Print

[Beachcricket]

Here's the first bat I made which was good enough to use, the other ones kept the fire going during winter

[SillyShilly]

Eesh, i gotta say but they be some mighty thin edges, would definetly not suit my style of batting!!! Looks like a good middle though! you looking to take bat-making seriously or just having a go?

[Master-Basterd]

is that a knot in the back by the middle ?

[Beachcricket]

Pinch-Hitter
It's the edge of a knot I think, can't be sure as I'm no expert. It's like two bits of wood, the front is clean and the back has stains. It has a good middle though.
SillyShilly
I see it as a hobby at the moment but take want to be able to make decent bats, it's fun seeing the cleft transform. Batmakings a hard skill though and really easy to get it wrong, I've got a pretty free summer so I'm going to try and really improve.
Have the batmakers like Hell4leather, Redback, Fusion, Bulldog been taught or have they honed their skills quietly?

[Tom]

The guys you mentioned above (with the exception of Bulldog) I think are self taught up to a point, in the sense they haven't served apprenticeships. Although there has been advice or help offered from other batmakers to them.

Bill from Fusion I know was a cabinet maker before bat making and I think Gary (Redback) did guitars. I may be wrong with the last bit though. So they do have a skilled background.

[Beachcricket]

Thanks for the info Tom, it doesn't surprise me they have woodworking backgrounds as they make some nice bats!
I love having a go at making bats despite my shortcomings with the skills needed. When James Laver worked for M&H, he would work at the shop at Grace Road and I would go and watch him make bats. It's a shame he's no longer in the UK.

[hell4leather cricket]

 i am a carpenter by trade, i'm pretty much self tought ,but have had some help along the way, It is a pretty hard skill to learn,havin a woodworking backgound really does help.It's almost a closed shop when you approach a batmaker for help,like they dont wont to 'give away 'there trade secrets , which is fair enough but it is a dying art which needs to be passed on to the next generation !

[ianbuchanan]

i would love to make bats for a career, with my college course i'm hopefully getting 10 days work experience with millichamp and hall. that would be great!

[Beachcricket]

That would be amazing if you get to do that, they make some phenomenal bats.

[ianbuchanan]

i went into their shop today to talk about work experience, and i had a look at some of the bats which look awesome at the moment. especially the solutions, very nice profile, weight and stickers...

[Beachcricket]

Merry Xmas to all.

Ian did you do the work experience with M&H?

I've just bought 2 grade 3 clefts from Matt at H4L so I can have yet another go at butchering some willow.

Anyway, my question to bat makers is how do they know when a cleft is finished being shaped? Do you stick to a weight?

Because I always seem to go too far thinking " I can get this lighter if I just take some off here...   Ooops! "