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[Seniorplayer]

Yes it probably would but it'd then be more difficult to get bat size up and the weight down. Modern bats are bigger for a reason and thats to do with the drying methods. But if you want clefts that have been air dried then let me know and I can send green willow for you to dry.

At least when they are aired dryed bats they  won't spilt as easy

[Tom]

I might be able to dig out a grading specification from a few years ago, it's different to the one on the website. Has about 20 odd different grades.

[WSB]

If you could find it and send it that would be great. I've just purchased a couple more trees to fell in a few months once the site is accessible. Once these current clefts are dry I will have a few that will need grading. I have a couple of companies pricing and grading but with wrights being the biggest supplier it makes sense to base things around what they offer. As they supply in bulk I'm guessing it's pretty much irrelevant how much they charge per individual cleft but find out how much they charge per 1,000 and work it out from there. In fact they quote that 2,000 is the minimum order so Im thinking they won't have individual cleft prices but bulk order prices for say 2,000 clefts with a mix of grades.

[Tom]

They do have individual cleft prices. But also a minimum order quantity and order mix that you have to meet.

[WSB]

At least when they are aired dryed bats they  won't spilt as easy

I agree but the bat buying market won't. They'll pick up a bigger bat made from a drier cleft instead of a smaller bat made from an air dried cleft. It's that process that has enabled bats to go from their previous thinner shape in the 1990s to the current big edged shape of today. It's not the machining. Concaving helps the appearance but the drying is the real key to the big bats of today. Maybe the industry should regulate that rather than bat edge size. That way people will buy a product that will last and if you happen to get a cleft that is naturally light enough to make a big bat then fair play. Artificially enhancing the wood by lightening it great for the pros but the club player gets to pay more for a product that will last a fraction of the time. But with Asia buying up so many clefts their natural environment for drying naturally brings a cleft down in water content - it's the uk that require the use of kilns.

[WSB]

Anything you have Tom would be really useful for me when it comes to assessing mine fairly. I could just bung a price on 100 clefts and be done with it but would prefer to go give buyers a few options

[Seniorplayer]

I agree but the bat buying market won't. They'll pick up a bigger bat made from a drier cleft instead of a smaller bat made from an air dried cleft. It's that process that has enabled bats to go from their previous thinner shape in the 1990s to the current big edged shape of today. It's not the machining. Concaving helps the appearance but the drying is the real key to the big bats of today. Maybe the industry should regulate that rather than bat edge size. That way people will buy a product that will last and if you happen to get a cleft that is naturally light enough to make a big bat then fair play. Artificially enhancing the wood by lightening it great for the pros but the club player gets to pay more for a product that will last a fraction of the time. But with Asia buying up so many clefts their natural environment for drying naturally brings a cleft down in water content - it's the uk that require the use of kilns.
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Although what you have written is correct not all Of the Bat making industry uses kilns due to concerns re warrenties

Not all Uk bat makers use Kiins due to concerns re warrenties

[hell4leather cricket]

What sort of weights are the clefts dried to ? Unfortunatly if there's no artificial drying they will be too heavy for use ,even thin edge bats will be hard to achieve . Any pictures of the clefts ?

[WSB]

I've a batch air drying and they'll be kiln dried. Not planning to dry them to a specific weight as such just get them down to a reasonable moisture content. Weight will be dependant upon the cleft and how Mother Nature grew that particular section of the tree. There will be natural variance. Some pick up pretty heavy some really light already. That'll be partly down to moisture content that's already gone due to where they are in the stack but also on the density of the wood as it grew. I've a feeling that how high up the trunk the cleft grew affects the weight and density of each round. When u think about it that's logical - the lower rounds have a lot of pressure forced down on them to support the tree. It'll also be where it is closest contact to the earth and where it drinks up the water. The higher rounds have less weight to support so will be naturally less compacted and the fibres looser. That's my theory and it makes sense to me - although it's not based on science ! So they'll all weigh differently when dry regardless of kiln influences. I agree though that you can't make a big bat out of an air drier cleft - they'll need a good year of air drying and even then will be pretty dense to work with. First bat I made was from a green cleft and it weighed loads - I couldn't achieve s modern shape or anything near to it. Not sure of any manufacturers who don't kiln dry clefts. As most use wrights clefts I know they're kiln dried. Gunn and Moore and gray nics have their own clefts and kiln. All Asian manufacturers have to have them dried to allow them into the country - can't import green willow anywhere. So any English willow clefts used abroad have been processed before shipping. I'm sure quite a few manufacturers say they only use air dried willow but doubt that they do. I know of possibly just 1 that does but even then I'm sure their is some additional drying carried out too.

[Seniorplayer]

Spot  on  first kiln dried followed by air drying to  ideally 10 ipercent moisture

[WSB]

Im guessing Wrights don't have a price list in the conventional sense. As they sell by the 2,000 and don't actually take on new customers id guess they don't need to price individual clefts - they never sell a single cleft as such - but price their orders in the 1,000's and give a breakdown of grades within that 1,000. That would make sense in terms of the scale that they operate at. Smaller companies who sell in the hundreds (of which there are only a few) do have individual cleft prices but getting hold of Wrights would have been useful.