Anyone have a good design for a Persuader/Beetle? I'd consider making my own if someone had a good design and it wasn't too hard. How much should it weigh? What wood should I use? I have some white oak, some hickory(I think is it), white pine, and some maple(which may be soft? I haven't looked at those chunks since I got them). I have my Unisaw and my TF tools, no lathe. Feel free to suggest buying a particular one that someone else already makes as I am always short on time. I know i've even seen orange molded plastic ones used. Thanks.

I make the head from an 8x8x14 inch piece of white pine, with the striking faces cut at a 1/24 slope.
I drill a two inch hole in the head, and square one end of the hole, then make a hardwood handle that slides through the round part and has a square end that locks into the square end of the hole...
the handle takes a bit of time to make(I use a hatchet/drawknife), but lasts indefinitely, the head is very quick to make, but breaks now and then.

We just use a sledge. We've got a couple of sizes -- 6lb with a 24" handle for lighter duty and 10lb for those stubborn timbers. You have to use pads to protect what you're hitting.

The split head mallets (Garland makes a good one) with rawhide faces are awesome for moving timbers -- even a 4 pounder will move a lot. You can hit oak without a pad. They also drive a chisel like nothing else.

I wouldn't recommend making a persuader out of a hard wood -- it will really bruise what you're using it on. (learned the hard way)

Also we made one once that must have weighed 25 or 30 lbs -- way excessive. Needless to say it didn't get used often.

Jim Rogers wrote an article for the Guild Journal a few years back on making commaders -- if you have the dvd of back issues you could search for it.

I also use just a sledge and have a smaller leather mallet which is nice and or course have made on site commanders for those times the sledges were left in the shop. As much as possible strike the unseen faces and use a block as a pad. I also look for knots, you are pounding on end grain and it isn't as bruising as hitting the flat grain. One would also be cautious of hitting the ends of tenons, the relish on the peg holes can have reverse failure which is a sad thing. The tenon can be mushroomed which will call for new chamfers. Tim

I like that design Mark, somewhat simple, but effective. It looks simple enough to make without too much time. Thanks, Brad

Brad:
Here is a picture of some of mine:



As mentioned you should use a softwood head and a hardwood handle.

If the head splits and falls off, just replace the head by sliding a new one onto your old handle.

I have the first handle I ever made, and I think this handle has the third head on it now.

Rounding off the corners helps prevent damage to timbers, or as mentioned use a "pad" block of wood between commander head and timber when striking.

Also, joints shouldn't "need" to be pounded together, test fit and pare as needed so that the slide together without pounding.
But of course there are times when they might need a little push...

I have used 6x8x14" stock for heads, as well as 6x6x12" stock for smaller ones.
Different sizes are for different uses.
I wouldn't take the largest one up a ladder, use a smaller one...

Jim Rogers

If you have a bench top router set up, then you can make a handle very easily.
I used a piece of hardwood stock, and planed it to exactly the diameter of the hole.
Some handles are 1 1/2", some handles are 1 1/4", some handles are 1".
After planing take your squared stock to the bench top router table and put in a standard round over bit. For creating a handle you'll run the stock through 4 times, one keep side. This will create a rounded each for each side and create a dowel shaped handle.
Just don't run it to the end of the stock and it will leave a square end on it to create the handle top/stop end.

For a 1" handle use a 1/2" round over bit. For a 1 1/4" handle use a 5/8" round over bit, and for the large 1 1/2" handle you need a very large 3/4" round over bit (this maybe hard to find).

Handles around 1" to 1 1/4" seem to feel right to most people....

I can make you a handle and ship it to you if you need one.....

Jim Rogers

Thanks for the info and offer, Jim. I'll look over my stock for the handle and think about whether I want to make it or not. I'm thinking I'd like to make it, but depends on whether I have the proper stock on hand. Time is always a consideration too with all the chainsaws I'm juggling. Anyone with any other designs/pics, go ahead and post here.

wow, Brad I think you should post a pic of juggling chainsaws!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6RhqIHw4fY&feature=related

Just a figure of speech appropriate for this forum. I only juggle chisels in real life, and I'm sick of sharpening the ones that land tip first on the concrete floor!

Jim and Mark,
I notice that Mark has the square of the handle parallel to the head faces, while on one of Jims, the square is 45 degrees to the head faces. Would the corner of the square facing forward act to eventually split the head? It would seem that it would apply a concentration of stress at the leading point where as a handle with the square facing forward would seem to spread force over an entire square face?
Brad

Some of the heads, I've made, have split quickly and fallen off. Some have lasted for years. I never worried about the end of the handles as the round over bit just gives it a small curve there and it doesn't seem to make a big difference.

Yeah, I dunno if it makes any difference because by the time the head strikes anything, there shouldn't be much pressure on the handle, and the handle has very little momentum. It's mostly the momentum of the head itself...

i like to use apple and a ash handle. I make a jig so a hole is drilled stright. then the handle goes through the hole from bottom side. However since i broke my last one, i been to busy to make a new one so i been useing a sledge and block of wood
matt

Last week I cut 3 pieces of hickory for handles. I managed to get 3 pieces with pretty straight grain. They have marbling, but no knots. Not sure if I got any sapwood or not. Hard for me to tell. I had my table saw outside and was sawing some stock from a white oak slab, so I cut these from a 2"x8" chunk of hickory at the same time. Haven't had a chance to cut the pine stock for the heads yet. I'll cut them from some reclaim I have. I'll snap a pic when I can.

My new favorite type of commander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMx1fmz4a0g

Nice, Tim. Do you let them dry first, or do you just chop them out of the tree and go for it?

Use them as they are, they are now dry and lighter. Saw a flat on the side opposite the handle so it can stand up.

Dogwood root makes an almost indestructible head