How to make a froe mallet. Fortunately we have been able to get sam bat the famous ottawa firm that makes bats for over 130 baseball pros to make mallets for us from pro grade overweight blanks too heavy to meet the weight limitations of. The materials are oak old futon frame and walnut scraps. Smooth over all sharp edges of the handle using a belt andor random orbital sander. After the wood had been removed it was ready to be flat split or pulled through a basket makers die.
Its a rustic mallet that im not afraid to abuse hitting a lump of steel. Simple quick and easy to make. After your forge or grind the rdge heat treat like any tooling. Softlight 110899 by susan gardener from the.
Ive made a mallet specifically for use with my froe. Ill just have to make another uglier mallet. If you want to rive split your own lumber from green logs and you want to use wooden splitting gluts wedges i use metal and wood together then you should make a larger version of the froe mallet which i simply call a large wooden log riving mallet. The basket maker positioned the froe against the cut oak tree and then tapped it with the mallet to carefully remove the trees precious heartwood.
Froe users often make their own mallets from green hardwood partly because it is inexpensive and partly because a good commercial froe mallet has not been available before. This mallet has a tung oil finish. Music is my own. Problem is i havent used it because i dont want to beat it up.
To make a froe use a leaf spring you can weld on an eye by heating the stock and using e 7018 rods. Make a froe mallet and large log riving mallet if you want to use a froe to split green wood then you should make a froe mallet. Make a curved cut on each of the handles four sides to make it a comfortable fit in your hand. Leave the bottom of the handle at the full thickness so that it serves to keep the mallet from slipping out of your hand as you swing it.
I needed a froe mallet when i was out at my brothers farm last year and ended up just making one there on the spot out of whatever was handy maple i think it was. This is how i make a wooden mallet for use with a froe or just generally in the workshop. When using a froe its nice to have a good heavy mallet. Use a wooden mallet as opposed to a hammer on the froe.
I couldnt find one for a reasonable price so i made this mallet.