I now know

On YouTube, whenever you see someone making a wooden mallet, it's always from pieces of lumber--like a 1x6, for example--that are sandwiched together to make the head of the mallet.  I now know why they all go this route instead of trying to make the mallet head from a single piece of wood.

First, it's easier to make the hole for the handle.  A lot easier.

Second, with the laminated style, you reduce the chance of the wood splitting when you pound the handle into the head.  And I'm guessing you don't have to pound as hard since most of the straight cuts were already made at the sawmill.

Third, all the cuts and measurements have been standardized before you even get started, so everything fits snugly together without even trying.

If I ever try to make a wooden mallet again, I'm doing it the easy way, not the hard way.

On the plus side, I'm using wood from a tree I felled myself, so I should get bonus points for recycling, right?