Make a mallet with THREE simple tools

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[@giraffewithtattoos2770]

Thank you for making a series for normal people. When I see a video of someone using a $2,000 table saw, $500 planer, $700 joiner, $1,200 track saws.... its disheartening. I can't focus on the project at hand because I feel like they're showcasing their tool collections and sponsors so the project is only incidental. Seeing common tools and skill used to make a 7/10 project is ever more appealing to me than seeing a tool catalog used to make a 10/10 project. And for what it's worth, your common sense and frank atittude really make the channel worth watching.

[@RexKrueger]

Man, that's EXACTLY what I'm going for. Thanks!

[@sunriseshell]

Exactly. I'm really tired of watching "makers" who are effectively shills and they either don't care or don't even realize it.

[@chrisg0001]

Check out Paul Sellers

[@hiker64]

I know exactly what you mean. I love videos that show "How to make a $40 poor man's vise" and they use $4,000 in power tools.

[@mizot84]

You're speaking from my heart! Actually this channel gave me back some confidence after watching all those discouraging videos using/comparing expensive power (and hand!) tools. I'm starting to build my roman bench today and I hope it will start a journey through woodworking because I have so many ideas but almost no space for big tools and just limited budget.

[@skoue4165]

Quick tip. When splitting a hunk of wood that is heavier than your axe, once you get it started flip it over so the weight of the wood is working for you.

[@ragnkja]

That’s very common when splitting firewood, and easy enough that any child big enough and old enough to handle a hatchet can manage it.

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

@@ragnkja Yes, that what I did often, when splitting fire wood at my Grandmother's house - wood fired wash copper, briquette fired water heater, wood fired stoves and fire places for cooking food and keeping the house warm. a ton and a half of wood ordered every year... and I was the lucky sob that had to split it.. and God help me if I ever damaged the axe handle near the head, or broke it.

[@cliveyb5326]

Guys,(and Rex)...please DO NOT use your hands , palms especially, to pound things,( like a tool). You may end up like me with a complaint called Du Puytrons contracture.The damage to tendons grows a thickening which pulls hands / fingers over into a curve. I am 77 and have had corrective surgery 5 times for this problem, have not been able to "clap with flat hands" for 20 years. Use mallets and hammers. I always say , use the correct tool for the job. The body will last longer , folks. PS. This disease is common to North European heritage I'm told.

[@jeffceriotti]

As a very new woodworker, there are so many makers to watch for learning. Most teach at a level I dont feel I can attain. Your videos are detailed enough that I learn and simple enough that I feel I can actually do. Love it. Thanks!!

[@Agamemnon2]

These three-tools builds are a really nice bit of back-to-basics kind of woodworking, I could easily see benches and mallets like this having been made in pretty much the same way from as far back as medieval times.

[@RexKrueger]

It's true! People make their own furniture for a long time. We can do that, too!

[@MCsCreations]

Dude, I'm from Brazil and we're having to rebuild our roof... And, well, we do it very differently than what is done in the US... So we use 2 by 4s a lot and smaller sizes to hold the ceramic tiles... Anyway, the wood got here the other day and it's ALL Garapeira... It's not the hardest Brazilian wood, but it's pretty hard... And all you need is to sand it up to 120 grit and use some steel wool and it becomes glass... It's beautiful! Anyway, lots of pieces are going to be left, so... I guess I'm going to make a new mallet! 😬

[@jreeder6168]

Good presentation. Old mechanic taught me that a wooden mallet transfers energy better against metal that metal against metal.

[@ronroberts110]

Woodsmen and bushcrafters call the striking of a blade with a stick "batoning". Its very common because to start a campfire, you need dry wood, and the skin of a branch will typically have more moisture in it. Find standing deadwood, cut a section of branch, and then baton it until you have a dry section from the heart of the branch to make tinder.

[@glennchaffin8446]

I am 71 years old and I have my grandfathers bit brace drill and his hatchet among other tools that were handed down to me from my dad so you can imagine how old they are. I love to work in wood and you have inspired me to make my own mallet using those old tools. Thanks from a new subscriber.

