Topic: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!) (Read 42386 times)

jonny77 · « **Reply #135 on:** March 20, 2024, 05:27:13 PM »

Looks a beast that @Chad......If only it was 2lbs 7oz! 😉

It's great to see your work on here and your passion for batmaking. Think you only need some stickers and a press now eh?

Chad · « **Reply #136 on:** April 16, 2024, 06:18:07 PM »

Quote from: Whispering Death on March 19, 2024, 12:46:16 PM

Cannot wait to get this in my hands! Is an absolute stunner @Chad

Glad you're hyped for it - hopefully have delivered!

Quote from: 19reading87 on March 20, 2024, 03:32:13 PM

This bat is now in my hands to knock in. It really is stunning. Chad has done a phenomenal effort

Thanks for the feedback, good to know it passes on your high standards for aesthetics. Just don't drive a cricket spike through the middle please!

Quote from: procricket on March 20, 2024, 05:15:23 PM

You getting the itch Redders!!!

He's retired, or at least he claims he has. Swear I saw him snooping around for some pads though...

Quote from: jonny77 on March 20, 2024, 05:27:13 PM

Looks a beast that @Chad......If only it was 2lbs 7oz! 😉

It's great to see your work on here and your passion for batmaking. Think you only need some stickers and a press now eh?

Ah, if I reduced the edges to 34mm, spine to 62mm... then it wouldn't be the same bat, and probably still wouldn't hit that weight.

Some clefts are just destined to be made into big bats at big weights for big lads like Mike, this particular one I reckon will perform well and get better with time

New press, stickers, splicer, spindle moulder, thicknesser, list goes on.

Whispering Death · « **Reply #137 on:** April 16, 2024, 06:52:13 PM »

100% insane bat! Used for first time today and absolutely flew! Thanks @Chad

Chad · « **Reply #138 on:** April 16, 2024, 07:31:57 PM »

Right, so a bit of a different request for this one - around 15-20mm SB and SH configuration, and a mid middle. We play on generally low bouncing wickets when on grass, but astroturf as well, so having good coverage low-mid while maintaining a good balance was key for this particular piece. Being a slightly shorter blade, I'd have a bit more to play with in terms of profile size, especially low down, so decided to carry the spine through the toe to give a pretty solid thickness, and try just to make the lower few inches of the blade a little more sturdy/punchy.

So it was meant to be a G3, but I ended up finding a really nice cleft which I had to take the length down a bit due to a split, and beef it up with a thicker toe guard mould. This would have undoubtedly made a superb full sized bat too, with some beautiful grainage, and I actually really like the blemishes/graping on the back. Shape wise I was going for a mid middle, and used an old BIG Kahuna for an edge template. Think I spent a while looking at the SCAT I've borrowed from @Ayrtek Cricket (sorry Tom, I'll get it back to you soon!) as it has some similarities to it with the way the spine runs into the splice, and the extended swell.

Luckily I managed to persuade the lad to pick another grip colour other than neon green to go with these Blue/Black B&S stickers. I actually really like the pink and blue Pope combo!

Specs:

Weight - 2.10.5
Spine - 65mm
Edge - 30mm
Toe edge - 20mm
Toe centre - 30mm
Shoulder edge - 14mm
Splice - 42.5mm
Handle Shape - Oval
Face Camber - 7mm

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out - it took me a while as I kept picking it back up again and adjusting over the course of a few weeks when I could find time. I think I could definitely do a bit better with the time I spend on these projects, but I think I just want to spend time getting to stages where I'm learning something about shaping and willow. I'm far from skilled with the tools I've got, but really taking the time now to try make sure I don't make mistakes that aren't rectifiable is key. Perhaps if I start up a brand and make stock shapes, I could improve on my timing...

Chad · « **Reply #139 on:** April 23, 2024, 02:28:49 PM »

So, the 2nd of 6 Newbery copy attempts - a Thruxton! The Thruxton kind of goes against convention, with a medium-thick edge and a small, flatter spine with a mild concave. Every one I've come across though has pinged superbly, and it's probably mostly down to the press, but despite having a low spine and some concaving, it still packs a real punch. Luckily I have one handy to use as a reference bat too for this!

For those curious about what other ones will be attempted at some point:

Mjolnir - Done
Thruxton - Done
Tour
GT
Uzi
B52 Bomber

Shots of the Concaving

Shots compared to the reference

I do feel for this one, I haven't quite achieved the aesthetic I was aiming for - yes, the low spine, mild concave, and thick edge are all there, but it just lacks a bit of the attractiveness of the Thruxton itself. Perhaps the slightly more bowed blade of the Thruxton lends itself a little more of a curvy look despite the lack of depth to work with curves, and I needed to adjust my spine profile and edge profile slightly just to accommodate for this.

Specifications:

Weight - 2lb 9.9oz
Face Camber - 7mm
Edge - 35mm
Toe Edge - 18mm
Toe Centre - 30mm
Shoulder Edge - 12mm
Splice - 38mm
Spine - 57mm
Handle - Semi-Oval

All in all, I'm okay with it not being quite what I had wanted - it has ended up somewhat a bit pancake-ish. Maybe I'll revisit one day and attempt another - I think I'd need to reduce dimensions in the toe and splice to try get a little more 'arc' into the profile. As always, massive thanks to @hell4leather cricket for supplying the pressed and handled cleft. The press on these has been superb. May need to visit again soon...

LEACHY48 · « **Reply #140 on:** April 23, 2024, 03:21:15 PM »

Honestly, I think you're too harsh on yourself. That is a brilliant attempt at a copy. I really don't like the thruxton shape personally, but a really great copy of the original that is!

