Almost every common wood has been used for bats at one time or another. However, a few species dominate the history of the sport. Traditionally northern ash has been the wood of choice, but currently— at least in the pros—it is a neck-and-neck race with hard maple. A few bats are still made of hickory and beech. For this project, I suggest buying a blank of ash or maple that has been graded for bats. The reason is not only superior performance, but also safety. A bat made from a graded bat blank is less likely to break in use.
Bat blanks are graded differently from regular furniture grade lumber. First, only straight-grained wood from slow-growing trees of moderate size make the grade. The blank must have tight, evenly spaced growth rings and be free of flaws like knots. The best blanks are often split from the log rather than sawn in order to follow the grain perfectly. Extra care is taken in the drying of bat blanks to create an even distribution of moisture throughout the entire thickness.
Tools and Supplies
To make a full-size baseball bat you will need a lathe that can handle lengths up to 36 between centers. For Little League bats, a lathe with shorter capacity will work just fine. It is best to have a live center at the tailstock end, and drive with either a spur or cup drive. If you are duplicating a bat, you will need to fabricate a simple V-block system to hold the master bat (the one being duplicated) directly behind your blank.
The bat can be turned with three tools: a spindle-roughing gouge (1 1 /4 to 1 3 /4), a parting tool ( 1 /4 wide) and a spindle/detail gouge ( 3 /8 or 1 /2). If you are comfortable using a skew, a large one (1 to 1 1 /2) can be added as an option for smoothing the shape and rounding the end of the barrel.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Popular Woodworking.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2020 de Popular Woodworking.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Bosch Job Site Table Saw
While many woodworkers dream of the largest cabinet saw they can get their hands on, reality often dictates a different path.
MIDSIZE ROUTER MELEE
Routers love them or hate them, there are an overwhelming amount of options available. Here's the breakdown on how this midsized lot performs.
Glancy's No 1 Oil
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The thing I love most about woodworking is the community around us. I meet some fantastic people within it.
Milwaukee FUEL 61/2" Circular Saw
Milwaukee recently announced their next generation of tools and batteries at their annual Pipeline showcase.
Scraping is Quicker than Sanding
No matter what grit sandpaper you use on end grain, there's one hand tool that can get the job done faster: the No. 80 scraper.
Bosch Brushless Planer
Every once in a while I'm fortunate to be struck by serendipitous situations in this job.
Spring Green Saws
Some of the nicest saws around are coming out of Warwick, RI, at the hands of Charlie Earnest.
Bank Manager's Desk
With its quartersawn oak, and Arts & Crafts finish, this desk is sure to serve generations to come.
Record Stand
Brush up on your precision miters, and build this mid-century inspired record player stand.
Carving a Spoon
Wooden spoons can be as elaborate or utilitarian as you'd please. Either way, it's a great way to spend time in the shop.