Carving Mallets

This all started when a co-worker asked if I could turn down a very old damaged carving mallet he had inherited. At the time "novice" was not an accurate term for my lathe abilities. The lathe I had was an early version of the cheap HF ones available out of China. So with it swinging between centers I grabbed a gouge and instantly learned a lot about dull chisels against old rock maple. With much sharpening between passes it came out of the lathe maybe not as good as new but with out the deep froe gouges it had. Another co-worker had salvaged some lignum vitae from stern tube bearings and supplied me with a few pieces. I went to work. It has been a considerable education getting the intricacies of wood turning to produce these consistently over the years. The lathe has changed and their shape has evolved and settled down to a tapered head with a maple stripped mahogany handle and a lignum vitae cap. Every time I come across a new (or old) wood worker I give them one of these mallets. When there's nothing pressing in the shop I turn out a few. As long as the material is available I'll keep making woodworkers very happy.