Would this mallet work?

[WoodysWorkshop]

I got my weekly Email deals from Grizzly and they have this mallet on sale.

All I have is a raw hide mallet, and I'm not sure if a round one like this I could use well so I don't want to put a lot into one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/d2808?id=YWRhbXMuam9obmVAb3V0bG9vay5jb20%3d&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=092517_d2808_box1

[cowboycolonel]

Here's the deal. Woody.  You want balance and proper weight.  If it works for you, then use it.  I prefer a maul. Using a mallet wears me out.  You have to pay attention to keeping the face aligned properly and you want to use just the right amount of effort on each and every stroke.  Once you get the feel for the maul, it's effortless and you can do it all day.  Find what works for you and then go with it. 

[mikesc]

That is a wood carvers mallet, not designed for leather tools,not designed for striking the tops of the metal shafts of leather stamping tools..it is a softer material than is used in leather mauls, it has some degree of "bounce" in the material and is designed for striking the wooden handles of wood carving chisels and gouges..It won't give you a precise enough strike for tooling leather.
It weighs nearly 2lb..It is balanced for hitting tools which are cutting into wood ( which is pretty hard ) and removing pieces of wood , not for the tap tap tap that is used for leather tools, which are being used for marking ( not cutting or removing ) leather, which is pretty soft.

re "shape"..a round "maul" shape is easy to get used to, and is more precise than a flat faced mallet..but what you have linked to is the right shape, but is the wrong material and thus the wrong tool.

Edited September 25, 2017 by mikesc

[ChasCS]

Plus, a wooden handled mallet or maul, doesn't absorb the shock, of the hits to cold steel. 

Unlike the shock absorption, that a maul with stacked leather handle, would provide you.

That's just something else for you to think about, when purchasing a tool, you wish to use for many hours at a time. 

Comfort is joy...

 

 

ChasCS

[Colt W Knight]

A normal mallet will wear holes or become concave which makes striking the stamps square tough after the mallet has worn some. The round mauls will wear too, but since you are randomly hitting around the head, it wears down more evenly and you can consistently get a good square strike on the tool. I have wood and stacked leather handles, and they both work. However, I much prefer my weaver rubber handled mauls with shock absorption built in. Far superior to stacked leather or wood in my opinion.