Which wood is good for turning a simple carvers mallet?

[tonyps]

Evening all,
I am getting back into turning after a long absence from it, I am really not much past a beginner, the basics down, continuing to learn.
I was given 4-5 pieces of dogwood, 4-5" diameter and 15-16" long to try my hand with (so about firewood size).
They had been sitting out for a while I am guessing, as all of them have telegraphing surface cracks on each end, that after turning, were also found to run fairly deep through most of the length and thickness of the wood.
So, they turned out not to be any good for creating the mallet I am after.
So, my question would be, what wood is good for making these simple mallets, that could also take a good blow or three (as I also assist my in-law in some chair making activities) and where could I get these that would yield a really good tool? Affordable being an additional requirement..
My goal is to turn out a couple of these that end up being 12-13" in length, the business end approx. 3-3 1/2 in diameter by 4-5" long, the handle about 2" in diameter, 7-8" long.....nothing fancy, but effective to use....
I thank you for your assistance, info and advice.
Best wishes,
Tony.

 

[Leviblue]

Hard rock maple or a tight grain maple wood is what I've used and seen most of. Iron wood may be a good option, but can be difficult to turn.
YMMV

 

[Steve Martin]

Beech, hornbeam, osage orange, locust-honey or black, almost any fruit wood (I've had good luck with Bradford Pear). Make the head out of any of the ones already mentioned and the handle out of ash, hickory, pecan, oak. Personally, I would use the dogwood but would turn the grain in the head so it is perpendicular to the grain direction of the handle. That is like making a butcher block by turning the grain facing up. Good luck!

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Kevin and Steve have given you some good choices for wood. The only one I would add is Elm, especially if you can get it from the crotch of a tree. Exceptionally tough!

Whatever wood you use, I would suggest it not include the pith, and make sure the grain is straight (think quarter sawn). The exception to this would be if you can get a really gnarly section of tough crotch wood.

HTH

Bill

 

[KenOfCary]

All of the ones I've made have been of Hard Maple, except for my very favorite one that I now use all the time.

It is made of Lignum Vitae and is very hard and dense. Pretty heavy for it's size as well.

Might be hard to find a suitable blank. I found a piece large enough to make two of them at Klingspor in Raleigh. Haven't seen any there since that one piece.

- Ken.

 

[HLW]

One other very tough wood not mentioned is Black Gum.It is very hard and once was used to make wagon wheels. I just cut one last week and I plan to turn a mallet from it. I remember farmers used to make work sleds (pulled by horses)from it also.

 

[Tarhead]

What do you plan to hit with this? For hitting smooth ended chisels just about any medium to hard wood works. For Froes (Sp?) would use the first 6" of Dogwood root underground from a sapling with a -2-3 inch diameter trunk above ground for the head. Leave the first 20 inches or so of the trunk attached. Plenty of dying Dogwoods to choose from.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I made a couple from dogwood. Not difficult to turn and as said earlier, the end grain is the banging end. I used scrap oak, necked down toward the head, for the handles. Nowhere near as dense as Lignum Vitae (nor as expensive), but hard enough for banging on wooden handle chisels.

 

[Willemjm]

I made one from an Almond tree stump, hardest wood ever turned and the only mallet I have used for years.

 

[BobcatBob]

I made one out of a branch from a white oak tree. Turns out to be a solid, dense piece of wood that I turned down on my lathe. Has a good feel to it and works well.

Bob