I've always gotten so little done in wood working because I love making tools more than furniture. This was great. It's a good example of how unintuitive but important knowledge is everywhere in tool-use and design, too. I'd never seen this approach to creating mallet head angles, and when I've done it in the past, I literally eyeballed it. Whoops. Maybe that's why I don't use the mallet so often.

I’m impressed a 2010 web page is still up. The links at the end are pretty much all dead. I have actually wondered what the angle should be when I turn a mallet—now I know.

My favorite part of these woodworking diaries is when they inevitably make a minor mistake like hammer in the wedge too early, or fasten/glue something upside-down. It's a delightful little window into their thought process, and the sort of complacency we see in other crafting disciplines.

What shall I make with all my tools? I shall make another tool!

Familiar impulse among software engineers.

Lovely writeup. Makes me want to go make something with my hands!

I like marking the date with the stamp of a penny. I knew a builder who did similar on a home and used pennies as washers in a few places— date visible of course. Otherwise good write up and never used a hammer or mallet with angled face