Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Making => Topic started by: jonny77 on April 25, 2019, 02:17:09 PM
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Hopefully a nice thread this one :D......
So after always wanting a go at this I thought I'd take the plunge and got in contact with John at Red Ink who kindly sold me some tools and a handled, pressed cleft. With zero wood working experience/skills I did the obvious/sensible thing and jumped straight in once I had purchased a vice and workbench :D
My intention was to hopefully make a bat which I could use in a game, at worst a net bat but either way to not (no swears please) it up and end up with firewood. It's come up way better than expected tbh and is bang on the weight I wanted at 2lbs 9oz bound and gripped. The edges are small by today's standards at 29cm but I wanted to keep the shape full with zero concaving (one step at a time!). Spine is around 64mm.
Most of the work was done with the drawknife, with a little work from a spokeshave and smoothing plane. Then orbital sander through the grits before a wax and buff with a polishing pad.
I really enjoyed the process and learned a lot along the way, which made me want to learn even more and improve on this one. Big thanks to John @Red Ink Cricket for the help and advice, he's been great.
So I'll let you all judge my efforts now. Be honest as I'm all for constructive criticism! (But also take into account all of the above please! :D)
(https://i.postimg.cc/J0gnKhYV/20190425-135956.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kRQqg7df)
(https://i.postimg.cc/XqXqw58k/20190425-140009.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bScqPs4Z)
(https://i.postimg.cc/28Mb70gb/20190425-140033.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8jdz1mpN)
(https://i.postimg.cc/MT9XM5yG/20190425-140107.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2bBCg49p)
(https://i.postimg.cc/vZCrDYGK/20190425-140131.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/tstZMHZd)
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBNSmRSH/20190425-140206.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Q9cq6z3R)
(http://[url=https://postimg.cc/dhwsxZK3][img]https://i.postimg.cc/rwtDz5n1/20190425-135940.jpg)[/url]
(https://i.postimg.cc/Yqv6fGD9/20190419-190321.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RNzJvFB5)
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Looks fantastic, well done. Edge size means nothing so I wouldn’t worry about that.
Personally I prefer a more rounded toe but apart from that you have achieved a straight spine, symmetrical bat and good finishing it’s awesome.
Reminds me a little of a M&H original low.
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Looks fantastic, well done. Edge size means nothing so I wouldn’t worry about that.
Personally I prefer a more rounded toe but apart from that you have achieved a straight spine, symmetrical bat and good finishing it’s awesome.
Reminds me a little of a M&H original low.
Thanks mate, means a lot. Yeah I'm pretty much the same regarding edge size. last season was the first I'd played in about 12 and tbh I did get caught up in the big edge thing when I got back into it but I'm with you now, doesn't matter to me. Still a nice size. I was going to round the toe but left it in the end as it is, can always alter it later if needed.
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Cracking job!
What’s it pick up like?
Anything you struggled with? Or a lot easier than some batmakers would have you believe?
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Love a "first attempt" thread.
This is what CBF is about.
Lovely bat, well done
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Cracking job!
What’s it pick up like?
Anything you struggled with? Or a lot easier than some batmakers would have you believe?
Picks up nicely I think but I'm used to a low middle bat really. Others may not think so, but I'm happy with it.
Didn't massively struggle with anything, but it's certainly not 'easy'. The drawknife takes a little getting used to and there were a few knots in the back which I had more difficulty with (a little bit of tear out around one which thankfully wasn't too bad and doesn't show really now), but other than that it was a great learning curve. Obviously so much more to learn but just happy I've got to this stage at the minute!
Just need to get the secret to that @Northern monkey shine!
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Love a "first attempt" thread.
This is what CBF is about.
Lovely bat, well done
Thanks Buzz, appreciate that. It was this forum which pushed me to give it a go and gave me the contacts etc. Wouldn't have happened without it.
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No secret I’m afraid
Just through the grades and et voila
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No secret I’m afraid
Just through the grades and et voila
I went to 800 with the orbital, then some bat wax and polishing pad to finish. It's nice but reckon it can be improved :D
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Top stuff @jonny77 , looks a tidy bat! Now for the really satisfying bit - hit some balls with it 👍
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P1sses all over my first attempt all those years ago...