[@worm628]

You and Paul Sellers are my two favorite woodworking channels on KZbin. Keep being awesome and I'll keep watching! Your videos are keeping me sane during the quarantine.

[@BlacksmithTWD]

If the log is heavier than your axe head, once the axe got stuck in the wood, split it by rotating your axe handle so the axe will hit first and the weight of the wood falling on the sharp edge of the axe will do the splitting.

[@FTe-wj7ve]

It's motivating for newbie and under budget woodworking lovers

[@DariointheWorkshop]

Thumbs-up right at the intro. I love working with wood and I'm lucky to have quite a few tools (extremely cheap ones, that is), but I find myself more and more interested into getting to the final piece using what I have instead of getting new tools. I appreciate when people show that everybody can get stuff done with little resources. It's even more rewarding!

[@RexKrueger]

I also have a lot of tools, but I often think about what I can do without all the stuff. How can I put more knowledge in my head that will let me get stuff done with just what's on hand?

[@BrokenLifeCycle]

You're going up the tech tree. Eventually, you'll end up making a bandsaw Matthias Wandel style.

[@RexKrueger]

I've thought about it, but I really like my Grizzly. I DID make a lathe. There's a whole video series about it...

[@javanbybee4822]

@@RexKrueger Make a treadle bandsaw!

[@will-dd7ou]

@@RexKrueger hey i saw you trying to split that wood, if you flip it so that the blade is up and the wood is stuck to it, the actual weight of the wood will split itself.

[@austinhastings8793]

"Last week, you'll remember we melted down sand to make our own silicon wafers, and hand-etched a 6502 microprocessor using the marking knife we made in episode 12. Today, we're going to use our hand-made soldering iron to build a CNC machine!"

[@windhelmguard5295]

a good source for hard wood are tool handles. you can buy them for reasonable prises at any old hardware store, but you can also use broken handles from larger tools to make handles for smaller ones.

[@Arthurian.]

Your channel is like a PBS children's special, for parents to watch with their kids, on how to make reasonable life choices and also how to make things.

[@dalepatton4861]

I enjoyed this as much today as I did the first time I watched it a couple of years ago.

[@samuelc6246]

Made a new mallet today with wood from an old bed frame and old simple tools. Some of my furniture is made out of pallets and waste wood, including a massive vegetable rack that has been holding 8 crates usually loaded with discarded fruits and vegetables (I live of them, en cook for 3 big dogs every day) throughout all seasons twice now. I love your channel and your work, and if I wasn't "poor" (I chose the wealth of time and space, and the power of sovereignty), I'd gladly support. I have at one point lived a summer in an abandoned house that literally had a tree growing through one of the walls and the roof, and fixed it up partially (the part where the tree didn't grow) with discarded pallets from a nearby factory, and some found and "home" made tools (some of which I still use, including my trusted hatchet), also making basic furniture out of it, without harming the tree. Now I live in a forest, and although it saddens me, there's always dead trees somewhere nearby that I can use, for functional or recreational, artistic woodwork.

[@dougw2399]

Thank you for taking the time to make this series its right up my alley. I actually just bought your book i should have it tomorrow

[@enzo5935]

I am teenager and I've always wanted to get into wood working, this video is gonna help me make my 1st real build by myself Thanks

[@RexKrueger]

You can do it!

[@bretthildebrandt9250]

Just a little hint, when splitting wood with an axe. Jam the axe in the wood, then flip it over so the axe is underneath. Then let the weight of the wood block do the work as you drop it onto a hard surface, axe head first.

[@AntuandeSadExzepury]

My mallet was made from beech with apple tree handle from my garden And it is doing its job

[@johnkelley9877]

I like this tutorial because there was a time in this great land where those were probably the only tools a person would have had to make any kind of furniture. It looks great and has all of the beauty of a truly hand made piece of furniture. Power tools are great but mastering hand tools is a true art. Thanks for sharing this.

[@censusgary]

Using tie-down straps to hold work in place is a good idea. I have the straps, but I never thought of using them for that.

[@hanelyp1]

Thought to be pedantic, the strap is a tool. And if you used a rope for the job, the rope would be a tool.

[@SheyCrompton]

That hidden wedge is brilliant. I've been looking for an entry-level mallet. I think this is it.

