Nostr Web Client

nostr:npub1m8vq2sjqqjxk27n66zqjl0kkzmxy02xec0ypagd7ujj02x2juy0s4jw90y I have a chunk of birch branch, about a foot long. I made it round-ish with a drawknife, and made the handle smaller and roundish with the same drawknife and a saw. Then I soaked the end grain of it with glue, which had the benefit of holding the birch together longer than it would have without the glue.

Recently, I’ve lost three annual growth rings due to hard use and it drying out, so I soaked it with linseed oil and didn’t use it for a week.

In use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPwQtesjKT4

Dave Polaschek 2y ago

nostr:npub1m8vq2sjqqjxk27n66zqjl0kkzmxy02xec0ypagd7ujj02x2juy0s4jw90y The birch branch came down in a big storm at Timber Bay Lodge in northern MN back in 2018. I scavenged it from their firewood pile, and it was still pretty dang green. I think it weighs about half now what it did when I grabbed it.

I strongly recommend finding a branch and making your own whacker to suit you and your hands. You’ll find a preferred side and if it’s too big, you can make it smaller. If it’s too small, try again. Oak is probably better than birch, but birch works.

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

Dave Polaschek 2y ago

nostr:npub1m8vq2sjqqjxk27n66zqjl0kkzmxy02xec0ypagd7ujj02x2juy0s4jw90y Also, if you get a green branch and a half-decent drawknife (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/flexcut-5-curved-blade-drawknife is definitely half-decent), making a mallet like that is less than an hour. If you’d rather spend money, Blue Spruce makes a nice round mallet, which is my preferred form for general use. https://bluesprucetoolworks.com/products/round-mallet

I also have a “dice mallet” made by a buddy (the one in IA with the lumber): https://www.lumberjocks.com/threads/dice-mallets.331334/ and if he has a spare on hand, I bet he’d give you one. That’s my second-most-used.