Top work mate
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Brilliant job!
I straight away thought of the M&H Original Low (i think) really iconic shape and the finish looks great aswell.
Now, remember to lead with the head.....
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Love the effort and the shape and the success. Wonderful work man.
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Great work. Really nice finish!
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Top stuff @jonny77 , looks a tidy bat! Now for the really satisfying bit - hit some balls with it 👍
Thanks mate. I was inspired by your posts a whole ago amongst others, so means a lot.
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P1sses all over my first attempt all those years ago...
Top work mate
Thanks mate....may have been beginners luck! :D
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Brilliant job!
I straight away thought of the M&H Original Low (i think) really iconic shape and the finish looks great aswell.
Now, remember to lead with the head.....
:D Thanks mate.
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Agree with above, looks like m&h low middle profile,
well done,
2.9lb low should be fine,
When are you planning next one?
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Lovely bat with beautiful shoulders. Great work.
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Love the effort and the shape and the success. Wonderful work man.
Thanks mate. Appreciate the feedback.
Agree with above, looks like m&h low middle profile,
well done,
2.9lb low should be fine,
When are you planning next one?
Not sure yet, son hopefully. This one I'll keep but any more will have to be moved on to justify the expense probably, so not decided yet.
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Lovely bat with beautiful shoulders. Great work.
Thanks, appreciate that mate
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Now the decision of whether to sticker it or not. Thoughts? Is it possible to get some good quality ones in small numbers?
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Really nice first go. Doesn’t look like a first try.
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Very nice!
How's the ping?
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Thanks. Yeah it taps up well. Obviously wasn't pressed by me, just shaped. It was supplied ready pressed by John at Red Ink who obviously knows what he's doing, so it'll go well I'm sure.
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Now the decision of whether to sticker it or not. Thoughts? Is it possible to get some good quality ones in small numbers?
There are some original phantom stickers on sale on eBay around £20
Think if you choose grade 3/4 willow, it should be cost effective and easier to sell at lower price
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Superb effort, I’ve got 3 part mades to have a go at
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There are some original phantom stickers on sale on eBay around £20
Think if you choose grade 3/4 willow, it should be cost effective and easier to sell at lower price
Thanks, was thinking of some bespoke ones maybe though.
Superb effort, I’ve got 3 part mades to have a go at
Thanks mate. Good luck, hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
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Lovely job excellent first attempt with regard to shine you can by a specialist finishing paper and polishing paper.
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Looks fantastic! These days if you want a bat without massive edges and concaving, it seems you have to make it yourself.
No pics of the face, but it looks like a pretty nice piece of willow. Is it a 2 or 3?
Great job, especially for someone with 'no woodworking skills', and thanks for posting. Every one of these 'first attempt' threads fires up my desire to have a go.
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Great job mate well done. Definitely get some stickers printed up, it really adds and you can have fun designing a cool layout.
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Lovely job excellent first attempt with regard to shine you can by a specialist finishing paper and polishing paper.
Thanks for the feedback and the tip, I'll look into that. Lovely job excellent first attempt with regard to shine you can by a specialist finishing paper and polishing paper.
I think it was G3 poss 4, a couple of small knots on the face and heartwood, but it's not a bad bit of willow at all. I thought I'd posted a pic of the face, so I'll try and put one up. Honestly mate apart from some DIY I'd not tackled anything before and my day job is Sales, so I'd say just give it a go.
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Great job mate well done. Definitely get some stickers printed up, it really adds and you can have fun designing a cool layout.
Thanks, I'll look into it if I can find a workable solution.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/rwtDz5n1/20190425-135940.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dhwsxZK3)
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(https://i.postimg.cc/3JZCXTP8/20190429-122136.jpg)
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Rounded the toe slightly on my first attempt
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Would appreciate any feedback here good or bad, as just trying to improve and get better with each attempt. So any advice, guidance or feedback is really helpful. Cheers.
