Baseball Bat

[SteveColes]

We all say that there are no mistakes in turning, just design opportunies. Well if you are making a bat to someone's specs, that ain't true. You really have to do it exactly. This one was meant as a prototype since I have never done this before.

The guy I did this for, liked the feel except for the mistake I made on the knob. He is going to take some batting practice with and then I'll get some feedback and make one for real.

 

[Glennbear]

Very nice Steve, is it ash ? What I read recently is that the pro bat makers are having trouble getting ash from their normal sources because of an embargo caused by the accidental importation of an foreign bug in the great lakes region :wsad: A bat for my ex boss is on my list of future projects. In her younger days she was a nationally ranked college player so mine will definitely be looked at with a critical eye :5magnify:

 

[NZAPP1]

:thumbs_up:thumbs_up Nice work Steve. Looks good and sturdy. What wood did you Ash?

 

[sapwood]

I saw the "blanks" for this project and can tell you Steve scrutinized the character of the wood with great circumspection :5magnify:

I think he hit a home run with this one :thumbsup:

Roger

 

[ScottM]

I agree. You hit a home run with that Steve. :eusa_clap

 

[Canuck]

Looks great, Steve!

Now I have to ask a silly question. What do you use as a finish on a baseball bat?

Thanks

Wayne

 

[DaveO]

Dang why did I make jokes about Steve's shop organization...he's got a bat :5eek:

Steve that looks great. Did you have to use a steady while shaping it?
Dave

 

[Mike Davis]

Now there's a retrospective in the making!

Light years beyond your first turning. :icon_thum

 

[Jim Murphy]

Neato! As I recall, Norm made one of those in his Lathe 101 show. But tell me, Steve, did you use the skew chisel at all?

 

[RandyJ]

Great job on the bat, Steve!:icon_thum I too am interested in the wood type, size of the finished product, and finishing techniques....come on, let us in on all your secrets!:rolf:

 

[DaveO]

Very nice Steve, is it ash ? What I read recently is that the pro bat makers are having trouble getting ash from their normal sources because of an embargo caused by the accidental importation of an foreign bug in the great lakes region :wsad:

That would be the Emerald Ash borer. It is proving to be as destructive as Dutch Elm disease. More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk. Nearly 114 million board feet of ash saw timber with a value of $25.1 billion is grown in the eastern United States each year. Over thirty five million ash trees have died or are dying in the United States at this time. The full time it takes for a tree to die due to the EAB is generally two or three years. The kicker is that many towns re-planted Ash to replace the Elms that were removed in the late 70's and early 80's. Now those Ash trees are nice and mature and they are having to come down also. Mono-culture is a bad thing, maybe this time they will figure it out.
Dave

 

[rickc]

Nice job Steve. Did he give you dimensions and weight requirements, too? Good to see one of those blanks come out so nicely!

 

[SteveColes]

Very nice Steve, is it ash ? What I read recently is that the pro bat makers are having trouble getting ash from their normal sources because of an embargo caused by the accidental importation of an foreign bug in the great lakes region :wsad: A bat for my ex boss is on my list of future projects. In her younger days she was a nationally ranked college player so mine will definitely be looked at with a critical eye :5magnify:

Looks great, Steve!

Now I have to ask a silly question. What do you use as a finish on a baseball bat?

Thanks

Wayne

Dang why did I make jokes about Steve's shop organization...he's got a bat :5eek:

Steve that looks great. Did you have to use a steady while shaping it?
Dave

Neato! As I recall, Norm made one of those in his Lathe 101 show. But tell me, Steve, did you use the skew chisel at all?

The bat was made to my friends specs. I used one of his favorite bats as the template(took measurement from that)

His bat:
33" long
handle width 15/16"
Max barrel 2 31/64"

I made a few mistakes so the one I turned is:

33 1/2" long
handle width 31/32"
Max barrel 2 5/16"

However, he and few others really the difference, so I guess my mistakes were "enhancements". :rotflm: As soon as he gets a chance to take some batting practice, he'll give me more feedback, in length and handle width. Then I'll turn another with those modifications. I doubt that bat will hold up for a season, the grain was as tight as it should be.

The bat is hard Maple. It is heavier than ash and didn't used to be used much. But Tom prefers maple to ash.

After Bonds set the record using a maple bat, they became very popular.

Finish, basiclly, other than decoration, bats are just varnished. On this when I used wiping poly on the barrel only and the rest was unfinished at Tom's request. If he decides that the final one will have it's handle wrapped, then I won't varnish the handle on that either. Otherwise I will have find something to seal the handle with.

Skew?:elvis:No, No, No. I still can't use a skew with any authority.:rotflm:

Thanks for the compliments.:icon_thum

 

[SteveColes]

We all say that there are no mistakes in turning, just design opportunies. Well if you are making a bat to someone's specs, that ain't true. You really have to do it exactly. This one was meant as a prototype since I have never done this before.

The guy I did this for, liked the feel except for the mistake I made on the knob. He is going to take some batting practice with and then I'll get some feedback and make one for real.

Well, I guess, I was wrong:elvis: Even with my mistakes, Tom really liked the way the bat felt & HIT:eusa_dancHe asked that I turn the next one, just like the prototype. Even with the undersized knob. In fact, one his team mates asked how much it would cost to turn one just like it:swoon:

Boy do I wish I a had lathe duplicator. (not really:gar-La

Couple that with a pen that I made for a charity auction, being sold right away by a bunch of stingy old ladies, I'm beginning to feel a lot better about my work:wwink:

 

[DavidF]

Nice job Steve, that sort of job is harder than it looks. Skew would have saved a lot of sanding though.......

 

[Bas]

Wow, that looks great. If that's a "mistake", I hope I screw up royally.

BTW, interesting question. If you make a baseball bat and it doesn't turn out well, and you get in a rage, what do you use to smash it with?

 

[Trent Mason]

Wow, that looks great. If that's a "mistake", I hope I screw up royally.

BTW, interesting question. If you make a baseball bat and it doesn't turn out well, and you get in a rage, what do you use to smash it with?

A sldege hammer. :yes:

Steve, that looks GREAT! I wouldn't have noticed any errors unless you pointed them out. Great job! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Trent

 

[SteveColes]

Skew would have saved a lot of sanding though.......

Someday:rotflm: