WHEN NEWARK College wanted to set its woodworking students a challenge that some might want to call ‘mission impossible’, woodcare expert Liberon was happy to step in and help. Coinciding with its recent Industry Week and Careers Fair Expo, the college challenged students to produce an ‘impossible mallet’ and finish it using Liberon products.
Making an impossible mallet is a great skills test for woodworkers because, once completed, it baffles observers as to how it has been constructed. Consisting of just two pieces of solid wood — the head and the handle — an impossible mallet incorporates dovetail joints, which ensure that head and handle cannot be separated, once fixed into position. No glue is used during the making of the mallet.
Eleven students took part in the challenge, using hardwoods to make the mallet. Beech was selected for the hammer head and either Ash or Elm for handles. Once completed, the students could select a Liberon product with which to finish it from a range donated for the challenge by the company. These included Superior Danish Oil, Finishing Oil, Pure Tung Oil, Shellac Filler Sticks and Palette Wood Dye.
Course Leader, Richard Preece, says: “This challenge was great for testing the students’ marking out and cutting out skills and their precision when creating what we would call the trick joint. It really is a ‘get it right first time’ situation, which calls for attention to detail. The students produced some excellent work using plans that the college had pre-produced. In addition, working with hardwoods was a departure for them, which was a good thing. The challenge also looked at the students’ wood finishing techniques using Liberon’s products.”
Richard Bradley, UK head of marketing at Liberon, says: “I must admit I’d never heard of an impossible mallet before! With a secret trick joint, it sounds like quite a challenge, so congratulations to the winner and runner up for doing such a great job.”
The entries were judged by staff at Newark College, and the winner and runner up each won a bundle of Liberon products.
See page 22 of our August/September 2025 issue on our Back Issues page.
