36. 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. 40, a) and the round mallet (b), 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.
Fig. 40.—Mallets.
a, square-faced mallet; b, round mallet.
37. Saws.—(A.) The saws used by the carpenter are for cutting parallel with, or across, the grain, or a combination of the two, and all are composed of two parts, the “handle” and the “blade.”
The teeth of a ripsaw (Fig. 41, A) are suitable for sawing in a direction parallel with the general direction of the grain. The points of different saws may be from one third to one seventh of an inch apart, and form a series of chisels, the cutting edges of which are filed so that they are at right angles to the sides of the blade. In action, the saw is pushed against the wood, each tooth cutting a little deeper than the one preceding it.
The cutting-off saw (Fig. 41, B) has from six to twelve knife-pointed teeth to an inch, the cutting edges being parallel to the sides of the blade, and filed so that the point of the tooth is upon the side which is set beyond the side of the blade.
Fig. 41, A. Ripsaw.
dd, view and section of setting of teeth.