Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Cricket Manufacturers / Brands => Hell4Leather => Topic started by: hell4leather cricket on November 03, 2012, 08:06:19 PM
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Evening guys , as a few of you know for our new new tempo bat we are using our own oversize cut clefts from a local grower ,a few picture to show the process of cutting the willow and splitting .
The trees are cut in to rounds 28''- 30 '' long ,most trees will have 3-5 rounds .
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/barty82/P1000196.jpg)
the round is now cut and ready to split ,most rounds will have a natural split starting to form from the center of the round ,these will will be followed to split in half .most rounds will on average have 8+ clefts split from them.(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/barty82/P1000203.jpg)
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/barty82/P1000197.jpg)
all the split clefts are stacked left to dry for week or so ,if left to long the end start to get small splits appearing due to moisture leaving the cleft ,so timing is crucial
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/barty82/P1000205.jpg)
(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/barty82/P1000204.jpg)
once ready the split clefts are cut on a saw bench ,the ends are sealed with wax and air dried .
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Do you do all of the above processes yourself or are they done by the grower at your discretion?
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i do it all myself
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Does the orange spray mean anything on some of the clefts?
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good question joey , just to simply tell me where the trees come from ,when cut etc
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I was thinking it marked a particular end of the bat, like the cut on a scion for grafting. How very wrong :-[
Sorry this is not particularly cricket related but when the tree is felled what happens to the stump? I'm guessing it isnt left to coppice as this would be of no use in the cricket industry (at least for a very, very long time) so is it just dug up?
I think this is a great topic by the way, if you ever take any pictures whilst you are out in 'the field' please share!
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Love seeking things like this. Full process, so much to learn. If you ever need a hand I'd love to see it first hand.
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this is absolutely something we haven't seen enough of on the forum.
how long do you open air dry the clefts for?
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Does the current weather affect the finished bat? or do you just have to prepare/finish them differently according to the season?
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what sort of moisture content do you go for, following on from above. give the weather, how do you achieve it?
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Best topic in ages, better watch mr Harris doesn't steal your trees in the dead of night!
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Thanks for the feedback ,just nice to post something different not just pictures of finished bats .The clefts are air dried for 6-12 months ,I had some clefts I cut in jan that are ready now so it does vary I tend to judge on weight ,but it is harder to judge with a bigger cut cleft . Another sign if it is not dry when pressing the cleft when you add moisture it slightly stain the grain a dark brown almost like a damp stamp . The weather does affect the drying this time of year it will take longer to dry ,but in summer the sun will act as a free kiln taking a lot of moisture ,on average a cleft will lose half its weight in moisture in its life time . I will add some more pictures soon.
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Excellent stuff Matt, thanks for sharing
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brilliant, thanks Matt.
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Matt
Great thread. Are you able to put up a pic of an oversized cleft alongside a standard one. To see the size difference.
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Hope the tips helped in some way. do you saw into clefts after riving or do you wait for them to dry?
If you are judgeing on weight then try one of these to help www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00118SL6A
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Thanks for posting this Matt, really nice too see the beginning of the process and that you are using local growers as well.
Does going direct to the grower give you a better chance of getting the oversized clefts than going to say JS Wrights?
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Thanks for posting this Matt, really nice too see the beginning of the process and that you are using local growers as well.
Does going direct to the grower give you a better chance of getting the oversized clefts than going to say JS Wrights?
In short yes Wrights only sell there clefts in a standard size and having your own allows you to cut them to whatever size you like
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In short yes Wrights only sell there clefts in a standard size and having your own allows you to cut them to whatever size you like
Thanks - you learn something new everyday :)
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Matt, when you say over sized clefts does it mean that clefts are cut to a larger size than the standard hence a heavier and larger clefts or does it mean lower density clefts resulting in a larger volume of wood but at about the same weight as a standard cleft?
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I think he means physically larger to accommodate the heightened spine size?
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That's correct 25mm bigger cut than a standard cleft
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now you're just showing off :D
very nice Matt I'd think I'd have no fingers left if I used an axe!
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Has anyone ordered a Tempo yet? With Christmas just around the corner and the Mrs asking what I want from Santa I am very tempted
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Is tempo profile inspired by M & H distinction ?
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I have put an order in for my lad, as he has just been picked for the U17 county team. 2.10 in a grade 2
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Great post Mat - it will be interesting to see what, if any differences there are in other bat makers processes
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I have put an order in for my lad, as he has just been picked for the U17 county team. 2.10 in a grade 2
Congratulations Jason - good to see your boy doing well! 8)
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I have put an order in for my lad, as he has just been picked for the U17 county team. 2.10 in a grade 2
Would be interesting to see what it looks like at the lower end of the weight spectrum. Congrats to the boy :)
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I have put an order in for my lad, as he has just been picked for the U17 county team. 2.10 in a grade 2
Congratulations to you and your lad, a great feeling & achievement
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I have put an order in for my lad, as he has just been picked for the U17 county team. 2.10 in a grade 2
Thats great news mate, you must be really proud of him :)
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Lovely post this Matt! Can you post pics of the Tempos from this lot, so we get the whole "cleft to blade" picture?
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I notice the two Tempo's posted on here are both G2 .... do you G1 ??