Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Making => Topic started by: potzy248 on August 05, 2015, 12:33:50 AM
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Anyone seen this or know about it?
Ian Callen looks to have set it up. Looks very interesting.
http://www.willowblue.com.au (http://www.willowblue.com.au)
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I stumbled across this website a few months ago when i was looking into having a crack at making some bats myself (was struggling to find english willow clefts in very, very low volume in Australia. i.e only chasing a couple of clefts).
Of the Willow Blue Australia Accredited Bat Makers, I've only heard of McVicar's Cricket. Came across Tom's youtube page not that long ago.
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It will be good to have some more local bat makers here in Aust. Not too sure how the Aussie grown english willow will be received. There's no reason why it shouldn't be good given growing conditions similar to that of english grown willow.
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It will be good to have some more local bat makers here in Aust. Not too sure how the Aussie grown english willow will be received. There's no reason why it shouldn't be good given growing conditions similar to that of english grown willow.
It's not English willow if it's not grown in England!
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Speaking of Aussie makers, few more are popping up:
http://www.ulyssescricket.com.au/ (http://www.ulyssescricket.com.au/)
http://www.dnbcricket.com.au/ (http://www.dnbcricket.com.au/)
http://www.prenterbats.com/ (http://www.prenterbats.com/)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grant-Cricket-Bats/365140326946999 (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grant-Cricket-Bats/365140326946999)
http://www.mustangcricket.com.au/ (http://www.mustangcricket.com.au/)
http://www.willowblue.com.au/accredited-bat-makers (http://www.willowblue.com.au/accredited-bat-makers)
http://www.dingbatsports.com.au/about/ (http://www.dingbatsports.com.au/about/)
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Are they planting the willow in Australia? I dont know but i dont think that they will perform as good when compared to English grown willow. Any thoughts?
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Are they planting the willow in Australia? I dont know but i dont think that they will perform as good when compared to English grown willow. Any thoughts?
Yeah grown in Australia.
A lot of guys get fickel about timber. Yes, if it isn't grown in England, it can't be called "english willow".
My general feeling, is english willow performs much, much better then kashmir willow. However, i've never seen any 'non-english willow' that has been grown in conditions similar/mimicking english ones. The only kashmir i've seen is for the mass produced indian market, something that Willow Blue is far from.
I know that wine is a long way from cricket bats, but this is a bit of a similar example.
True champagne is actually only produced in one region of France. If not in this region, it can't be called "champagne".
But the Italians have some Presecco that is a very, very similar product that many argue is better than champagne.
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I see where you're coming from. Its like Beef or dairy, subtle differences but pretty much the same.
I would have thought that Aussie and England couldn't be further apart in terms of climate? NZ would be a closer match.
Until they have a few first class batsman using the willow regularly then it won't be taken seriously IMO.
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It could be willow tree saplings grown in England and planted as sets in Australia otherwise known as EWNA.( English willow nurtured in Australia).
The same as EWNI.
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Yeah grown in Australia.
A lot of guys get fickel about timber. Yes, if it isn't grown in England, it can't be called "english willow".
My general feeling, is english willow performs much, much better then kashmir willow. However, i've never seen any 'non-english willow' that has been grown in conditions similar/mimicking english ones. The only kashmir i've seen is for the mass produced indian market, something that Willow Blue is far from.
I know that wine is a long way from cricket bats, but this is a bit of a similar example.
True champagne is actually only produced in one region of France. If not in this region, it can't be called "champagne".
But the Italians have some Presecco that is a very, very similar product that many argue is better than champagne.
Fisher in Melbourne has tried it, it's more durable than English willow and generally butt ugly and not as responsive, think decent net bat.
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Kashmir is a place, not a type of willow, that's why it's often called English willow nurtured in India. People doing a 5 minute course being labelled accredited bat makers I find quite amusing.
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Doesn't ian callen use Australian williow ever tried one skip mate
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I have a Callen made from Australian Willow and Skip is right: butt ugly and quite hard. It didn't really need much knocking in, if any. A good net bat.
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Doesn't ian callen use Australian williow ever tried one skip mate
Ian Callen would never get a cent from me.
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I suspect the biggest issue will be finding conditions very similar to England ie. damp most of the time, with the occasional brief burst of sunshine. I imagine somewhere like Tasmania would be as close as you could get.
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I suspect the biggest issue will be finding conditions very similar to England ie. damp most of the time, with the occasional brief burst of sunshine. I imagine somewhere like Tasmania would be as close as you could get.
Yes to grow the best willow you need areas with an high water table English disused meadows are ideal with soil over clay.
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I live about 35min from Callens plantation... It is in a low lying area, and at the moment conditions would certainly be close to those in the Uk, struggling to get about 15 degrees and plenty of rain! However, I think our very hot summers are what does the damage to its growth patterns.
Im yet to make a stick from his willow, but I used some from a plantation in Gippsland and it was quite good as an alternative. Much better then Kashmir but not as good as the UK grown wood (obviously). Ill try dig up a few pictures.
