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Joiner's Mallet[8/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 5 mallets
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Every shop needs a mallet, and the best ones are the ones you make. Each board in the pack becomes one mallet: a laminated head with a through mortise and a wedged handle. Five boards, five mallets — one for your bench and four for the woodworkers you know.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head halves | 10 | Boards 1–5, two each | 5¼" × 4" × 1¾" | 5¼" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Handle blanks | 5 | Boards 1–5, one each | 12" × 4" × 1¾" | 12" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Handles (ripped from blanks) | 5 | Handle blanks | 12" × 1¼" × ⅞" | 12" × 1¼" × ⅞" |
| Wedges | 5 | Handle blank offcuts | 1¼" long × ⅞" wide, ⅛" thick tapering to a point | 1¼" long × ⅞" wide, ⅛" thick tapering to a point |
Head: two halves face-glued, long grain to long grain. A 1¼" wide × 7/16" deep groove in each half forms the 1¼" × ⅞" through mortise.
Handle: dry-fit through the mortise, top end kerfed and locked with a glued wedge. No glue between handle and head (cross grain).
Edges: ¼" chamfer all round the head; optional 5° bevel on the striking faces.
Finished size: S4S head 5¼" long × 3½" thick × 4" tall · S2S head 5¼" × 3½" × 3½". Handle 12" overall with an 8" grip (S4S) or 8½" (S2S). About 1½–2 lb in hard maple.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S) — hard maple, hickory, ash or white oak are best
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- Packing tape (for the glue-up)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Table saw with dado stack and crosscut sled, or router with a straight bit
- Bandsaw (best for ripping the handle) or table saw with push block
- Rasp, spokeshave or router with roundover bit
- Chisel and mallet (to clean the grooves)
- 2–3 bar clamps, 6" or longer
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 One board, one mallet. Each board makes a full mallet: two head halves and one handle. Keep the parts from each board together so the head matches.
- 2 Crosscut. Square one end. Clamp a stop block at 5¼" and cut two head halves from every board. Cut the rest to a 12" handle blank. You need 22¾" per board.
- 3 Lay out the mortise. Pair the two head halves and mark the faces that will be glued together. On each glue face, mark a 1¼" wide groove straight across the 4" width, centred on the length (2" from each end).
- 4 Cut the grooves. Set a dado stack or a single blade 7/16" high. Use a crosscut sled or mitre gauge with a stop block so both halves match, and nibble out each groove in several passes. A router with a straight bit and an edge guide works too. Together the two grooves make a 1¼" × ⅞" opening.
- 5 Make the handle. Rip a 1¼" strip off the handle blank. Turn it and rip it to ⅞" thick. A bandsaw is safest; on a table saw use a push block. Plane or sand until it slides into the opening with light hand pressure. Save the offcut for the wedge.
- 6 Glue the head. Spread glue on both glue faces, keeping it out of the grooves. Wrap the handle in packing tape and slide it through to line up the grooves. Clamp, pull the handle out after 20 minutes and clean any glue from the opening. This is long grain to long grain. Leave it overnight.
- 7 Shape the head. Sand the halves flush. Chamfer every edge about ¼". If you like, plane a slight bevel (about 5°) on each striking face so it lands square when you swing. Sand 120 → 180.
- 8 Shape the grip. Push the handle through so its top sits flush with the head. Mark where it meets the bottom of the head. Keep the part inside the head square. Round over everything below the line with a rasp, spokeshave or router, then sand smooth.
- 9 Wedge the handle. Saw a kerf 1" down into the top of the handle, parallel to the striking faces. Cut a thin wedge from the offcut with the grain running along its length. Tap the handle in, glue the wedge only, and drive it into the kerf. No glue between handle and head. Trim flush when dry.
- 10 Finish. Wipe on oil or hardwax oil, two coats. Skip film finishes — they chip on the striking faces.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 One board, one mallet. Each board makes a full mallet: two head halves and one handle. Keep the parts from each board together so the head matches.
