New carving mallet

[Downstream]

I jumped onto my new Legacy Mill this morning to make a new carving mallet out of some hard rock maple chunks I have had sitting around for a few years.  Turn out pretty well and will be good to have a new one as a backup to my original one I made a number of years ago.



 

[maineshops]

I use those mallets for everything. Hardly pick up a hammer anymore.
   What is a legacy mill? Looks like a copy router? Tried to look it up and got apartments😘

[rusticretreater]

Its a router with a spindle setup.  Instead of using lathe chisels, you use a router instead. 

https://lwmcnc.com/cnc-systems/past-models/ornamental-mills/

[maineshops]

I see how the spirals work with the gearing. Do you follow a profile template for the mallet? Looks like a fun tool....dan

[Downstream]

I did not use a template on this.  The legacy mill allows me to chuck the blanks between centers and I use various router bits to create the shapes and contours.  I then went to the belt/spindle sander to soften the edges/breaks.  It also allows me to do a taper since the head/tail stocks are contained in an inner rail system that can be adjusted up/down independent of the outer rail system which is what the router sled travels on.  Very old school concept from the pre cnc days.  I'm just learning the machine and its capabilities since buying it last month.

[maineshops]

 Built a cnc router years ago but didn't put the 4th axis on it so it won't to radial stuff.
Do you think your router i faster than just turning by hand for 1 or2 pieces?

[Downstream]

tough question on ornamental mill vs lathe.  I have actually made similar mallets on both now.  here are my quick thoughts.  assuming you are at least average skill on both machines and only knocking out 1 or 2 I would probably go with a lathe.  piece to piece consistency probably not as good ,but overall simpler process.  The mill probably allows a more consistent process to be developed and better accuracy based on it being a more mechanical process.  I had a lathe, a cnc, and sold both and ended up with the ornamental mill for now.  Never felt comfortable on the lathe.  cnc was too much computer and not enough woodworking.  I wanted to ultimately do walking sticks so 72" btc lathe or  4th axis cnc gets expensive fast. 

[maineshops]

Fun to try new ideas and tools, especially for us tool junkies. Being out of room in the shop for a new tool I'll have to pass that one with tears in my eyes. Dan