The Mallet. This tool should be used upon chisel handles, as a hammer will destroy the handle in a very short time.

Mallets are of two shapes, the square-faced

(Fig. 16, a) and the round mallet (6),. the latter being preferred by many workmen as it will always strike a fair blow upon the chisel handle, while the square-faced mallet sometimes will miss, and inflict a painful blow upon the hand. In general, the handle of a square-faced mallet is round, which allows the mallet to turn in the hand; if the handle were made elliptical, like a hammer handle, there would be less likelihood of missing the chisel handle when striking a blow.

Fig. 16. - Mallets. a, square-faced mallet; b, round mallet.