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[SillyShilly]

Hi,
 I'm posting up some pictures if a bat which i've had lying around for a while.......the reason i havnt used it will hopefully be highlighted in the pictures. Essentially, whoever made the bat (it's not an m&h despite the stickers) put the handle on wonky......its about 4-5mm to far right! It's a shame because it's got a lovely grain with heartwood and i would love to be able to use it. What i'm asking anyone who has batmaking experience is would it be at all possible to take the handle out, somehow modify the splice and put the handle back in, or am i living in a dream world?
Any comments or help would be much apprecciated!
Cheers

[GJ]

Ze pics do not work....

[SillyShilly]

yah, das is nicht so gut!

[SillyShilly]

i'm hoping that they magically appeared like they did last time......fingers crossed!

[Howzat]

You need to visit the links u posted and right click and find image properties and image URL and then paste that into the tags!

[SillyShilly]

Leo, thankyou again......i put the adress location in rather than the image location........i'm a slow learner!

[SillyShilly]

[Talisman]

Very odd, I'm sure it is a no, as with a rehandle you would replace the handle rather than cut a new splice.

[SillyShilly]

I thought that might be the case. I know very little about re-handling, but would it be possible to widen the splice and create a handle that is larger than normal? Or do most handles come in ready made for re-handling?

[BrianLara400*]

I wouldnt worry about reusing that old handle in this bat, Its more trouble then its worth and if its the correct length now, its never going to be the right length again. i.e chasing that much missalignment you could lose the best part of 1 1/4" (as a conservative estimate). The shoulders (may have been resanded though) and width of the splice suggest to me this bat is probably made on the subcontinent for either one of their companies or for one of the western based ones who outsource to there. Ie GN, Slaz, Kook etc cut narrower 9'deg splices. Fitting a new handle would be the way to go But seeing as youve not done this before and you wouldnt be using jigs Id be hesitant to use a new handle thats been spliced to shape. The aim is to cut a kirf width outside the existing cane into clean willo, which takes care of any remaining glue residues, (+ put a "binding" cut in the shoulder to prevent it grabing)   

[SillyShilly]

Wow, cheers for that reply, i've actually ordered a new handle off Talisman which i'm going to have a go with. I have a jig available for me to use - my dad has been a carpenter for over 35 years - and he should be able to help me in this sense when making the cuts, i'm a little wary though of making sure the the handle is the correct size to fit into the splice - as always these types of things are trial and error and if it make a mistake i can always take it to a professional to fix, but it would be satisfying yo get right the first time round. With regards to shoulders having to be resanded and allow for the new handle, i guess this has just got to come down to accdurate measurement and a lot of luck! Can i ask what you mean when you say a binding cut?

[BrianLara400*]

When rehandling a bat to remove the old handle, ready to accept the new I first put a binding cut into the cane - what this entails is cutting into the handle from above the ears of the splice 1/8" inside the cane all the way down to about 1/2 or 3/4" below the level of the shoulders. Goodsplices are a wedge fit meaning willow has been displaced outwards to accept the cane, In days gone by A well fitted handle by definition was even fractionally tighter than this in the shoulders than at the point end of the splice (so little though its barely noticeable). So to relieve the tension the binding cut came about which  prevents the willow tightening up and closing the kirf after the bandsaw blade has passed through, which is hard on blades and can damage things. In a round about way its a similar concept to a riving knife on a table saw.

[SAF Bats]

I've done a few now, when you shape the handles 'V' do it slowly, test and then take a bit more off. Dont force the handle into your splice it needs to be snug but not so tight that is splits the willow.  A quick couple of taps with a mallet should get the handle into place...  Take a good look at the handle positions as it is now so you now the angle the new handle should sit in..

It all a takes a bit of time but it is great when it is sorted... No reason not to get it right the 1st time.. I take the excess of the handle in the splice area with a draw knife and a plane but just a plane should be fine.

Rasp / spokeshave / drawknife for the handle shaping and blending at the shoulders. I find a spokeshave is best at the shoulder is save on the sanding if the willow is attacked with a rasp.  The cane itself is fine with the rasp for shaping as it will be bound and only a bit of sanding is required.

I hope that helps...

[SillyShilly]

Cheers guys, thats all very useful, I'm right in thinking that when fitting the handle into the splice you need to aim to have it leaning fractionally forward rather than set bolt straight. I also had an email from a company which i wont name telling me that it takes years of experience to do something like this - RED RAG TO A BULL! I havnt got a drawknife however i have plenty of plains, rasps and similar equipment to attempt this.
Thanks for the detailed help guys, when i attempt this i will put some pics up so you can have a laugh when i fail miserably!

[SAF Bats]

You'll be fine if you take your time....

Like I said take a look at the handle now but in general yep set slightly forward.  You'll have plenty of thickness to do this on the handles you get from Talisman