- 3 Crosscut. Square one end. Clamp a stop block at 5¼" and cut two head halves from every board. Cut the rest to a 12" handle blank. You need 22¾" per board.
- 4 Lay out the mortise. Pair the two head halves and mark the faces that will be glued together. On each glue face, mark a 1¼" wide groove straight across the 3½" width, centred on the length (2" from each end).
- 5 Cut the grooves. Set a dado stack or a single blade 7/16" high. Use a crosscut sled or mitre gauge with a stop block so both halves match, and nibble out each groove in several passes. A router with a straight bit and an edge guide works too. Together the two grooves make a 1¼" × ⅞" opening.
- 6 Make the handle. Rip a 1¼" strip off the handle blank. Turn it and rip it to ⅞" thick. A bandsaw is safest; on a table saw use a push block. Plane or sand until it slides into the opening with light hand pressure. Save the offcut for the wedge.
- 7 Glue the head. Spread glue on both glue faces, keeping it out of the grooves. Wrap the handle in packing tape and slide it through to line up the grooves. Clamp, pull the handle out after 20 minutes and clean any glue from the opening. This is long grain to long grain. Leave it overnight.
- 8 Shape the head. Sand the halves flush. Chamfer every edge about ¼". If you like, plane a slight bevel (about 5°) on each striking face so it lands square when you swing. Sand 120 → 180.
- 9 Shape the grip. Push the handle through so its top sits flush with the head. Mark where it meets the bottom of the head. Keep the part inside the head square. Round over everything below the line with a rasp, spokeshave or router, then sand smooth.
- 10 Wedge the handle. Saw a kerf 1" down into the top of the handle, parallel to the striking faces. Cut a thin wedge from the offcut with the grain running along its length. Tap the handle in, glue the wedge only, and drive it into the kerf. No glue between handle and head. Trim flush when dry.
- 11 Finish. Wipe on oil or hardwax oil, two coats. Skip film finishes — they chip on the striking faces.
Why build the mortise from two grooves? Chopping a clean 4" deep mortise through solid hardwood is hard work. Cutting a shallow groove in each half before glue-up gives a crisp, square opening with nothing more than a saw.
Why no glue on the handle? The handle's grain runs up and down, the head's runs side to side. That's a cross-grain joint, so we rely on a tight fit and a wedge instead. The glue goes on the wedge, which runs the same way as the handle. A dry handle can also be replaced if it ever breaks.
Why turn the wedge that way? The wedge spreads the handle toward the striking faces, pushing along the head's grain. Spread it the other way and it could split the head along the glue line.
Make It Yours
- Two-tone head: glue a maple half to a walnut half for a striped mallet.
- Lock it tighter: before glue-up, pare the top ½" of each groove wall outward about 1/16" so the wedged handle flares like a dovetail.
- Through-pin: instead of a wedge, drill a ¼" hole through the side of the head and handle and glue in a dowel — glue on the dowel only.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Cut the head halves and grooves with a stop block and sled or mitre gauge. Never use the rip fence as a stop for short crosscuts.
- Rip the narrow handle strip with a bandsaw, or with a push block on the table saw. Keep your hands clear of the blade.
- Check the wedge before each use. If the head ever feels loose, tap the wedge in or replace it before you swing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Dense, tough woods: hard maple, hickory, ash or white oak. Walnut and cherry work but dent sooner. Exotics like purpleheart make heavy, striking heads.
Yes — that's what it's for. Use it on wooden-handled chisels and for knocking joints together. Don't use it on nails or steel; it will dent.
About 1½–2 lb in hard maple or hickory with the S4S head. For a heavier mallet, choose hickory or white oak.
Planned offcuts only: the end trim and about ½" (S4S) or ¼" (S2S) at the end of each board, plus the strip left after ripping each handle. Keep a handle offcut for the wedges. All 5 boards go into the mallets.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes 10 mallets: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan for each half.
