Lost Art Press

Infill Joiner’s Mallet from Woodworkers Edge

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One of my favorite English tools is the traditional infill joiner’s mallet. It has a brass head that is “infilled” with a dense wood and equipped with a nice chamfered handle.

These mallets were made in a variety of sizes and use for everything from driving chisels and carving tools to heavy-duty assembly chores. They have all the punch of a deadblow mallet without looking like a plastic clown hammer.

The bad news is that these joiner’s mallets are difficult to find in North America – I bought mine from English tool dealers. And when you do find them, they are pricey – too pricey for a working tool.

But now Glen D. Huey of the WoodworkersEdge.com has resurrected this awesome tool after years of making and testing prototypes. I’ve been testing one of those prototypes for more than a month now, and I can report that it is fantastic.

The head is 16 oz. of brass that is milled out of a solid billet (by a U.S. company, by the way). It’s a complex shape with some important details. The brass shell has a coffin shape, and this curve lets you drive tools with some delicacy. See Glen’s video that shows this in action here.

The ends of the mallet head are properly angled to match the angles on the striking surface. These angles ensure your mallet blows will be properly directed straight down when you hit the head of a tool.

The infilled wood on these mallets is quartersawn white oak, a tough wood and a very American touch. The corners of the infill are chamfered to prevent the infill from splintering when you strike a glancing blow.

The 11-3/4”-long handle on the Woodworkers Edge mallet is actually nicer than the ones on the originals. Huey gave the handle a nice silhouette and added stop-chamfers so the corners don’t bite into your hand. The handle is available in maple, cherry, walnut or a custom wood for a slight upcharge.

In other words, he got all the details right.

An original mallet (with a larger head) and the new one from the Woodworkers Edge.
An original mallet (with a larger head) and the new one from the Woodworkers Edge.

Though Glen is known mainly as a custom furniture-maker, author and teacher, he has long been interested in making tools such as this mallet and (I hope someday) a nice folding rule.

In the interests of full disclosure: I’ve known Glen for a long time and worked with him for many years at Popular Woodworking Magazine. I also think the world of his work, and I know you will too once you see this mallet and put it to use. Glen loaned me this prototype to test, but he ain’t getting it back. Instead, I’m sending him a check.

The mallets are available for $185 for one of the stock woods from Glen’s store. Click here to check them out. Highly, highly recommended.

— Christopher Schwarz

The Tool Chest as Time Capsule

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When I built the tool chest for “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” my goals were both selfish and hereditary. My chest is an ark, a way to carry my tools forward in time to protect them for my kids or – barring that – my grandchildren.

People ask me all the time if they should buy either new tools or vintage ones. The answer is: neither. If you can acquire tools that have been properly set up and cared for, you will have acquired one of the greatest treasures of the craft.

So this morning I was heartened by a blog post by Joshua Klein, a Maine furniture restorer and excellent photographer. He and his 3-year-old son, Eden, have just finished building a tool chest for the young one.

It is awesome. Check it out here.

I had a tool chest when I was young – the folding plywood sort filled with tools with blue plastic handles. I loved that chest, and I know that Eden will love his even more.

— Christopher Schwarz

Broad and Simple Rules

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“1. Never encourage the manufacture of any article not strictly necessary, in the production of which Invention has no share.
2. Never demand exact finish for its own sake, but only for a practical or noble end.
3. Never encourage copying or imitation of any kind, except for the preserving of great works.”

— John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice (1854)

For more thoughts on Ruskin and thoughts on furniture design, visit James Watriss’s blog.

The Prequel to ‘With Hammer in Hand’ (One Last Auction)

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Before Charles F. Hummel published “With Hammer in Hand” in 1968, he was obviously spending a lot of time researching the Dominy family and their tools.

In 1965, he published a great 19-page article in the “Winterthur Portfolio” about the Dominy’s tools that were made in England. This piece is in the same pattern as “With Hammer in Hand” – very interesting narrative followed cool photos of the Dominy’s tools and a discussion of each one.

The “Winterthur Portfolio” is a hardbound book that was published annually by Winterthur Museum. Hummel’s article appears in this second annual edition, which also includes articles about the portraiture of John Singleton Copley, and two articles by Nancy A. Goyne (a familiar name!) on a desk and the metal called “Britannia.” Plus much, much more content that I am too lazy to type here.

If you are a book nerd, an old tool nerd or a double nerd like myself, you will enjoy reading Hummel’s article on the Dominys and will want it to sit next to your copy of “With Hammer in Hand.” It’s like having a copy of the movie “The Searchers” next to “Star Wars.”

All proceeds from this auction go to benefit The Wood Whisperer to defend against a nasty and expensive DDoS attack. We will ship this book anywhere. To participate, simply state your bid in a comment below. The bidding starts at $10. The highest bid as of midnight Sunday, March 18, wins the book.

Thanks to everyone who has been helping out this last week. You are making a difference.

— Christopher Schwarz

Back Bevels for Block Planes

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Some people use back bevels on bevel-down planes to increase the cutting angle up from the standard 45°. This reduces tear-out. However, some sources recommend these back bevels for block planes only.

Huh?

Yesterday evening I read “Carpenters’ Tools” by H.H. Siegele (Frederick J. Drake, 1950), which is a fascinating little book filled with surprises. In the chapter on block planes, Siegele recommends honing the tool’s bevel at a very low 20°. Then he says you can either sharpen the back flat or raise the back 5° off the stone.

Siegele says this 5° back bevel is more common than sharpening the back flat. Why is it useful? He doesn’t say exactly, but he states the back bevel is an improvement when the bevel has been hollow-ground on a grinder with a small-diameter wheel.

To me, that says Siegele is trying to improve the edge life of his block plane – especially because he is honing at 20° to 23°. But there’s more at stake than edge life alone when you look at all of Siegele’s advice.

In the book’s section on bench planes, Siegele recommends again a low 20° hone for easy woods, but he says you always sharpen the back flat. No back bevel.

So why use a back bevel on a block plane but not a bench plane?

Easy. The wear bevel. When you use any handplane, the part of the blade that gets the most wear is the little bit of metal that faces down against the work. On a bench plane, that means the primary bevel takes the most abuse. That’s not a big deal because the primary bevel also receives most of the work when you hone it.

But with block planes, it’s the back of the blade that gets beat up and worn away. So a back bevel on a block plane is a very good thing. Yes, the back bevel will improve edge life, but it also ensures that your edge will actually be sharp by getting you to hone away the wear bevel.

— Christopher Schwarz