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I like the rounded toe on bat 1. Unfortunately I can't see the photos of bat 2 so can't comment except to say well done for keeping going! :)
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I like the rounded toe on bat 1. Unfortunately I can't see the photos of bat 2 so can't comment except to say well done for keeping going! :)
Thanks @JK Lewis. Can anyone else see the photos? They're showing for me?
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Similar here. I can see the third pic of the new bat, but the two above it have "image not found or removed" in their place.
Agree the rounded toe looks better.
Second bat looks to have really thin shoulders, but might just be the angle if it's 2 10. Does the bottom of the handle have a flat edge where it meets the shoulders, or is that just a trick of the light?
Looks well finished though - great job!
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(https://i.postimg.cc/TYJNJJS5/20190517-130408.jpg)
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Similar here. I can see the third pic of the new bat, but the two above it have "image not found or removed" in their place.
Agree the rounded toe looks better.
Second bat looks to have really thin shoulders, but might just be the angle if it's 2 10. Does the bottom of the handle have a flat edge where it meets the shoulders, or is that just a trick of the light?
Looks well finished though - great job!
Thanks for the feedback mate, appreciate it. Yeah the shoulders are thinnish, but there's enough in em I think. They're the same as my Blank Bats. The handle is a little square at the bottom, but only at the very very bottom where it goes into the shoulders. In hindsight I should have rounded these but unless it's being seriously choked it shouldn't be an issue.
Edit: @Chompy9760 due to you mentioning the handle I've de-gripped, took the binding off and shaped it a bit better....it was doing my head in that I hadn't rounded it enough! :D I'll bind it again tomorrow and post some pics. Thanks again for the feedback.
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:) You certainly take your feedback seriously! It was just an observation, but that may have been the handle shape you were after for all I know. As long as it feels good in your hands, that's what counts.
Again the first two pics haven't worked, but the third one with the side profile has. Lovely shape, looks very full where it counts, and you don't make many runs off the shoulders anyway!
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:) You certainly take your feedback seriously! It was just an observation, but that may have been the handle shape you were after for all I know. As long as it feels good in your hands, that's what counts.
Again the first two pics haven't worked, but the third one with the side profile has. Lovely shape, looks very full where it counts, and you don't make many runs off the shoulders anyway!
:D I know it was just an observation mate but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and if I'm honest it wasn't intentional, so had to be rectified. Appreciate you pointing it out and that's what I'm looking for as want to improve.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/DzZNZ4xJ/20190517-130503.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/50X0JH6w/20190517-130342.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/TYJNJJS5/20190517-130408.jpg)
These were from before yesterday's handle mods
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Three nice pics showing this time Jonny!
It really does look great. Love the shape, and that piece of willow is certainly very easy on the eye! Great Job.
I'm just finalizing an armful of partmades from John, so hopefully you'll be able to return the critique in the next couple months.
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At last! :D Thanks mate, appreciate that. I'll post another once I've done the binding following the reshaping of the handle.
Looking forward to seeing your work mate.
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Looks cracking that! Lovely shape, and handle looks great to me, big fan of leaving plenty of wood in the bottom of the handle.
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Looks cracking that! Lovely shape, and handle looks great to me, big fan of leaving plenty of wood in the bottom of the handle.
Thanks mate, appreciate the feedback. Really happy with the shape but I have smoothed the handle out as touch at the bottom as it was quite square.
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Absolutely love that. Fantastic work.
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Absolutely love that. Fantastic work.
Thanks mate, appreciate the feedback. It'll be available for purchase soon if you fancy a new stick ;)
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Lovely profile and willow, well done
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Yeah looks good again,,,piece of piss this batmaking lark!ha
You not fancy rounding the toe off a bit? Like a laver? Two secs with a sander, saves a little more weight and no issues grounding the bat for singles etc
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Yeah looks good again,,,piece of piss this batmaking lark!ha
You not fancy rounding the toe off a bit? Like a laver? Two secs with a sander, saves a little more weight and no issues grounding the bat for singles etc
Ha ha, I wouldn't go that far! So much to learn but already feel I learnt from the first to the second, so aim top keep going. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Did think about rounding it further but I don't mind it how it is and shoe goo'd it now, so will leave it as is. Good suggestion tho, so maybe on the next one. Thanks for the feedback.