[@fredericputnam9066]

A trick from my dad: once your hatchet is stuck in for the initial split, you can turn the piece over and strike the hatchet on the block so that it goes *up* into the wood; this uses the weight of the block of wood to split itself.

[@d.w.stratton4078]

Thanks for taking an approach that isn't pretentious. I love that.

[@dustinhicks6222]

Love the hidden wedge.

[@missioncreekfarm7715]

Love the 'strap' vice hack.

[@giantgeoff]

Besides 20 years of residential cobbentry I am a history nut and I always thought about the tools that were used by Jesus's Dad, and the Vikings among others. Their knowledge and skill was not in just making there products. It had to start with how they made the tools they used to create their technology. I instantly subscribed after watching your plane tuning video. I learned so much. Keeping in mind that on most crews I worked with I was the only guy who kept a sharp set of chisels and a hand plane in his tool box. I grew up in a town with 300 year old houses Which in America meant they were built by common ordinary farmers who's other responsibilities included growing enough food to keep everyone from starving to death, and not being killed by the former residents who had major objections to your arrival, And yet people are sill living in the houses they built. Your videos connect me with that

[@bighands69]

The vast majority of American continent was uninhabited. There was only several million for the whole continent of the Americas. The vast majority of the lands were settled with absolutely no conflict because there was nobody living on them. We get this idea from movies and modern political activism that the place was swarming with people and it was a mass butchering.

[@matthewcarpenter4716]

Woodwork For Humans!! Awesome! I started with Woodworking for Mere Mortals. I sense a theme in my video choice...

[@RexKrueger]

I'm a BIG fan of WWMM and I watch many of Steve's videos. I love his no-nonsense approach and quick results, but he's very power-tool focused and I think there's room for someone making approachable videos for beginners with the focus on cheaper and safer hand-tools.

[@jayman6905]

I have spoken to many wood workers and when I suggest doing a project that doesn't require workshop tools such as tables saws, routers etc as most people don't have them , they laugh and say just save up for them, or say those tools are cheap. 🤔. So I'm glad I came across your channel that goes back to basics and is possible for everyone to be able to achieve, good work, and forms a better skill base

[@neilaleksandrov2655]

The Ax for woodwork is a very Eastern European approach, super cool!

[@papitas6061]

That wedge technique is genius.

[@Kevin-jd1rm]

That wood is harder then woodpecker lips , nice job! Thanks

[@philipyates3194]

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, All a dwarf needs is an axe. With that he can make a fire, then a forge, then every other tool he needs.

[@mirekkuzminski3956]

I ❤ this rustic tool, I have been thinking about making one of these, but can’t find the wood, I will try my local county park, thanks for inspiring me brother 🌞

[@cientifico_puro]

You've got my like from Spain

[@zoltan2728]

Rex! At 5:13 turn it upside down when pounding! The axe goes blade up and when pounding and the mass of the wood will do the rest…

[@negotiableaffections]

In the nicest possible way, you're gonna attract archeologists to this series. You are highlighting a very basic, how and why of sticking bits of wood together. You could have called it 'wittling for big boys/girls'. Anyway, I'm fascinated, Rex, keep it coming!

[@RexKrueger]

Will do!

[@ButtonJockey]

I really like your videos. They have provided me with lots of information. Here's a tip I recently learned for when you are splitting a log with a small axe. Firmly set the axe with your "mallet". With the axe still set, invert the whole affair and swing/ drop the log and hatchet onto your block together as if you were driving a nail on the block with the flat face of the axe. The axe strikes first, stops against the block, then the weight and momentum of the log drives itself onto the axe working the split.

[@darodes]

Rex, I’ve been subscribed for a couple months now and I can’t explain how thankful I am for this kind of information. Building things (dare I say woodworking) is a new hobby that stemmed from DIY around the home type stuff when we bought our house. I’ve never been handy, bless my father’s heart but he never taught me how to build or fix anything growing up, and I entered adulthood with a drill and circ saw that was handed down that I didn’t know how to really use. What I’m trying to say is, I really want to build some more stuff, but seeing these channels with their $1,000 festool tools, planers, table saws etc makes it feel unachievable for a 30 year old, married father of 2. You make it achievable. Thanks.

