Lignum vitae?

[Chris152]

I'm looking for a cylindrical lignum vitae mallet and can't really find one of the right size and certainly not the right make. So I'm looking for an alternative make. I've spotted this one for sale but can't get a reply from the seller about what wood it is. I know it's hard to identify many woods even from decent pics, let alone these - but what are the chances this one is lignum vitae? I've never really looked at the wood except occasional glances at bowling balls. It's made by Salmen, listed as 'Salmens Tinmans', and has a bamboo cane handle.
Thanks.
ETA - It seems new Tinman mallets can be had in either beech or lignum, I don't know if those are the only options on older mallets. And the new ones are nothing like the right diameters.

 

[Cabinetman]

Not my specialised subject but sorry it doesn’t look like any Lignum Vitae that I’ve ever seen, much too pale, and this is the heartwood, but then again it’s a funny colour for Beech as well, too yellow, the grain is a bit Beech like, not much help sorry.
Ian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Might be box, but it looks a bit coarse grained for that. Hornbeam?

 

[Chris152]

Thanks chaps, I'll stop looking at that one and the hunt continues

 

[sunnybob]

Chris, reason for such a specific search?
A mallet is a mallet unless youre a collector. If you want to actually use the thing LV wood isnt compulsory :lol:

 

[Pete Maddex]

Lathe and a bowling ball?

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

He wouldn't get the length, presumably.

 

[Lurker]

I would use beech with a lead core for added weight.

 

[Woodbloke]

I have an old lignum Emir carving mallet that looks exactly the same colour and has the same grain pattern. It's been made out of the sap rather than the heart, but in common with many dense timbers, the sap is as hard as the heartwood -Rob

 

[Chris152]

Chris, reason for such a specific search?
A mallet is a mallet unless youre a collector. If you want to actually use the thing LV wood isnt compulsory :lol:

I'm not a collector as such, but I'm sure this must be collector mentality - it's a missing bit in this kit
http://thewoodhaven2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8948
and I've become obsessed with filling the gaps! And I've found myself looking at other S-P hammers and dollies, wondering if I need to get them too. Hmmm...

Anyway, I just had an offer accepted on these mallets

which are listed as Tinmans with LV heads. The big one's 3", the middle one 2" and we need 63mm diameter. I know some people turn bits of wood on a metal lathe, is there any reason not to do that? Not sure what I'll use as a tool rest, but maybe as it's very hard wood I could reduce the large mallet to 63mm using an HSS metal tool cutter shaped for the job?

Thanks all for the replies.
C

 

[Lons]

That middle one is certainly lig vi Chris, I have identical bits of light dark contrast.

It's definitely hard but I've never had a problem turning using standard HSS tools, I also turned a bit on my little Cowells 90ME bit that was only around 25mm for a trout priest. The issue with a metal lathe is slow speed but you should be able to use your standard set up for metal work to reduce the dia, lig vi is oily which helps.
Worth a go before trying to cut by hand. I'd expect your first problem will be separating the head from the handle.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have an old lignum Emir carving mallet that looks exactly the same colour and has the same grain pattern. It's been made out of the sap rather than the heart, but in common with many dense timbers, the sap is as hard as the heartwood -Rob

You are correct. I've just photographed a mallet I'd turned from it, but life's too short to work out how to post it.

 

[Chris152]

That middle one is certainly lig vi Chris, I have identical bits of light dark contrast.

It's definitely hard but I've never had a problem turning using standard HSS tools, I also turned a bit on my little Cowells 90ME bit that was only around 25mm for a trout priest. The issue with a metal lathe is slow speed but you should be able to use your standard set up for metal work to reduce the dia, lig vi is oily which helps.
Worth a go before trying to cut by hand. I'd expect your first problem will be separating the head from the handle.

Thanks Lons - I'll have a go on the metal lathe and see where we end up. My wood lathe is in storage since the lad took over the garage. :| The handle on it now is cane, so I want to replace that anyway with ash or hickory, the woods Andy suggested. So I guess it's just a question of cutting the handle off and drilling it out.

 

[Woodbloke]

.... ash or hickory, the woods Andy suggested.

Hickory would be my timber of choice and the only place I know that stocks the stuff is Yandles. I used it for some drawer slips on SWIMBO's chest of drawers made some years ago and found it very difficult to plane but it submits readily to a little LN scraper plane - Rob

 

[AndyT]

Don't forget I was only guessing with my handle suggestions. My knowledge of panel beating is next to nothing, and it may be that the whippiness of cane is important. You could try them out when you get them, before doing any modifications.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks both. This is a photo I've taken from an ad for almost the same S-P set in slightly better condition than ours(!), showing the handle on the mallet. Do you think that's ash, hickory or something else? It doesn't look much like the hickory ones we have on our other hammers, but it does have the open fibres on those handles. But as I recall, ash has that too.

ps What's the name of the clip holding the front end of the handle? Ours is missing.

 

[Lons]

Hi Chris
I could probably find you a small piece of lig vi if you want to try on you metalworking lathe before the real thing, no guarantee of course it's the same as yours. You can get hold of hickory sometimes if you look for replacement axe or mel handles, might even find a hammer handle lig enough to rework. Do an ebay or Amazon search.

That's just a tool clip if that' what you mean. Easy to find (screwfix, ebay etc.) they will be shiny though.

 

[Chris152]

Thank you Lons - I think I'll be ok trying with the metal lathe and if I struggle, I know a couple of people nearby with wood lathes who I could ask to either do the job for me or let me do it myself on their lathe. I really appreciate the offer. As for the tool clip, yep, that's the thing I meant!
As for the handle, I think you're right - the original mallet seems to have a profile like that of an engineer's hammer, and I should be able to reshape one to fit.

It's coming along, I've been cleaning the working faces.We've given up on the hope of finding same-vintage replacements for the missing tools (the replacement dinging hammer stands out like a sore thumb) so will probably get a new heel dolly from S-P - the plan's to keep and use the set so little point in stressing over age-appropriateness!

 

[Woodster]

This is one I inherited, head is 150mm long and it weighs 825g.

 

[Chris152]

Lovely! Mallet envy. This is ours:

 

[Chris152]

The mallets arrived, definitely LV (end grain is really clear) - once I'd removed the nasty varnish and wax combo, the one we wanted came up nicely. The handle is pretty straight cane and fits the head well so I think we'll leave it as it is, tho I did have to cut it down a little. Anyway, now we just need that heel dolly, I'm loath to pay £45 for a new one as that's not far short of half what we paid for the set and other tools. But I may give in in due course if nothing decent turns up used.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
C


eta - Though the shorter handle on the replacement dinging hammer does rather upset me.