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Latest one done. Thought I'd give the H4L part mades a try. This one's a Grade 1 (second attempt was a H4L grade 2) and weighs in at 2lbs 9 1/2 oz with no scuff. Picks up really nice and much lighter than its weight, with plenty of wood where it counts and pings nicely. 36mm edge and 65mm spine, no concaving.
As always, thoughts and feedback appreciated.....
(https://i.postimg.cc/DzY0Hj9k/20190528-194246.jpg)(https://i.postimg.cc/nzRr8dNf/20190528-194309.jpg)(https://i.postimg.cc/2jGFyrNC/20190528-194342.jpg)(https://i.postimg.cc/bY5r3BQQ/20190528-202025.jpg)(https://i.postimg.cc/MKjT4mDg/20190528-202042.jpg)
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Lovely shape that
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Lovely shape that
Thanks mate, really happy with it to be honest. I'm learning a lot but there's not much I'd change with this one and may keep it to put in the bag as I made it to my preferred shape and weight, unless some one wants it obviously. Appreciate the feedback as always!
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Lovely shape that
Seconded; that is lush...great work!
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Seconded; that is lush...great work!
Thanks mate. As I said I'm tempted to keep this one as it's a beaut, but will see. Appreciate the feedback!
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Thanks for taking the time to post I really like the shape of the last one. I've ordered a couple of part mades from Red Ink so I'm about to embark on this journey in the next few weeks.
Out of interest did you notice much difference between the stock you purchased from H4L and Red Ink? Was there a reason for the switch, or was it just to see what other suppliers do differently?
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Thanks for taking the time to post I really like the shape of the last one. I've ordered a couple of part mades from Red Ink so I'm about to embark on this journey in the next few weeks.
Out of interest did you notice much difference between the stock you purchased from H4L and Red Ink? Was there a reason for the switch, or was it just to see what other suppliers do differently?
Hi mate. No reason other than I wanted to try different suppliers and see if there was a difference. The part made I got from John was great and both ping really well. The only difference was the H4L ones had more of a bow, where as Johns didn't. John has been really helpful also with any questions and advice etc, he's a grest bloke to deal with. His handles also required more shaping, which is a good thing and offers you the chance to customise then a little more. Both are great though.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it. Good luck and be sure to post up your results.
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They look like they'll make some great sticks mate, good luck!
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Looks great mate, lovely shape and I wouldn't worry about the sponge height, 60mm is plenty. I agree on the handle shaping, I found it tricky at first, but you can always take the binding pod and reshape it. You can also rig up a system with some wood and a drill to make the binding easier (DIY lathe really). There's video on Instagram where you can see one which JP Gavan uses. Great first effort tho mate, top work!
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I made a 'thing' up to spin the bat while binding, but I made the error of designing it with the drill at the toe end (for simplicity of fabrication) but this means I need to somehow activate the drill and also do the twine thing simultaneously. Results were disastrous on last nights effort, so I may enlist my son's help.
I've trimmed a bit more out of the toe to help the pick up and taken out some of the hollows in the back of the bat - I found that once polished it was easy to see the divots in the reflection but I couldn't see them when the bat was just sanded with 240 grit. I just need to rout it for a lamitoe and rebind the handle before I work out stickers/lazer etching and this one will be finished.
I've tapped it up with the mallet and it sounds decent but not great like some of the other bats I've got, but this may be due to zero knocking and no oil at this point. Although this was supposed to be the grade X* the other one which is grade 2 and is 1/2 heartwood taps up with a deeper sound, so that may be the one I keep.
Perhaps I'll make one like the old Puma/M&H Original with the plugs on the spine?
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Strong effort - 8’d like to give that a try, what hand tools did you use?
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draw knife, heel shave, round bottom plane, and orbital sander.
I recently purchased a Bosch sander with a foam base and it's been a revelation
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You're getting good at this.