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[97 n.o.]

Evening all, finished my first bat and thought I would see what you all thought. Be gentle :-)

Really enjoyed the process, I picked up one of Peplow's tools and cleft kits, all fantastic quality and set to work pretty much straight away. Took me about 4 hours, including sanding by hand 

Anyway, here's the specs:

+ Weight: 2lbs 13oz including single grip
+ Edges: 26mm at the widest point
+ Spine height: 65mm
+ Oval handle
+ No concaving

Picks up really nicely, i'm pretty pleased with it. Will definitely be making more :-) Its a bit rough in places but I managed to get the spine nice and straight, and the edges match, so i'm pretty happy!







Be interested to hear any feedback. Thanks! 

[Joe]

Looks good Carl. Will you be making all your own bats?

[Ayrtek Cricket]

What part did u find the hardest to do?? It's a steep learning curve I've found

[Ryan]

Agree with you there Tom, not easy but well worth it

[97 n.o.]

Found the drawknife pretty easy to use- I cannot use the plane or the spokeshaves however without taking massive dents out! I guess it's just practice.

Having not done a lot of woodwork since school it took a bit of time to get used to how much to take off- I thought i had finished it a while back, massive eges, huge middle, a trip to the scales and it was 3lbs :-(

Working out where to take the excess weight off without taking too much off the middle was a challenge too. Will definitely be investing in a concaving tool for the next go!

[97 n.o.]

Looks good Carl. Will you be making all your own bats?

Thats the plan- lots more practice needed yet :-)

Need some snazzy stickers for it now, so expect an email Joe..... 

[Maverick79]

Looks good mate, a lot better than my first attempt. I agree with Tom - it's a steep learning curve. I've made 3 now and will soon be making another 3 and I'm still getting to grips with some of the tools as well.

[Talisman]

Biggest tip is to keep tools sharp.

[97 n.o.]

Biggest tip is to keep tools sharp.

Ha, yep fell foul of this a few times! Sharpening stone was the best purchase I made I think!

[97 n.o.]

Right, bit of an update now, finished 3 bats and here are the pics!

From Left to right:

2lbs 10.2oz, 27mm edges, slight concaving
2lbs 13.4oz 26mm edges, no concaving (First bat, long blade)
2lbs 14.2oz, 37mm edges, concaved!

Really enjoying the process now. I've found that making the second and third bats have been much quicker, the finishes are much smoother and the felt much more comfortable with the whole process! Must say, the stickers bring them to life too :-)

All 3 are now knocked in and ready to go for myself and 2 team-mates, if this accursed rain ever stops!!!!

[19reading87]

Class!!!

[Joe]

Stickers look brill, love the shape of the left bat

[straightdrive1]

Right, bit of an update now, finished 3 bats and here are the pics!

From Left to right:

2lbs 10.2oz, 27mm edges, slight concaving
2lbs 13.4oz 26mm edges, no concaving (First bat, long blade)
2lbs 14.2oz, 37mm edges, concaved!

Really enjoying the process now. I've found that making the second and third bats have been much quicker, the finishes are much smoother and the felt much more comfortable with the whole process! Must say, the stickers bring them to life too :-)

All 3 are now knocked in and ready to go for myself and 2 team-mates, if this accursed rain ever stops!!!!

These bats look really good...Well done! 

[97 n.o.]

Cheers guys, still getting to grips with the shapes, these are all experimental! Thanks to Joe for the stickers, they are top notch!

[peplow]

left bat looks superb mate but all three look quality!