Jimbo · « **Reply #141 on:** April 23, 2024, 03:41:34 PM »

Modest to a fault as usual! May not be spot on but a lovely bat regardless. Looking forward to seeing the Tour attempt, love that shape.

mr_reagan · « **Reply #142 on:** April 23, 2024, 07:00:03 PM »

all this does is make me feel stupid for selling my thruxton sps back in the day. Impossible to find a good one these days. Any off the shelf shapes in the same ball park?

Thats a great effort as well, not that far off

FattusCattus · « **Reply #143 on:** April 24, 2024, 09:36:47 AM »

@Chad - how about a Newbery TT, but with a bigger bottom!

ch1p · « **Reply #144 on:** April 24, 2024, 11:47:06 AM »

There would be no complaints from me if I�d ordered a Thruxton copy and that showed up Chad. Cracking work. I genuinely think there is a little something in bat stickers (as minimalist as those lovely classic Newbery ones are) that can influence how a shape looks on the eye.

wilkie113 · « **Reply #145 on:** April 24, 2024, 12:51:08 PM »

Having seen this bat in the flesh over the weekend, it�s a tremendous bat. Very well made by a slightly dodgy bloke 😂. I joke. Class effort mate, you always know what I think of your skills!

InternalTraining · « **Reply #146 on:** June 27, 2024, 04:12:31 PM »

Quote from: Chad on April 16, 2024, 07:31:57 PM

Screaming Cat/Millichamp shape. Looks great!

I wish I had had cornered one when he was making bats.

Jimbo · « **Reply #147 on:** June 27, 2024, 04:29:36 PM »

Quote from: InternalTraining on June 27, 2024, 04:12:31 PM

Screaming Cat/Millichamp shape. Looks great!

I wish I had had cornered one when he was making bats.

Plays as good as it looks, even in the hands of an absolute no-hoper batsman like me!

Chad · « **Reply #148 on:** June 09, 2025, 02:39:28 PM »

Gosh - it's been so long since I last updated this thread! I have been making bats a little more regularly recently, having taken on the reins of Crossbat Cricket. That being said, I still hope to share posts here, especially when requests come along like this!

So we've had a request for a trio of retros, and being in a fortunate enough position to be mad enough to collect a ridiculous amount of cricket bats, I happened to have a good number of these to use as templates/references for the requests.

First up, we had a Woodworm request - the customer is a big fan of the Pietersen Torch era, but actually preferred the Megabite profile. (Essentially the Woodworm Flame successor) If I remember correctly, Freddie was the Wand, Flame then Mega Drive. Pietersen had the Torch, Globe then Hard Drive? I think the Satellite was also part of the range, which was the silver chrome one - but I digress. The Torch typically had a lower driving swell, and I had made a replica of one in the past. The Flame had more of a mid profile, and the one I used was full, so I decided to make this one full too. Around 2.9 and G3 was the request, and we've tipped it a touch over at 2.10, but it does feel very nice in the hands - fingers crossed it's suitable! I opted to go for my take on a Hunts style scooped shoulder, and also a medium-thick oval handle. On a side note, it's actually pretty chunky, just the exaggerated rounding of the edges doesn't give that impression.

They then mentioned that they had bought some reproduction Diablo stickers too for some reason, and I just so happened to receive a Diablo for the collection around that time. So the request for 1 retro quickly became 2. The Diablo I had always associated with Damien Martyn, who I was lucky to have caught glimpses of towards the tail end of his career. Such a classy batsman, and with unbelievable timing. We opted for a thick orange spiral, one I had been saving for a flame copy, but it just felt right for the occasion. We managed to finish this one in at 2lb 8.3oz in G3 with a nice thick oval, and it just picks up sensationally. It really gave me a breath of nostalgia of rushing out to the sports shops around 2006-2009 sort of period just after school had finished just to pick up bats.

Finally, after showing the Diablo, the customer mentioned that they had managed to secure some legit Purist stickers, and was wondering if I'd be up for the task of reproducing the profile. Naturally I agreed and suggested a slightly nicer looking piece, and we picked out this G1 that we figured would do the job. I had initially hoped to have made it a chunkier profile, especially since the one I was copying is just over 2lb 7oz, but unfortunately I had massively overestimated. We still managed to get a nice sized bat in at a shade under 2lb 9oz, and with a lovely oval handle and pick up. It's not too far off, with probably the most obvious difference being that we've extended the driving area a little more towards the toe. I can't imagine how light it would have picked up if I'd not felt inclined to do that, but I think having my own style/twist to a replica is something I should learn to celebrate rather than obsess too much over

Making these retro style profiles are probably some of the most enjoyable batmaking projects I've undertaken - there's just something refreshing about not trying to fight too much on having the bats as big as possible. Hopefully there will always be a niche market for these kinds of bats!

Real Munson · « **Reply #149 on:** June 09, 2025, 04:19:30 PM »

Those are glorious Chad - and a well made bat still flies in the right hands no matter the size of the edges! Next one to try is the Alec Stewart Bubble from the 90's.....

Author Topic: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!) (Read 42386 times)

jonny77

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Chad

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Whispering Death

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Chad

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Chad

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

LEACHY48

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Jimbo

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

mr_reagan

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

FattusCattus

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

ch1p

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

wilkie113

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

InternalTraining

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Jimbo

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Chad

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)

Real Munson

Re: Chad's Batmaking Thread (The first Bat Shaper in Scotland?!)