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[Mr Cricket]

i would very much like to have a go at making a bat

what tools will i need?

where can i get a cheap cleft to have a first attempt on?

how can i put a handle on it?

how can i cut the splice properly?

where can i design stickers and get stickers made?

in short i am looking for an idiots guide to making a bat!

thanks in advance

[slogger02]

draw knife, planes, sander etc
cheap cleft from H4L or CJI cricket
handle should be fitted
stickers professionally by adcal or rhiti (expensive), can do them youself on the computer though (cheap but poor quality).  cricketbatstickers.com i think it is will do them to.

then you proceed to ruin your cleft!

[Mr Cricket]

awesome!

might have a go after xmas, think i could come up with an awesome design, cud be a revolution!

[slogger02]

master the standard bat before changing the universe!

[Mr Cricket]

no chance

[SillyShilly]

Good luck - be interested to see how you get on.

[leeroy_acko]

Go to Matt @ H4L for the cleft- he sorted me out with 2 grade 1s with handle and rudimentary shape, leaving you to finish it. He has always been available for advise too.

[SillyShilly]

Leeroy thats no fun - you want to make the whole of the shape yourself.......thats the best bit!

[leeroy_acko]

Hmmm, maybe thats misleading, he has essentially made it "bat shaped", in the the cleft is stuck to a handle. The bat currently weights 5 pounds, ungripped. I can make whatever shape I like, although that should probably read, I can mess it up in as many different ways as I like!!

[SillyShilly]

Ahhhhh, thats how all part mades come (well the one's ive seen anyway).

Have fun with it and dont expect it to be a masterpiece first time up, i was a little careless with the drawknife on the first bat and ended up whittling a twig come the end........from my very brief experience, it is worth your time investing in some decent tools!

[leeroy_acko]

I was hoping to do it really, really slowly and carefully with just a hand plane. Is that possible or am i being silly?
My father in law is helping, and he used to teach woodwork, so I am hoping he will save me from any catastrophies!

[Mr Cricket]

how difficult is it?

[SillyShilly]

Not that difficult at all to take the wood away and get a rough shape- but it's hard to master.
I had no experience whatsoever and i have managed to produce 2 out 3 bats that i am relatively happy with - i'd imagine those with a woodworking background would find this easier than most.

[hit4six]

One thing I would recommend is buying some good quality sandpaper. This will save you time and effort. I would try and get some 3M branded sandpaper, because when you have finished shaping the bat, you will have some digs and uneven bits you will want to flatten out. I used this when I made a few bats and I found sanding with a good brand of sandpaper for around 10 mins made the bat even out and allows the finish of the bat to look more professional.

[Biggyd63]

im looking to do the same kind of thing as Mr Cricket
i just need some advice on types of planes, spokeshaves as there are so many different types
i need to know which types will be best (concave, convex, flat) for making a simple cricket bat
Which tools are absolutely necessary/the bare minimum?