Deadblow Mallet

Sometimes, in an effort to make the best possible thingamajig, I overdo it a bit. Small projects become huge projects because I start to apply the numerous engineering and design skills I’ve developed over the years. Not every project needs anthropometrically driven dimensions and a parametric 3D model with life-like renders and stress analysis. Sometimes all the project needs, is just to get built.

In an effort to further develop my skill for scoping and constraining projects appropriately, I’ve been doing a bunch of small projects with varying degrees of complexity. This deadblow mallet was the first project I’ve done in years that I didn’t model in SolidWorks (though I did make a wee sketch… I couldn’t help myself).

I intentionally didn’t model it or measure anything. I just ran by Home Depot, grabbed the cast iron tee, and slapped a random scrap of wood on the lathe. The handle and striking surfaces are threaded right into the tee, no adhesive. This enables me to replace the striking surfaces as they wear. It was a fun project, is super useful around the woodshop, and it helped me gain some momentum building things in the shop. More projects to come!