Gavels which are basically small wooden hammers (or mallets) are traditionally used in courtrooms for getting the attention of the crowd. But I see them more in more in daily use for meetings with larger groups. They are more useful than a loud whistle or a clap of the hands.
You can make gavels out of most any wood including some of the fancy exotic woods like cocobolo which would be more traditional.
In this project, Dave Harmes shows us how he makes a gavel. The pictures are very good and show all the steps necessary to make this project. It says that it can be made in 1/2 hour but I've always taken 2 to 3 times longer myself.
In this photo tutorial, Larry shows how to assemble both the handle and the head on this gavel. He has wonderful close-ups to show the fine detail that you typically see on the head of the gavel. He shows each cut and the tool that he uses to make it. He also shows an interesting jamb chuck which he uses to perfectly center the handle hole in the head of the gavel.
Larry also shows us how he uses the Beall wood threading kit to tap threads in the head. And then to thread the handle so that it screws into the head.
Larry's great step-by-step photo's and description make this into an easy project!
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