This project was built and designed by Billy from Newton Makes. In this video, he shows how to build four different mallets using a mix of wood and metal—brass, aluminum, stainless steel, and all-wood designs—each with its own approach to materials, joinery, and purpose.
From heavy-duty impact tools to lightweight, fine-control designs, these mallets highlight creative ways to combine woodworking and metalworking in the shop. Whether you’ve got a lathe or just a drill and saw, there’s something here for every skill level.
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Why Make Your Own Mallet?
A well-balanced mallet is essential for everything from chiseling to assembly. Billy’s goal with this project was to offer four options that not only work well but also allow you to experiment with materials and shop techniques.
Each build showcases different handle styles, joinery methods, and shaping tools. These are more than tools—they’re a chance to expand your skills and customize something that fits your workflow.
Brass Mallet: Classic Weight and Precision
The first mallet starts with a solid brass head. Billy drills and taps the center to accept a threaded rod, which will connect to a walnut handle.
The handle is shaped on a small lathe—nothing fancy—and then drilled to accept the rod. Once glued in place, the combo of brass and walnut makes for a sleek, high-mass mallet perfect for controlled strikes.
Even though the head is set aside for final polish, the simple shaping and tight fit show how effective a budget lathe setup can be for turning out shop tools.
Aluminum Mallet: Lightweight and Versatile
For the second mallet, Billy uses an aluminum head and shapes the handle with standard woodworking tools—no lathe required.
After cutting the handle blank, he uses a router table and round-over bit to smooth out the edges. Aluminum is cut safely on the table saw using a metal-cutting blade, which shows how metalworking can fit into a typical woodworking setup.
With a bit of sanding and rounding, the aluminum mallet ends up being lightweight, ergonomic, and great for everyday tasks where precision matters more than weight.
Stainless Steel Mallet: Strength and Durability
The third mallet features a solid stainless steel head with a through-hole for the handle. This build skips threading and instead uses a traditional wedge joint.
Billy shapes an oak handle, rounds it out, and tapers the end using a clever stop-block method on the table saw. Once the handle is fitted through the steel head, he cuts a slot and hammers in a wedge for a secure, time-tested fit.
This mallet is built for serious durability—tough enough for heavy use, yet still thoughtfully shaped for comfort.
All-Wood Mallet: Simple and Elegant
The final mallet is made entirely from wood, combining a turned handle and a laminated hardwood head.
Billy turns the handle on the lathe for a smooth grip, then shapes the head using a router and sandpaper. The grain of the figured maple stands out beautifully once finished.
Lightweight and easy to control, this mallet is ideal for fine woodworking tasks like tapping chisels or adjusting joinery. It’s a quick, satisfying build that doesn’t require any metalworking at all.
Joinery Techniques
One of the most interesting parts of this video is how Billy uses different joinery methods for each mallet. From threaded rods and glue to traditional wedges and mortise-and-tenon setups, he shows that there’s no one right way to build a mallet.
Each method is tailored to the material, and Billy explains why it works—offering practical tips that viewers can apply to future tool builds or furniture projects.
Finishing the Mallets
For the wood parts, Billy uses teak oil as a finish. It’s simple to apply, soaks into the wood grain, and can be refreshed with another coat anytime the tool shows wear.
Metal heads get a quick polish and a light coat of wax to resist tarnishing. It’s a low-maintenance approach that keeps the tools looking sharp without overcomplicating the process.
A Great Skill-Building Project
Each mallet in this series pushes a different skill set—drilling, turning, shaping, cutting metal, and fitting joinery. It’s an ideal project for anyone wanting to level up their shop skills while building something they’ll actually use.
Billy’s clear walkthrough and creative problem-solving make these builds approachable. Whether you have a lathe, a full metalworking setup, or just a few basic tools, you’ll find something useful in this set.
Please support Billy by visiting his website here: https://www.newtonmakes.com/shop.