[@taytus]

This was AMAZING. It's a stupid mallet... but I've learned so much. That's lesson about the joint it'self was a beauty. Please do more of these. Loved it.

[@RexKrueger]

Glad you liked it. I'll do more, for sure.

[@MrSierraBravo]

I totally like this "Back to the Basics" style of your videos. Please more :)

[@just-dl]

Rex, you are awesome! Great job on the project, and I really like the "accumulative" affect of building tools; start w/3, build the sandpaper stick, build the mallet, add a chisel or two, and you've got the capacity for even more detailed work. Well done!

[@RexKrueger]

Thanks very much. I future videos, I'll add some chisels and planes. We can do a lot with a little.

[@davelester1985]

You were very clear, concise, and your idea of the wedge was great, causing me to understand better wood. I will make one of these tomorrow! and now I am a subscriber. thanx... also, a bare min. of tools is good because a lot of people can't afford big machines, etc. Hell, if I went out and bought those machines my wife would send me to the doghouse. So less is more and a lot of help to folks like me.

[@RexKrueger]

That's what I'm going for! Good luck with your mallet!

[@tsarbamba642]

everyone else is living in a rockler showroom, this man is living in minecraft

[@Mark-im6pm]

Simply BRILLIANT.

[@thedanishtoast9773]

I love this idea with only simle tools

[@RexKrueger]

Then I'll keep it going. Thanks for watching!

[@jg1019]

I love the bit brace, mine is from my grandfather, and it still works great after like 60 years of hard use.

[@RexKrueger]

Will probably work for 60 more!

[@moneikahull9770]

I love your videos. I am a beginner and it let's me know that I don't need hundreds of dollars of tools to make functional things. Thank you for your content

[@JoeBob79569]

It never clicked with me until now where the term "green" came from, when describing someone who's new to something.

[@DRIZZT627]

I see you're green at knowing what green means

[@odinallfather4560]

This series is exactly what I am looking for thanks for the info and video series Rex.

[@jamesbreeden3140]

I want to make one . Awesome.

[@JuanBosco]

Great serie of videos, Rex!! Congratulations! I really enjoy them!

[@Eelapl]

What a joy to watch. Thank you

[@cashel1111]

so this was the start! what a great idea that you have executed correctly over the years

[@dmand2353]

Wow what a great video. Genius idea with the wedge!

[@Bdlawless]

Genuinely love watching Rex's videos. He has such a fantastic outlook and attitude. You can tell he is very passionate about woodworking! Love it.

[@alexanderschaible1696]

Thank you for reminding me to the basics. Greets from germany.

[@MattiasHandley]

Great advice! Also I am in love with your low tech, sustainable, approach. Knowledge is everything, tools is just a shortcut!

[@ericromano4028]

This video was great, thank you! I really like the idea you're going with for this series.

[@iainbrown4945]

Nice job/ nice orientation for future projects = extremely satisfying to watch

[@magicdaveable]

Really cool mallet build.

[@AkaRuby]

I love it. I think it's beautiful. I love the idea, i like making/learning to make things that are useful and practical

[@RockyMountainBear]

Bricks also make very good files/rasps for woodworking. Good stuff

[@stroys7061]

Love this project.

[@cullenherendon7936]

That internal wedge is brilliant. Mind. Blown. Nicely done, sir.

[@RexKrueger]

That's very nice of you to say!

[@axegrinder3746]

"Woodworking For Humans" is perfect. Thank you for not getting sponsored, it would ruin the feel of your work imo. Your videos are the best in every way please just keep going in this same grove. I am a top Patreon member now and your site is the only one. I have a very large shop. I live in a 100+ year old church building out in the country. The former sanctuary is my shop with tons of free natural lighting, we converted the lower level into our living space, it is an earth contact building facing East. I am a retired fine furniture maker as well. it's a dream come true and very humbling. You the best Rex, the others should take note.

[@RexKrueger]

Wow, you just made my day. Really.

[@alangomez7592]

Just discovered your channel. Loving it!

