Noble Ignitus Extreme Croquet Mallets:
a few photos to show the process of hanging (attaching to the helve) the mallet head.
a 11 3/4" fishtail oak mallet head
I prepared the mortise by first boring out the main cavity.
A detail of the boring.
The cavity gives access to hand rasp the mortise walls. Only rasping by hand allows me to make the small adjustments needed to best mirror the tenon. A tight fit will make a perfect wood joint.
The bottom of the mortise is a bit wider than the top. This will allow the tenon to spread when I drive the wedge into it.
The hand rasping also has the benefit of leaving little tooth marks. These very small grooves will increase the surface area of gluing contact and thereby creating a stronger bond.
Each mortise and tenon joint is a bit different. It all depends on the tenon shape and the grain of the wood being used for the mallet.
I do not even worry about how many times I dry fit the joint before I am finished. I can say it is a lot!
A perfect fit.
I only use high quality waterproof glue. I apply the glue to the inside of the mortise, the outside of the tenon and on the wedge itself.
The wedge is made of a softer wood and when wetted (with glue) is softened up a bit more. This will allow the wedge to really form fit into the tenon.
This mallet is ready for final sanding and then for some flash.
As the pictures demonstrate, there is NO way this head can come off the helve. The mallet is both mortised and tenon secure with the addition of waterproof glue.
Thank you,
noble
