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A mallet is a kind of hammer, usually of rubber, or sometimes wood smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head.
A rubber mallet, used in construction, woodworking, and auto-body work.
Stonemason's mallets of plastic, wood and steel
An iron mallet with copper faces. Solid head Copper mallets are produced with a round or square head.
meat mallet, for tenderizing meat
Tool mallets come in different types, the most common of which are:
- Rubber mallets are used when a softer blow is called for than that delivered by a metal hammer. They are typically used to form sheet metal, since they don't leave marks and are softer, as well as for forcing tight-fitting parts together, for shifting plasterboard into place, in upholstery, and a variety of other general purposes, including some toys. It is a tool of preference for wood workers using chisels, with plastic, metal or wooden handles - as they give a softened strike with a positive drive. It is the most commonly used mallet.
- Wooden mallet, usually used in carpentry to knock wooden pieces together, or to drive dowels or chisels. A wooden mallet will not deform the striking end of a metal tool, as most metal hammers would, but it also reduces the force available to drive the cutting edge of a chisel. Hardwood mallets are also used to knock in cricket bats.
- Copper, Brass and leaden mallets are typically used on machinery to apply force to parts with a reduced risk of damaging them and to avoid sparks. As these metals are softer than steel, the mallet is deformed rather than any steel object it is hitting.
- Meat mallets tenderise or flatten meat. Made from wood or metal, they are typically two-sided, one flat with slight bumps, and the other with more pronounced protrusions. Their use has lessened with the invention of cube steak machines and other electric tenderisers.
Less common mallets include:
- Rawhide mallets, which may employ rawhide covering a steel head, or simply consist of rolled-up rawhide, are used for leatherwork, jewellery, and assembling electric motors and delicate machinery.
- Plastic mallets, made of nylon, polycarbonate, or polystyrene are used especially in leatherwork and jewellery.
- Split head mallets, which have removable faces which can be changed to an appropriate material for the job.
- Beetle mallet, or a large mallet with a circular wood or plastic head, with rounded ends about 18 inches to 15 inched in diameter, with a handle about 3 feet (0.91 m) long. It is used by paviours for putting paving stones into position when bedding. Beetles are also used in jobs such as timber framing to shift the bases of large wooden posts, fit joints, and drive in pegs.
- Dead blow mallets, which have an internal cavity filled with steel or lead shot. This addition evens out the time-impulse curve of the impact, enabling a more powerful blow to be delivered without risk of marring the target.
Mallets of various types are some of the oldest forms of tools, and have been found in stone age gravesites.
Musical instruments 
Mallets used as drumsticks are often used to strike a marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, metallophone, or vibraphone, collectively referred to as mallet percussion. They usually have shafts made of rattan, birch, or fiberglass. Rattan shafts are more flexible than the other materials. Heads vary in size, shape, and material. They may be made of metal, plastic, rubber, or wood, and some are wrapped with felt, cord, or yarn. Heavier heads produce louder sounds. Harder heads produce sharper and louder sounds and generate more overtones.
Mallets are commonly used as children's toys. Lightweight wooden mallets are used for peg toys. Toy mallets are also used in games such as Whac-A-Mole. Another type of toy mallet is a plastic mallet made of soft, hollow vinyl, with bellows and a built-in whistle, so that when the mallet is struck, it produces a sharp, chirping sound.
The accidents received from mistreatment of wooden mallets in the workplace became a classic gag in the Looney Tunes Hanna-Barbera Nickelodeon Disney cartoons and 3D. Characters like Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Daffy Duck and Tom and Jerry made use of mallets as part of their arsenal in the Golden Age of animation.
In anime and Manga, it is very common for an angry character to pull out a large mallet, via hammerspace, and attack the person or thing that is angering him/her.
Make a wood mallet
This is a really sturdy woodworking mallet that is surprisingly simple to make.
MALLET LIVE,aus Wiesbaden, der pure Rock bei der Köstritzer Schwarzbiernacht im Moist-Corner..
Mallet, dieser Name steht für den perfekten, professionellen Classic Rock Abend. Wir freuen uns schon auf den 27.12.2012, da spielt MALLET bei uns zum Jahres...
Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet (Full recording)
Mallet Quartet by Steve Reich, performed by Amadinda Percussion Group on 36th Festival Internacional de Música de Espinho, Portugal 2010 July.
The Six Mallet Grip
How to play marimba with six mallets. Video instruction for the method "The Six Mallet Grip" by Kai Stensgaard. Learn more from www.marimba.dk. Method availa...
Mallet Wiesbaden I don´t wanna be loved by you
Mallet Eigenkomposition, von der Live-DVD "All for you" www.Mallet.de Recordet by www.bazement.de.
Mallet playing "Black Betty" at Rheingauer Weinwoche Wiesbaden 2010
Mallet playing "Black Betty" "live" on stage at Rheingauer Weinwoche Wiesbaden, August 22nd, 2010.
An accompanying video to my marimba building Instructable. http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Marimba/
If you know these kids now they've grown up... hit them. From a 1987 edition of Wacaday.
Marimbalogy.com Ep.7 pt. 1 Four Mallet Grips
Here's an intro to four mallet grips. Be sure to check out part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu5uDFswxG4.
Making a woodsman mallet.
Tue, 14 May 2013 14:50:10 -0700
Nicholas Benson never graduated from college. Instead, after a year of studying drawing and design at SUNY Purchase and a 10-month tutorial at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland, he came home to Rhode Island to join the family business. But this ...
Thu, 16 May 2013 07:27:57 -0700
The Coffeehouse off the Square will present singer-song writer David Mallet at 8 p.m., on Saturday, May 18. Even if it weren't garden time, it would be time to hear Mallet, author of the “Garden Song” (“inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden ...
Tue, 14 May 2013 03:46:57 -0700
The group is in its 4th season and is co-directed by LES music teacher Michele Henn and LPS music teacher Kristen Planeaux. Mallet Madness rehearses before school three days per week. Ensemble members show tremendous dedication for making music ...
Mon, 13 May 2013 02:15:56 -0700
Editor's Note: The opinions and analysis expressed here reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TD Bank, N.A. or its affiliates. Victor Mallet admits the pairing was not a logical one: a Ghana-born-and-raised ...
Waiting For Next Year
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:05:39 -0700
The Patriots, according to Howe are seeking a second round pick for Mallet. The Browns of course used their second round choice in this year's draft last summer on WR Josh Gordon. If the Patriots held firm to their desire for a second rounder ...
Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:28:34 -0700
Jason Marsalis stepped out as a first-rank bandleader at New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday (April 27), bringing a tightly drilled quartet and his own, distinctive vibraphone style to the Jazz Tent. Although best known as a drummer, the youngest of the ...
Thu, 02 May 2013 14:29:24 -0700
ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Charges have been filed against a man accused of using a metal mallet to hit a 55-year-old man in the head. Police received a call about an assault in the 4900 block of Arlington around 7 p.m. Wednesday. When officers arrived they ...
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:19:57 -0700
HINSDALE, N.H. -- With acres of outfield and no fence, the baseball field at Hinsdale High School is a hitter's paradise. And on a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon, the Monadnock Huskies took advantage. "The Green Machine" racked up 18 hits, including six ...
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