Make Shift Rubber Mallet

I was recently working on an antique pool table and came across this problem. I needed to hammer some wood pieces together however I did not want to damage the antique finish on the table. I didn't own a rubber mallet so I had to come up with my own.

1. Tennis balls
2. Utility knife
3. Hammer

Cut an X in the tennis ball approximately 2 inches long.

Squeeze a the tennis ball and affix the hammer within the cross shaped hole.

The benefits of using this type of hammer is having the felt lining between the rubber and the mallet. Some rubber mallets leave scuff marks on your wood projects, potentially damaging antique wood finishes.