I think I got the pattern for this mallet from Fine woodworking magazine. I wanted to play around with the double wedge tenon and see how it works, plus the head on my old mallet had split, so I wanted a head that was joined by a big sliding dovetail.
Shaping the handle with various sanding and material removal implements until it looks like a handle.
I made 2 of them because I have a friend who loves mallets for some reason.
Zoomed in to see the dovetail. it runs the length of the head, and after at least 5 years of abuse, no splitting or deterioration of any kind.
Wedge tenon on the top, so the attachment tapers wider at the bottom, preventing it from sliding down the handle, and wider at the top (at least once the wedge is driven in), preventing the head from flying off and killing an endangered bird or rodent.
