So, like most on the forum I thought I’d share a short snippet of the journey I’ve had in the realm of bat making and what I’ve learnt and made so far.
For starters, it definitely hasn’t been the easiest skill to pick up. Beginning with naff but cheap Ebay tools and wood from a trip to the Keeley workshop it took about 4 videos and between 2-3 hours of pretending to know what exact profile and measurements I wanted for “my very first” to begin. Obviously it was partially shaped from the factory so had some limitations to specs etc. but after 3 days of gently working away with tools and hand sanding it was done. Seemed pretty good to look at too…
As time went on and a few people became interested in a bat or two I started upgrading equipment and began making connections with other people in the field, all of which have ever so kindly shared a wealth of knowledge along the way which had definitely helped! Especially a certain bat maker who told me I didn’t need to go through 10+ sanding grades to get a high gloss finish to a bat. Muddling through has been a lot of fun as it’s got me (and the brand) to where it is today but doesn’t mean that the learning journey is over by any means. Here’s a couple of shapes to break up the lengthy text
Moving from a few botched scaffold boards into the parent’s garage then a standalone workshop brought about the challenges of business, which for a simple educator was a bit strange to deal with. Marketing the products, social media and being active and available added a new bit of fun into the mix and just generally trying to keep up becomes harder and harder. After the bats and all that came with the process of designing the stickers and profiles made just thinking about softs troublesome and nauseating! The badger inside called for all the bells and whistles but the purist wanted something simple, followed by who will make them and then the cost of it all- became a real bundle of joy to sit and work on… NOT! Mounding orders, outgoings and ordering in willow became one of the many daily tasks, let alone keeping retailers happy(ish) with their margins. If I’m honest, all of that probably dropped the quality of what I had been producing in order to just keep a tabs on it all and it just didn’t feel right for me.
Everything, like the bats, is supposed to be in balance and I’m sure that some of the bat makers on here may agree. When busy periods come about- life and work are most certainly not in any kind of balance. 7-6 day job then to the workshop until 2am the following morning was totally unsustainable. It called for a change, downsizing and returning to the roots of it all… the hobby, the fun and engagement with customers rather than having a number on an invoice.
So where I’m at now, after a season off to get back in and enjoying the game, is a product of all the fun aspects brought in by trying to make a go of bat making, starting a business with absolutely zero idea (resulting in some hefty fines
), being a marketing team, design agency and customer services. Yet, I’ve been so very fortunate to have learnt the ropes of bat making from many industry leaders which has brought my processes down from days to mere hours and although I’ve had some serious ups and downs along the road, I wouldn’t change it for the world! There’s very little to lose, just learn from and move on.
Mini Montage time
I’ll try and update my photos on the thread here for you all as best as I can. Didn’t want to overload it too early.
Thanks for having a look and reading it (if it wasn’t too boring)
Author
Topic: Bat Making: A trial by fire (Morton Edition) (Read 4573 times)