I agree that Tasmania or NZ would better replicate english climate, assuming similar distances from the equator?
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A few images of the Aussie Willow I used a few years ago....
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w627/rubber_dinger/IMG_0491_1024_zpsrvh9skbh.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/rubber_dinger/media/IMG_0491_1024_zpsrvh9skbh.jpg.html)
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w627/rubber_dinger/IMG_0586_1024_zpspgy7ganr.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/rubber_dinger/media/IMG_0586_1024_zpspgy7ganr.jpg.html)
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w627/rubber_dinger/IMG_0420_1024_zpseks4ut2c.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/rubber_dinger/media/IMG_0420_1024_zpseks4ut2c.jpg.html)
(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w627/rubber_dinger/IMG_0489_zpsd3aba84a.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/rubber_dinger/media/IMG_0489_zpsd3aba84a.jpg.html)
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Certainly looks reasonable. How did it perform?
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Those bats look fantastic!
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Performance was good! I only made 10 or so, one of them was particularly nice, had a lovely sound to it. Another few ended up being wielded by some opposition about a year ago in a pre season match, they also sounded nice but had obviously had some use.
As you can see, cosmetically its really not too shabby, there wasn't many imperfections in the batch I had, just slightly varied grain spacing!
I won't pretend like the performance was as good as UK grown wood, but as mentioned previously in this thread a good net bat and another alternative. Unfortunately I stopped using it because marketing it as 'Australian Grown Willow' automatically makes it near impossible to sell - people don't like change.
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I live in South Australia and Fielke was THE custom made brand here in the 90's to a few years ago ( he is getting on a bit now, don't think he is making may these days). He was using willow from the Adelaide Hills and his bats were always pretty good.
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To be a 100 percent honest, that not a bad batch of timber! I've seen a lot worse mate, believe me!
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I like the Callen bats - the one I have is just as good as my English willow ones - although ugly grains wise :-) On the redeeming side - it is balanced great and has a sexy profile.
As far as I know - all Fielke bats are English willow. Interestingly the one I grabbed was ugly and very soft....and I mean VERY SOFT. Goes okay though for an old school design...
(http://i59.tinypic.com/rtqkoh.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/1zbuvbo.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/2j4v9f9.jpg)
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Hows the performance on that stick?
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http://thebaggygreen.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/fielke-cricket-bats-south-australian.html (http://thebaggygreen.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/fielke-cricket-bats-south-australian.html)
Bob’s workshop is situated in his back yard and is approximately 5 by 9 metres. He gave a step by step guide as to how he produces Fielke bats. I will try and give as best a breakdown as possible.
1 - First a block of English Willow is received at his workshop. Wax is found on each end to preserve the willow so it doesn’t dry up (a serious problem in Adelaide Hills Willow).
2 - Then, he saws this chunk of English Willow into a size that will accommodate the approximately correct measurements deemed legal for a bat. This of course will eventually become the body of the bat.
3 - Next is to press the face of the bat, which will help make the outer surface of the wood a bit denser, stronger, while not losing too much “spring”.
4 - Then the back of the bat is shaped to give it that “splice” look, using a draw knife before the wood chunk then undergoes its next step of transformation which is the shaping of the bat shoulders and splice down the middle, where the handle will fit. This is done using a customised jig.
5 - The Bat handle (imported from a New Zealand founded company in Indonesia) is then cut and shaped with the rubber springs already in place as these are found naturally in the wood (see images below).
6 - With the bat having a recognisable appearance now, glue is placed in the splice and the handle is hammered into place with a steel hammer. The bat is then placed in a vice for 24 hours.
7 - Once this is set, the bat gets trimmed of all excess wood and is given a smoothened finish with the additional use of the draw knife and sand paper. The bat is also weighed and the balance is tested by Bob with a simple back lift until the feel is just right!
8 - With the physical bat now in shape, string is tightly wrapped around the handle to ensure both the handle and springs stay in place. Glue is used in conjunction to keep it secure.
9 - Lastly, the bat is left so the glue can dry and then it’s simply a case of placing the Fielke stickers onto the bat and giving it a fine coating of raw linseed oil if needed.
With all of this done by Bob alone, it was admirable to see how he manages the entire process and how patient he must have been over all these years to keep the company going on such a small, personal scale.
Word-of-mouth has always been the company’s main form of advertising and marketing was done by closely networking and engaging with all the local clubs in and around Adelaide.
Interestingly the brand was given accelerated recognition during the public memorial service for Sir Donald Bradman, as when The Don’s hearse drove past a particular point; a sole bat was held up in salutation. This bat was in fact a Fielke bat and the branding was clearly seen and broadcast across all major television stations.
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I rang Bob Fielke about 6-12 months ago and was disappointed to hear he had retired. As a born and bred South Aussie, I was really keen to get a Fielke bat.
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Has anyone on the forum had a chance to inspect the new Willowizard First Class bats? Really love that branding...
http://www.willowizard.com/# (http://www.willowizard.com/#)!willowizard-first-class/c1rhv