Very well made! Your glue-up is a work of art in itself. Carvers mallets were my first made projects on a lathe given me by an older woodworker years ago. Prior to these I'd practice every so often making symetrical cylinders but nothing triuly finished. The genesis of design over the last 15 years has settled into something I'm proud to give to any new woodworkers I meet in my travels. It's a great conversation starter and has led to a number of new friendships. I use Lignum Vitae for the body but I'll have to look for hornbeam now. Keep turning and show us the results.
Some of my most creative moments have been when I've had to cover up an error in my woodworking.
Note: Hornbeam and hophornbeam are not the same. hophornbeam is possibility the hardest native wood to the northeast according to the janka scale. Hornbeam is not as hard.
My point... while I love the mallet look, not everyone is going to wade through all the comments (18 at this time) to see how it is/was braced... sorry if I missed something to the contrary.
Cheap and woodwortking in the same sentenc is an oxymoron!