[@aball423]

Love the series idea! Very much enjoyed the last couple videos! Keep it up!

[@RexKrueger]

Thanks!

[@billofalltrades1468]

Hey neighbor, Lake County Ohio here! Great video!

[@marksexton1340]

Awesome video, as I was just beginning to make a mallet out of tree wood on my ranch. I really love the hidden wedge tip...👍

[@evashiker12]

Great series keep them coming

[@chesterthompson6835]

Just found your channel. I'm in Painesville Ohio and limited on tools so your channels perfect for what I'm looking at. I want a bench for bowl carving.

[@Cadwaladr]

Elm is usually considered a fairly difficult wood to split, but that's good for a mallet. That's also why it was traditionally used for chair seats in England. Sadly it's getting rarer all the time.

[@RexKrueger]

They call this "Elm" but it's not like any other Elm I ever worked with. I don't think it's really Elm.

[@nicholaswright6892]

I’ve only used red elm but it also smelled pretty awful - I’d be curious if all elms smell bad and if it might indicate this Siberian stuff is a true elm. I like the simple tool idea and great video as always, thanks!

[@Cadwaladr]

@@nicholaswright6892 I've worked with American elm, and I didn't think it smelled bad. Siberian elm is a genuine elm (Ulmus pumilio--"dwarf elm" in Latin) that was introduced in North America around the turn of the last century.

[@RexKrueger]

@@Cadwaladr "Dwarf elm? Really? The one this log came from was HUGE. Are they generally small?

[@Cadwaladr]

@@RexKrueger it's funny, because there's a tree that's found in South America called lenga, which is a species of beech, Latin name Nothofagus pumilio. They get as big as any elm or oak tree I've ever seen, but it's apparently the dwarf.

[@paulmouradian8968]

Great video as usual, I just joined your patrons, its incredibly worthwhile great job

[@patriciusvunkempen102]

great content. jsut found the channel and love your approach, simple tools, all you need. no fancy modern tool that cost hundreds of bucks, if you do not need em

[@howardjones543]

I watched these when they came out, but accidentally just started the series again. I'm halfway through reading Aldren Watson's Country Furniture, and these fit really nicely with that!

[@databanks]

Doing a lot with very little - something I've had to do most of my life and it's always a joy to see someone teach skills that help with this. Thank you. You've won over another subscriber. Now, could you help explain to my landlord that the offcuts of timber and metal I use aren't "useless junk that clutters up the yard" and really ARE parts for projects? Apparently seeing the finished products and seeing the pile grow and shrink with use isn't evidence that it's not a useless pile of rubbish (no, the rubbish actually goes in the bin)

[@RexKrueger]

You'll need a new landlord. I've been there.

[@kevinelliott5823]

Just finished a mallet from old oak wheel chock and made the handle from mulberry branch I’ve had for years. Love it!

[@alfonsomunoz4424]

9:23 I've picked up good oak from the sidewalk myself. Used a table leg to make a sledgehammer handle.

[@glassroboto]

So excellent, really nice work man! And your attitude about what you are doing is exactly what we need!

[@RexKrueger]

I'm really glad to hear that. If you have a specific thing you want me to make with limited tools, be sure and let me know!

[@ryanmoran6168]

Thank you so much Rex! I've tried and failed at woodworking a few times in the past (granted I didn't do any research. just kind of winged it). Your beginner information is fantastic and the motivation I needed to give woodworking another shot!

[@TheS1dney]

This series is awesome! Came across this video whilst looking for something to do during a rainy day and me and my son (4yo) made something similar out of some old off cuts in the shed with a chisel and saw, it looks like a bag of chips but hes stoked and has shown the entire family! Thanks again

[@DClairRobinson]

Got myself a bit brace thanks to you. It's wonderful.

[@RexKrueger]

I'm really glad you like it!

[@rigorhead01]

The wedge holding the handle in is a very good idea! I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm gonna make a mallet similar to yours, but I have a hickory, store-bought handle. I'm gonna use this technique, thank you!

[@zhookeeper]

Awesome direction for this series. Back to basics I think gets us back in touch with the actual properties of the materials we are using.... Great for me and great for kids to get them into making without sweating the details. 👍

[@RexKrueger]

If you're watching, a hatchet is totally okay for older kids. My daughter is 5, so I'm gonna wait a few more years.

