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[Chaim]

Lucifer......... wow what a name

[Talisman]

Your Mum is very understanding Lucifer, driving you about when you want a new bat. I hope you appreciate her efforts and thank her, or you won't be her special little boy forever.

[Jamieh]

is it possible to build you own press? All pictures I've seen of presses use a screw type press which suggests to me the pressure applied is more about feeling than a specific pressure? having seen the one at hunts i was wondering if it was possible to build a press and what materials you would need? a very crude idea would be to use a bottle jack and some box sections attached to a roller.

[Washington]

Sounds like your a bit of a budding bat maker perhaps Jamieh . . .

[Jamieh]

Well, I've "shaped" a few pressed and handled clefts which i really enjoy, and have been thinking about ways to build a press as I'd really like to do the whole thing (just as a hobby really, don't expect or want to be a brand as such!) from the raw cleft. Have done a few rough plans, involving the bits and bobs i mentioned, but not had a go at constructing one yet! I just wondered if pro bat makers have a way of measuring the pressure applied or if it's more of a feeling thing, my other problem is moving the bat through the press, but thats a problem for another day, ha ha

[Washington]

Sounds interesting mate, its something ive always fancied doing but not had the space in my house . . .but im moving to a bigger house which has an outbuilding so might do it next year!!
 
By the sounds of it they seem to press by feel as each cleft will be different to the next. . . im no expert tho!!

Easy mate just attach ruuning teeth to the bat tray and have cogs either side linked with a handle, rotate and away you go!!

[Jamieh]

Thankfully I have a bit of room... and an understanding wife, ha ha. Mind you, I'm sure she thinks i'm slightly crazy playing with my bats on the weekend!

Assumed it must just be a feel thing, and guess that makes it a much more skillful process, judging the right pressure for each cleft.

Yes, had thought about running it on a cog and chain. Had planned to dismantle the wifes bike when she wasn't around, ha ha, but not sure if I'd have the stregth to be able manually drive the cleft through at the required pressure. I'm assuming that if you put up to 2 tonnes of pressure throught the roller and onto the bat face, it would need some serious strength to pull the cleft through, but not really sure!

[Washington]

Haha yeah always good to have one of those!! Yeah you should see the missus when im knocking in a new bat she looks at me as if im susan boyle or something!!

Yeah i guess thats what makes and breaks a bat really . . .good pressing!

haha glad to see the wife is coming in handy!! Yeah same principle but would have to be more robust. If you look at matts pictures on his hell4leather website his press is all manual but the turning wheel is big like a steering wheel on a yacht . . .so i guess there may be a succession of gogs like a gear system maybe?

[SAF Bats]

Jamieh look up mangle press for those types of presses. You maybe better off with a threaded bar for the movement that way it is convertable to a motor drive

[Jamieh]

thanks for the advice norbair, a little above my head I'm afraid, but I think I kind of get it! mechanical engineering is certainly not my forte! Think I'll have to go back to the drawing board, and see what i can come up with.

[hell4leather cricket]

i built my own press,they are quite simple in princple,However i was lucky as my dad is an engineer as built it. But as dan said at the moment is done by hand, but now i going to convert it to electric!

[Washington]

lazy . . . .haha

[hell4leather cricket]

im getting old! lol

[SAF Bats]

and you need about 5 arms to operate it

[hell4leather cricket]

very true norb! pressing a button is so much easier!