Dead-blow mallet

 

 

Choosing wood for your mallet

Tropical hardwoods, because of their stability and density, have been favored by tool makers for generations. Rosewood, long a favorite, meets these utilitarian requirements with the added advantage of unsurpassed beauty. But with genuine rosewood logged nearly to extinction, hardwood dealers substitute other look-alike tropical species. For outside parts of this mallet we used morado, sometimes called Bolivian rosewood.

For the core of the handle and head we chose ash. Baseball bats and hammer handles traditionally utilize wood species such as hickory and ash, known for their resilience. A handle as short as this one doesn't require much resilience, but the ash contrasts nicely with the morado for a pleasing appearance that matches other tools in the Collector's Series. If you wish, you can construct your mallet from any contrasting hardwood scraps.

Meredith Corporation 2002, 2010

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