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[jamesisapayne]

Hi all,

after getting some lovely clefts from John at @Red Ink Cricket I noticed that one of them was on the rather large size high-wise, and although this is my first solo attempt at making a bat I thought why not take the plunge and have a crack at making an M&H Distinction inspired bat, with small 20-25mm edges and a high spine - after all what could be easier than this on your first attempt   

The cleft itself was a touch over 70 mm in height, and having a couple of photos on my computer of my old M&H Distinction I set to work. The cleft has a small amount of butterfly stain on the back right in the sweet spot and I'm hoping this is a good omen for performance. The cleft isn't the lightest, currently weighing in at 2.15, but I've got a bit more concaving to do, some wood to remove from the toe/shoulders and obviously the sanding/polishing which I hope will take it down to around 2.12 before binding, grip etc.

This has been a brilliant experience so far - I've actually spent more time faffing with making some new wood jaws for my record vice which has replaced the one in the first two photos, and I've probably spent more time playing around with the tools on offcuts of pine rather than making the bat but I reckon I've spent 2-3 hours on the bat so far.

Some pictures below for those that are interested.

Cheers,

James

[potzy248]

Finishing needs a bit of work...

[edge]

Looks quite nice so far mate! Be interested to see how it turns out and at what weight.

[19reading87]

Get that finished and it will be a beaut! A massive bat with a couple of butterfly stains in, it will be a rocket!! Well done mate

[JTtaylor145]

Great work so far. I look forward to seeing the end result. Well done.

[JK Lewis]

Brilliant effort so far, well done. Looking forward to seeing the finished bat. Looks like it will really go!

[jamesisapayne]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to giving it a finish as the sanding transforms it in my opinion. The lighting isn't great so it probably looks rougher than it is.

Just need to order my sanding drums and polishing mops!

[JK Lewis]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to giving it a finish as the sanding transforms it in my opinion. The lighting isn't great so it probably looks rougher than it is.

Just need to order my sanding drums and polishing mops!

Maybe round off the toes a little bit too. Easier with a plane / spokeshave / whatever.

[JK Lewis]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to giving it a finish as the sanding transforms it in my opinion. The lighting isn't great so it probably looks rougher than it is.

Just need to order my sanding drums and polishing mops!

Sorry, I was also going to say don't forget to blend the shoulders into the handle. You don't want those lumps under the binding and grip. I use a drawknife for this bit, which makes life pretty easy.

[Red Ink Cricket]

Looks a good effort mate. Shape is pretty much spot on. As you saw a few weekends ago, the fine tuning and tidying up the initial shaping can loose a few ounces. Sanding will remove a bit too so should come down to a bit more of a manageable weight.

[jamesisapayne]

Sorry, I was also going to say don't forget to blend the shoulders into the handle. You don't want those lumps under the binding and grip. I use a drawknife for this bit, which makes life pretty easy.

No worries, still have this to do. I'm going to use a curved spokeshave to do it as I find that easier than a drawknife which I find can dig in quite easily. Thanks for the advice, much appeciated

[t2ylo]

This has to be my favourite thread yet as a long term lurker, first time poster!!!

All happening in a garage in Somerset, posted at midnight & tips galore with 24hrs.

Keep the updates & photos coming I cannot wait to see the finished article.

[sachin200]

Great! Please post pics once it is done!
It looks to have nice elongated sweet spot. should work very well.

[jamesisapayne]

Hi all, a quick update now I've had time to sand and polish the bat. I've been using a random orbital sander but the more I  work on bats the more I realise I need a proper inflatable drum sander for consistency. It amazing the difference polishing the bat makes too. This particular piece of wood has taken on a nice reddish hue as there's a fair bit of heartwood and butterfly marking. Weighing 2.13 but picks up a bit lighter than that. It's not like a feather obviously due to the sheer size and lowish middle of the bat but it definitely picks up lighter than it looks. Some pics below of the bat sanded then polished - The spine is very straight which was a nightmare but the lighting and grains make it look a bit wobbly. It isn't!

[19reading87]

Wow!!!!