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[yvk3103]

Basis my (very) early morning discussions with Julian, I though I share this with the forum:

According to Julian bats with 7-10 grains are likely to perform better that those with tighter grains. Allt eh bats he makes for his pro players have 8-9 grains. He grades his willow based on the tests he performs on the willow with his mallet. Going by his experience their is 90% chance of bats with 7-10 grains will perform well, this % comes down to 70% for bats with 10-14 grains and 50% for bats with higher number of grains. According to Julian, willow with tighter grains is generally inferior grade willow

Julian, had a study conducted in AUS/UK, to determine whether presence of heartwood improves the performance of the willow. The answer is no.

Much of what Julian said was contrary to what I and many like me thought was indicative of better quality and performing willow. But gess have to take Julian's word for it.... he's the best in this field...

Any comments from our own podshaver...Chris

[Talisman]

What would you say if you only had 8/9 grain willow and you needed to sell it, not saying he is wrong as there is no definitive proof that one type of grain and shape is better than another .

[yvk3103]

Well going by experience, I have found little difference in terms of performance, pick-up and feel between my BAS with 9 grains and my Kookaburra with 12 grains or my Fusions with 10/11 grians.

I too feel that to a large extent the number of grains haveing a direct impact on a bats performance is misleading. I have used a GN with 7 grains and it was cracker of a bat, in fact it performed better than my DF with 12 grains and heartwood.

SO at the end of the day, we have to take the podshavers word on the quality of the willow.

My above post is just based on the discussions with Julian. And like may of us, I have come to believe that a tight graind bat is and will perform better than a broad grain bat. SO this was a learning for me.

At the end of the day it is on the individual buying a bat .... some like slim girls others like slightly fuller girls.... theres no study which can prove the slimmer girls are better behavied and have better social attributes than the fuller ones...

[SAF Bats]

Older trees are more stable but not as strong as middle-aged trees. Younger trees move more and are not ready to use. Tight grain is what some people prefer, but the grain can be too tight because it will start to lose strength at some point.

As trees grow in one season, they grow faster from spring through summer and more slowly from fall through winter. That is what we see in tree rings. Tighter grain means less space in fast-growing fibre. This space in looser grain is where the moisture stays, which is why tighter grain is more stable than looser grain. Density is also heavier in tighter grain. The increased density means that the wood is stronger. Therefore makes a bat come to life but die's earlier....

Heartwood is just wood that has lost its sap as it moves out through growth therefore brittle it is also denser....

Ok looking at it on density perspective then tighter grains will make for stiffers blade on the outset but it would mean faults develop quickly... It also means, as you probably know, more weight for the same given volume...  Performace of bats is related to a number of things and wood mass in the hitting area is one of them. 

Pressing a tighter grain cleft as opposed to looser grain cleft will be different...

When you write it down you can see where Julian is coming from....

[yvk3103]

great peice of information. does give some good insights on the willow and grains... but guess this is a newer ending debate.

Evey bat maker has a different perspective and way of evaluating & grading the willow and we will always get newre perspectives and knowledge on this form the podshavers

At the end of the day, the person buying and playing with it has to be satisfied.

[tugga]

The majority of the Cat's I had a look at today didn't have many grains. Generally ranging from 7 to 11. I don't think I saw one with 15+ or anything.

[E-Unit]

what bat do you use tugga?

[tugga]

Small Mens S.Cat.

[E-Unit]

Nice, any pics?

[tugga]

Coming up ina minute. It has 26mm edges. Weighs 2'6. Nice pick up and it felt good with the mallet. I'm still wondering how many coats of oil to put on it however. The little SC guide that came on the handle says the front should be oiled 6 times. I thought this was a bit much. I used to think 3 was about right.

[tugga]

[Howzat]

Very nice bat Tugga have to say the stickers are really nice... never seen them before!  Lots of meat in the profile aswell.

[tugga]

Cheers. It has a few blemishes under the top sticker and it isn't the prettiest piece of willow but it's reasonably big for it's weight and picks up well. Just unsure on the oiling now. Milli say 6. Any batmakers advice?

[E-Unit]

Go with 3 at least, but are you planning on putting a scuff sheet on?

Looks great mate really thinking about saving up for one, what did you use before this?

[tugga]

Nah I'm not putting on a scuff sheet. If I was I'd probably only put 1 coat on, otherwise it wouldn't stick. I'll stick with 3 light coats for now. 6 seems abit extreme.

Another one? Haha Lavers, Impalas, XXX3's and now Screaming Cat. It's a good bat, can't wait to use it in the middle. Used the old Puma Classic before this.