[@zhookeeper]

@@RexKrueger yep. Boy 10 and girl 13. Imagining them as 5 year olds overconfident with an axe... I'd run. 😁

[@GenePavlovsky]

It's probably obvious, and maybe you mentioned it and I missed it: The faces of the mallet should be slightly angled compared to the axis of the handle. When you hit e.g. a chisel with the mallet, the head travels in an arc, the goal is to have the face of the mallet's head hit the chisel flat. The correct angle depends on the point you grip the handle at. For a heavy-duty chisel with a longer handle, the angle will be very shallow, while a light duty chisel you might hold close to the head, the angle will be more pronounced.

[@evashiker12]

This and your rolling pin hammers inspired me to glue some oak pallet slats together to make a mallet. I’ll probably do a through and through tenon though since I don’t have wet and dry wood to combine I’ll use an oak 2x4 pallet runner to make the handle out of, wish me luck. Love your channel, keep up the great work.

[@RexKrueger]

Good luck! I hope I get to see it!

[@evashiker12]

Rex Krueger I sent you a photo on messenger

[@rogertulk8607]

Just a little note here, when I was a kid in England and we had fireplaces in our homes, my neighbours would chop wood and when they had to split a heavy log like the one you had, they would start the axe into the top of the the log, turn the whole thing upside down and bring it down on the chopping block. The weight of the log would drive down onto the axe head and split easily. You might want to try this. I do this myself.

[@francois-xavierdessureault8039]

Until I found your channel, I'd been meaning to get into woodworking for a long time but I always felt that I needed too many tools, space and skills... well, no more excuses! As an arborist it just makes so much sense to me to get to know wood intimately and create some beautiful items out of trees that might end up in a wood chipper or a firewood pile. So I finally made a small mallet following these instructions, using some black cherry from a firewood pile for the head, and for the handle I used a decent length of hophornbeam that was broken accidentally when felling borer-infested white ash in a nature park... it turned out GREAT, I love the solid, heavy feeling it has in my hand, and that tenon joint feels like it'll last a hundred years. I've got a piece of elm drying up to make a bigger one next :) Thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos, it means a lot to me and no doubt to a lot of people who were afraid of actually trying their hand at woodworking.

[@geirkselim2697]

I made one of these mallets this weekend and it came out great. I used a common 4x4 for the head and a maple branch for the handle just because it's what I had handy but I'm not too worried about the longevity because I only have a few drops of glue invested in it 😂

[@tomdenny8507]

Rex, I really enjoy your attitude towards wood working. I purchased your book and bought a copy for my brother as well. This channel is one of my favorites. Keep up the good work and I look forward to your next video offering.

[@RexKrueger]

Hey Tom! Thanks a lot! I really appreciate you getting the book. It's a huge help!

[@TheFallorn]

More videos like this please!

[@brianrust5275]

Love this idea and love the series. I wish more people did more videos like this. I have lots of nice planes and big machines but there is nothin like grabbing a hatchet and carving a spoon or just making tools!! Love it man keep it up!!

[@RexKrueger]

Thanks so much!

[@elguapo5857]

I really like these 3 simple tool videos. Keep them coming

[@RexKrueger]

Glad you like them. I'll keep at it!

[@elguapo5857]

@@RexKrueger I think a Christopher Schwarz style Roman workbench would really go good with this 3 tool series. Perhaps it can be the next project ?

[@Burnnskii_Gaming]

This is awesome, I just went out today sharpened up some old chisels and made this first project myself. Didnt think I had what was necessary to do any wood working but you've proved that to be false and encouraged me to complete my first project! Thanks!

[@scottsimpey2965]

Great work. Really liking this series so far and looking forward to upcountry videos. Oh I finally picked up a brace and got a few bits with it as well. Working on cleaning up the bits but am really looking forward to giving it a try.

[@RexKrueger]

A great way to de-rust the bits is to just drill into a piece of 2/4. Cleans off a lot of the rust.

[@thneuburger8977]

really awesome, thank you so much