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T H E H A N D C A R V E D B O W L

Chapter 2 | T O O L S

MALLET

Using a mallet with a gouge,

whether for rough shaping or

finish cuts, can provide a good

deal of control for both depth and

isolated areas. For this type of

carving, where large amounts of

wood will be removed with heavy

blows, choose a wooden, rubber,

or even leather-faced mallet that

will absorb some of the force and

reduce the risk of cracking wood-

en-handled gouges.

WEIGHT

Its weight should feel comfortable

in your hands after an extended

period of time. If it’s too heavy, you

will unnecessarily wear yourself

out, and potentially cause damage

to your hands and wrist. Go for

a lighter one at first and move

up to a heavier one if necessary.

Finding out what you need this

way is much kinder to your hands

than trying to strain yourself with

something much too heavy, and

finding that out only after you’ve

reached that point. You’re a carver

now, and your hands are your

NUMBER ONE TOOLS.

SHAPE

Round heads are great for carving,

though I tend to only use my

round-head mallet for light waste

removal in isolated spots that may

have been missed during heavier

work. If you find that your mallet

is deflecting off the gouge handle

ends when taking heavier cuts,

try a flat-faced mallet, or create

a flat face on one section of the

round-headed mallet. So much of

this is about preference so don’t be

afraid to try a few things out.

MATERIAL

I prefer a dead-blow mallet for

the brunt of the work, just like

the ones you’d find in a hardware

store with a red rubber head and a

slightly harder yellow head, but be

aware that a smaller face means

that it can be harder to make con-

tact with the small end of a gouge.

Large wooden square mallets may

be better suited to this work but

can also be tiring to use for long

periods of time. Lots of people

make their own round-head

mallets on the lathe. I recommend

hardwoods like hornbeam, black

locust, hard maple, beech, or oak.

A resin or urethane mallet is a

good in-between option that offers

the classic round shape in various

weights to ensure you get the job

done without wearing yourself out.

RECOMMENDED MAKERS

Blue Spruce Toolworks makes a fantastic

resin-infused wooden mallet that is great

for light carving and general woodwork-

ing. Wood is Good makes a range of ure-

thane mallets of different weights that are

guaranteed unbreakable.