Tooling Mallet vs Maul for Leathercraft Floral Tooling
One of the most common questions I get from leatherworkers getting into floral carving is:
“Should I use a tooling mallet or a tooling maul?”
If you spend much time watching tooling videos or attending leather shows, you’ll notice that a lot of floral carvers today use mauls. But that does not necessarily mean a mallet is wrong. Both tools work well, and both have been used for years by very skilled craftsmen.
A lot of this really comes down to personal preference, tooling style, and ergonomics.
In this video, I wanted to break down some of the practical differences between mallets and mauls from a real shop perspective and explain why certain styles may work better depending on the type of tooling you are doing.
Everyone has their own way of organizing their leatherwork tools in their shops. In my shop, I have always worn a tool belt. My tool belt is where I keep my most used tools so that they are always close at hand.
Leathercraft can be intimidating to the uninitiated. The tools for the beginner can be hard to decide upon and even more difficult to find. Since leatherwork is not a common trade skill, many of these tools can not be purchased from local hardware stores.