Once more... Mauls

Here's Nichole's BK. She was flower carving these chink tops for me. Her chunk of granite is 18" x 24" x 3". Weighs 200 lbs. Sometimes if I'm good I get to come into her office and use "The Rock"

HQXQ9Wl.jpg
 
Alright Dave, I placed an order for the BK 16oz round maul.

I figure even though it's lighter than I'd have thought to buy, if you and the misses give it the seal of approval, it's good enough for me. It was a hard(ish) decision between tapered or not. My thinking is that I'd buy tapered if I tooled with the work a little closer to me than I typically do, but I'm so dang tall it's always a bit far away until I can set up a nice tall table. Honestly I have no idea what advantage one has over the other. It would be nice if leather & tool supply companies (across the board) wouldn't assume we know the difference. It seems to be a theme, which is frustrating when you want the best, but don't necessarily know what the best for you is.

Anyway, as is my way, I'll post pics and thoughts when it arrives. Now I need to start looking at stamps... Got me a jug of that pro carv a while back and want to try it!
 
Interesting thread. I don't have a lot of experinence with leather like you guys. I did a little bit of carving when I was a teen but that was a long time ago. I've recently gotten back into leather work making sheaths for the knives I make and I'm enjoying both knife making and leather work.

As a woodworker I do know why a tapered maul or carving mallet as a wood carver calls it is tapered. The degree of taper is related to the distance from the elbow to the center of mass of the maul. If the swing of the maul rotates about the elbow joint, the degree of taper of the maul makes for a more comfortable swing and the maul strikes the stamp or wood chisel squarely. I've made a few of my own carving mallets for the wood shop from hard maple, turned on the lathe and they work fine, wood on wood like y'all mentioned.

If your work bench is too low for your stature, or if your swing while you're working doesn't rotate about the elbow joint, say perhaps your swing rotates about the shoulder or wrist, then the tapered maul may not work quite right for you.

For leather work, I'm liking the sound of a tapered rawhide maul. I don't have any experience with a straight maul so I can't speak about those.
 
I finally made it up to Shreveport this weekend for a hammer-in. Saturday morning I went to the Tandy store a tried out the round faced mauls, and the hammer shaped poly ones. Unfortunately, they only had the 1lb. hammer shape and the 3lb. round faced ones in stock.

My sole reason for going was to try out the round faced variety, as I had never held one. I can say without hesitation that I liked it a lot. I tried it on numerous tooling stamps, including some of the larger 3D ones and it handled great. Due to forging, I have good eye-hand coordination, so that may have helped, but I could not tell any difference or drawback to using it.

The regular hammer shaped one is no different than a real hammer, but the 16oz. was way too light for me. I am sure the lighter hammers have their place but IMHO any poly hammer would do just as well as the high dollar Al Stohman.

I didn't buy one, as the 3lb. one was $120. That is a lot for a hobbiest like myself to drop on a tool to play with. It wasn't a matter of affording it, but more of justifying it, which I was unable to do. Maybe at some point.

My original post was to get feedback on the maul style hammers. This post is to share my perspective for others who are reluctant to purchase the round faced mauls, for fear of not liking them.
Unless you have never hammered anything, I don't think anyone would have trouble transitioning to these mauls. It felt great in hand.
 
Thanks for your input SC. I've been using my maul and it's fabulous. I can see appreciating it more and more as time goes on. I completely agree that the transition is very natural from hammer to maul. Like many I was concerned with glancing blows, but it seems to be a non-issue for most.

I really wish you'd had a chance to try a lighter maul in addition to the 3lb'er. Higher weight to quality was something I was fairly positive about, I'm no longer convinced. As you point out, some of the blacksmithing transfers to other striking tools for you, so maybe the heavier tool just makes sense. In any case, I hope you can justify one in the future. It took me a while, but I won't give it up. ;)
 
Yes, it could be at least partially due to my use of a 3lb. hammer for most of the forging I do. That weight hammer just feels natural to me, and stamping leather is a breeze compared to moving steel :) I did use the 3lb. maul with a variety of stamps, for both fine stamping work as well as heavier blows on larger stamps. I was able to adjust the force of the blow from light to heavy without difficulty. For lighter blows simply tapping with the hammer seemed to do fine. Yet, I am sure for smaller stamps/lighter work I would grab a smaller poly hammer if I had one.

I will most likely buy one, but I think I will wait and see if they put them on sale at some point, then grab one.

I do wish I could have tried a 2lb'er.
 
Trying stuff out is so important to me. I believe it helps all of us tremendously.

I would be willing to let you try out my Barry King if you'd like. As I understand it the balance is different from the Stohlman model. I'm not sure which way they differ, but the BK balances just below the head. It feels like you could stamp all day without fatigue.

Anthony
 
i just wanted to say "thank you" to all of you for your great feedback. of course you realize that now a maul is on my "to get" list and it is all your fault! :)
 
It's like any tool, it's not gonna magically make you awesome, but it sure won't hinder your effort.

Okay, I lied. It'll make you kinda awesome. [emoji14]
 
sure it will, after all it is a maul, and not just a hammer...!!!

na, i know what you mean, but i am starting more and more to crave for better tools :D
 
For sure. I'd have to take out a big loan to amass all of the tools and equipment I want, but can't justify. I'm counting on living for another 20-30 years in order to build a shop that I actually deserve. :D

Still, a little gift to oneself every now and then is good by me. :)
 
Anthony,
I appreciate the offer to try your BK and would love to, if only I lived close enough. With you in Ca. and myself in La. I don't think I will be able to.

Thanks again,
Ed
 
Just a heads up, Grizzly has their 30oz. poly mallet/maul on sale for $10.95. Other sizes on sale as well. Good price for the hobbyist such as myself. I ordered one and will post my review after I receive it. I figure whats to lose at that price.

http://www.grizzly.com/search/?sq=mallet
 
Yes! Pleas do let us know about these mauls. Looks like a great opportunity to get a good quality maul at a great price.

I cant find how long this will be on sale? If anyone finds it please advise.
 
Ed, I'm sorry I missed your reply. I had meant that I could ship the maul. It looks like you've found a solution. I'd really like to know what you think of the model you bought. If you don't mind, I'm particularly interested in the balance point. If you like the tool I'll go ahead and buy a 24oz. :)

Dwayne, I can't find an expiration for the sale either. I put the tool in my cart (and "save for later") for now. I'm guessing that the price will update after the sale, but I don't know for sure.
 
Hi guys,
I finally got time to try the Grizzly mauls. No question that they are not in the same league as the Al Stohman or the BK(I suspect). The balance and forward weight is not bad but not what I would consider acceptable in a $100 + maul. The poly on the face isn't as hard as the Tandy one, and I have some light impressions in it already. I suspect these are really more for wood chisels. For the price, and a hobbyist or tinkerer I think they will work ok, but I will likely buy a better one. Christmas is around the corner, might be something to write Santa about.

Anthony, If you would ship the BK to me I would love to try it prior to choosing between it the the AS. If you like, when I return it I can send the Grizzly for you to try.
 
Sure thing bud. Let me get on my feet a little more and I'll get it out to you. I've got a few things I need to ship anyway.

Shoot me a pm or email with your address. I think you'll find that the BK maul is a very well made tool. For the price I pretty much stopped looking into making my own. Them things is down right reasonable. :)
 
For me, good to hear the Grizzly mauls are softer, I like the quieter impact. The hard materials really get to my nerves. Long story and loud noises. I dont like either one.

Might have to order one myself, I will remain a carver no matter what path I choose in the future. I prefer multi media anyhow. :D
 
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