too beat up, just replace it, and toss the old one in the fireplace.

As to the pallet jack wheel, I have never seen a front wheel that large of diameter, and never of solid plastic. Most are cast around a steel core.

Now if you want to get fancy, cut a strip from a 55 gallon poly drum,heat it up till it is floppy, and roll it up like a rawhide mallet.could even weld it as it is being rolled. 5 gallon buckets would take a lot more due to the thickness.

HDPE is a thermoplastic, meaning it is weldable. Heat the surfaces until they get glossy, and touch them together, done.

True and you gotta admit that if you are down on funds and up on time, which some on this site are, the video method of mallet making is not that hard to approach or accomplish.

[Fonzarellis]

All good ideas guys. Don't think I want to fool with the milk jug thing but the pallet roller seems to fit my requirements better. I wanted something ready made and about 3" to 4" in diameter so the McCaster-Carr route might work for me. The $ 25.00 plus shipping is not too bad so I may check around locally to see if I can find something cheaper and not have to pay shipping. Making and attaching a handle is no big deal. I have access to plenty of tiger maple, red oak and hickory.

[TinkerTailor]

All good ideas guys. Don't think I want to fool with the milk jug thing but the pallet roller seems to fit my requirements better. I wanted something ready made and about 3" to 4" in diameter so the McCaster-Carr route might work for me. The $ 25.00 plus shipping is not too bad so I may check around locally to see if I can find something cheaper and not have to pay shipping. Making and attaching a handle is no big deal. I have access to plenty of tiger maple, red oak and hickory.

I found other sources that were more like 5-10 bux per roller not including the bearings on alibabba as well as a couple US distributors that have them in the catalog but no pricing.The Nylon ones are not as common as the polyurethane ones (which is a fine plastic if it has a high enough durometer). The reason I said to contact a forklift repair place is they may have rollers that are worn out or tapered due to use that they have replaced for customers in their garbage bin. A little belt sanding to clean up the surface and 'Bobs your uncle'

On a friday afternoon, they may also trade you a few brewskis for a few new rollers from the "weird sizes we never need" box in the back of the shop....Every shop of any kind has a similar box. The bicycle shop I work at, it is called "The BMX Graveyard"

Happy hunting and toolbuilding. I am always on the search for materials in my day to day life. I buy old wood handled screwdrivers all the time with broken tips just for the shaft and handle. When i need a different edger or beveler or something, I bend one to shape, grind a tip with the dremel, good to go. I can make an edge beveller/creaser in an hour with a dremel, diamond needle files, emery and a good selection of dremel grind/polish acc. Got a rack full. I had to do this partly out of necessity. I had several tendons re-attached in my right hand a few years ago due to a fight with a grinder at work that i lost...., and can't use the common bulbous tool handles for any length of time due to this. Screwdriver handles just work.

Just started posting on this site, however the "Tools I made" post is coming in the near future. Planning on starting a toob channel as well.

edit: i just had a thought that you could combine the ideas and get the cylindrical hdpe from mcmaster, and then heat it in a stainless martini shaker to press it into a taper without needing a machine shop, if you want a tapered mallet that is.

Edited March 11, 2015 by TinkerTailor

[Fonzarellis]

I pulled the trigger and bought a 12" piece of 3" rod from McCaster-Carr. The ones on the web from China are pretty cheap but 2" seems small. They seem to get good reviews though. Anyone have any experience with the Chinese ones? I may get one just for grins to see how they compare. I prefer a mallet over a maul as that is what I have used in the past. Seems to me the round side of a maul would tend to strike the tool unevenly. Having never used one I can't really make an accurate judgement.

[Feraud]

This thread is full of great and inspirational ideas!

[Nuttish]

All good ideas guys. Don't think I want to fool with the milk jug thing but the pallet roller seems to fit my requirements better. I wanted something ready made and about 3" to 4" in diameter so the McCaster-Carr route might work for me. The $ 25.00 plus shipping is not too bad so I may check around locally to see if I can find something cheaper and not have to pay shipping. Making and attaching a handle is no big deal. I have access to plenty of tiger maple, red oak and hickory.

I think it's still worth it. You don't need to have the tapered maul that I made. A perfectly round one drilled for a chair leg handle is not only adequate, but pretty darn useful. Go nuts with a more exotic handle. I could give zero poops about fancy mauls with custom machined hardware. I needed a heavy thing to whack stuff with. I used the same materials to make several smaller mauls for chisel work in the wood shop.

[veedub3]

www.amazon.com/Wooden-Leathercraft-Carving-Leather-Cowhide/dp/B00PY24OQK

www.ebay.com/itm/Strengthen-PE-Wooden-Material-Leather-Cutting-Hammer-Craft-Stamping-Tools-Set-/121585628994

www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-Stamping-DIY-Tools-Set-Craft-Tool-For-Leather-Cutting-Tools-Hammer-US/141495177407?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28772%26meid%3D2bf4876311c24d728c82f11951ab40cd%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D121585628994&rt=nc

The wooden handled ones are 14-15oz. The aluminum handles are about a pound (I've seen these for $12 + free shipping). I was thinking of getting a wooden one and filling it with lead shot. Deadblow mallet heh.

I have the wooden one shown in the second link you posted off Ebay. Got it for $9.95 plus free shipping, had it for about a month now and have yet to use it. It is actually 12oz in weight. (See 1st pic) It is rather light but I don't do much whacking anyway so it is fine for my needs. I took a pic of it taken apart, just curious as to how you would fill this with lead shots.

Karina

[TinkerTailor]

I think it's still worth it. You don't need to have the tapered maul that I made. A perfectly round one drilled for a chair leg handle is not only adequate, but pretty darn useful. Go nuts with a more exotic handle. I could give zero poops about fancy mauls with custom machined hardware. I needed a heavy thing to whack stuff with. I used the same materials to make several smaller mauls for chisel work in the wood shop.

Chrome don't getcha home....