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[Beachcricket]

I've made something that hopefully addresses the straight/centred spine problem. More info on my blog. Let me know what you think.

[Bez013]

Thanks for posting that David.

Good idea you've had there, I know you mention in the blog that it is quite difficult to hold the jig against the face, edge and mark the pencil but I wonder how else you might get around the problem without spending a lot of time developing something - perhaps like a width guage that runs up both edges as was suggested earlier in the post.

Short of rigging up something with adjustable legs and wheels, like a clamp that can be secured tightly to the edges, or some sort of overhead frame that you place the bat under and secure and use the frame to guide the marking implement I'm not sure how else you can easily do this.

[Beachcricket]

I had thought of having the gauge hold both edges but decided against it for the prototype but now I can't remember what it was that made me decide against it. There's was a good reason I'm sure.

I wanted a threaded insert and a nut to hold the pencil but it was too complicated for something that does a simple job. The joinery isn't perfect and it needs improving as you say. Wheels are a good idea, I want it to be small and simple so it can fit in a tool box easily.

[Bez013]

It might be possible to screw a pair of fixed caster wheels on a bar attached to each leg with but you would almost need something like a quick release from a bicycle wheel that could apply enough pressure to make a firm contact point with the edge of the bat with an overhead gantry to hold the pencil. 

I'm no good at drawing but might do a bit of a back of a fag packed example of what I mean once I've thought about it some more but what I am thinking of would be a bit like a gantry crane in style but the casters would run parralell and would be at right angles to the upright rather than vertically.

[Beachcricket]

I like that. Prototype 2 is firmly in the R&D phase now.

[mad_abt_cricket]

Nice effort!

Looking forward to the prototype 2.