What type of hammer? do you use?

[battlemunky]

@zzmikeg, so far anyway, I have zero issue vouching for their mallets. Its solid and hits pretty even, the handle is stacked leather and fits the hand well. I'd give them my $ again easily.

[MedusaOblongata]

For years I had just been using a rubber mallet I inherited with my father's tools, and that mostly worked well enough. Then in a Cliff's Variety store I saw some mauls for sale. All I knew about mauls was that a lot of y'all leatherworkers recommended them, though I had never tried one. I checked the prices, then compared them to Barry King since it was the only maulmaker I had heard of, and went back inside and bought a Wood Is Good maul for $40. I've been using it for well over a year, and when I need another weight maul I'll get another Wood Is Good (wood handle, poly head). It's not as pretty looking as that leather one, but it works very well, and doesn't look beat up at all.

 

Also, I'm surprised nobody posted the hammer video yet: 

 

[blue62]

I've used the wood is good mauls, they are ok for punches, but the poly head is slightly rubbery so the do bounce some when hitting metal tools, rather than wood handled chisels, after I bought a Barry King maul it was like a night and day difference in the amount of force needed to get a nice impression or cut with a punch, the material the maul head is made of is considerably harder, to me that equals less fatigue when tooling.

[MedusaOblongata]

Thank you for the comparison. That is very helpful.

[billybopp]

I would add to this thread a couple of things that I found did NOT work!   I tried a couple of woodworkers mauls - One all wood, and another rubber - they did not work well.  The wood one tends to dent and eventually chip when hitting metal tools.  The rubber one was just plain too bouncy.  They will work nicely for other things - but not for leather work.  

- Bill

[JedLamag]

I’m not sure why the prices are so high on some of these mauls. I’ve been using a cheap one I modified, and a mallet I carved by hand from a log of birch. Both work just fine, I prefer the poly maul only because it’s quieter. I think mauls are one of those tools that we build a personal relationship with. If you’re tooling leather, it’s in your hands constantly, so it matters how comfortable it feels, or the story behind where it came from, how it was made, and how many pieces it’s helped create throughout the years. It’s kind of like a man’s axe, or his rifle (or a woman’s axe, her rifle for that matter). A sharp axe from the hardware store will cut a tree down just as well as that Swedish beauty passed down from grandpa, but it won’t be as satisfying. A working rifle aimed properly, will kill a buck just as sure as that custom Winchester you love so much, but the stew won’t taste quite as sweet. Same applies to a leather crafters mallet, it becomes an extension of your arm eventually I suppose. Well, I guess I do understand the pricing now. Nevermind. 

[chuck123wapati]

my maul is scrub oak from out in the woods company lol! When it wears out i'll just make another. This is the one of hardest woods growing in these parts.

[JedLamag]

On 12/20/2019 at 10:26 AM, chuck123wapati said:

my maul is scrub oak from out in the woods company lol! When it wears out i'll just make another. This is the one of hardest woods growing in these parts.

I love this... one of the best things that happens as a result of becoming a maker of things, is that you realize how much money you’ve waisted on things that can be found in your backyard.

[chuck123wapati]

21 hours ago, JedLamag said:

I love this... one of the best things that happens as a result of becoming a maker of things, is that you realize how much money you’ve waisted on things that can be found in your backyard.

lol thanks! Yea when you buy it you learn nothing, when you build it you get to learn and keep and use the knowledge, sometimes you even learn you should have bought it to begin with lol.  I love this maul it comes from where I have hunted and fished my whole life and where my ancestors put down roots well over a hundred years ago when Wyoming was a territory its much more than just a piece of wood to me anyway. 

[Sanch]

Ok I'll play here are the ones I use frequently and infrequently.. All except 3 are made by me.

[Roncadenhead]

Thanks chuck123wapati for the idea

I have been researching about making a maul, but all I have seen is using about $30 or more materials and a lot of labor. I have the labor but not a lot of money for materials, let alone $95.00 for a Barry King. I do have a seasoned oak 4 x 4  I have had for many years. It will now be lovingly hand carved into a handsome maul to bash leatherwork. I'm thinking the handle would be comfy wrapped in some thin suede leather.

My question is what do you folks think of wrapping the striking barrel with a water hardened 7-8 oz leather to save the wood from chipping off into my leather work? Good or Bad idea?

[Aven]

1 hour ago, Roncadenhead said:

Thanks chuck123wapati for the idea

I have been researching about making a maul, but all I have seen is using about $30 or more materials and a lot of labor. I have the labor but not a lot of money for materials, let alone $95.00 for a Barry King. I do have a seasoned oak 4 x 4  I have had for many years. It will now be lovingly hand carved into a handsome maul to bash leatherwork. I'm thinking the handle would be comfy wrapped in some thin suede leather.

My question is what do you folks think of wrapping the striking barrel with a water hardened 7-8 oz leather to save the wood from chipping off into my leather work? Good or Bad idea?

You could order a 2 lb maul with a blemish from W Rising for about $30.

http://wrising.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

[Roncadenhead]

Aven      Thanks for the tip. I'll go take a look.

[AzShooter]

On 12/12/2020 at 5:27 PM, Aven said:

You could order a 2 lb maul with a blemish from W Rising for about $30.

http://wrising.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

I ordered one of these mauls today.  I have been using a 16 ounce maul but my basket weave really needs more force to stand out.

[Aven]

14 minutes ago, AzShooter said:

I ordered one of these mauls today.  I have been using a 16 ounce maul but my basket weave really needs more force to stand out.

I hope you like it, if not love it.  I got mine about 4 years ago and I'm still very happy with it.

[battlemunky]

I have a Frog Jelly 2lb rawhide maul and am super pleased with it as well. It was pretty inexpensive in comparison to others. I have one of those cheap jobbers from Amazon too and it is crap and chipped early into ownership. I have a few rawhide mallets too and they are both good.