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[SAF Bats]

What causes some bats to delaminate? (the hard surface layer separates from the rest of the wood in the middle. tapping it with fingers gives off a "hollow" sound)
What's the best way to fix it?

SkipperJ, great question... when you press a cleft you are effectively compressing the willow fibres and therefore squeezing the sap which acts like glue overtime delamination occurs at that hardlevel like you said.  Depending on the depth of the delamination it is/was a sign of a good performing bat!

Lift and glue - or glue the cracks

[yvk3103]

Why is there a difference in color of the willow between brands?

Eg: A Bradbury S Players (their top of the range bat) or DF bats have a slightly darker color willow than a Top of the range Kook, Puma, SS etc?

Also sometimes on a Newbery SPS the grains are not highly visible when compared to a Puma 6000 or a Kook or other brand. Why is this so?

[SAF Bats]

how do you press a bat to get the most out of it ?
Do you press the bow in to a bat intentionality or does it come from the skill of the presser ?

simple answer would be to say pressing changes to suit the cleft/s

might sound like a silly answer but yes if a press is used to get the bow it is intentional.

[Cover_Drive]

agree a bat needs to be pressed right depending on the willow characteristics. However, I asked you this question as I was not sure if the info shared by the guy had any merit. If yes, then most bats made for pros would not perform to their potential on club cricket level (as majority/most clubs use the readers balls) and it will need more time to knock them in to get the peak performance.

Sorry to bother you SAF but last question regarding pressing that does every willow needs to be pressed differently? If so then why is that? Is it because of numbers of grains?

Thanks

[Cover_Drive]

Since heartwood is middle of the tree people say that it will snap and performance of the heartwood is limited, why and how does that happens?

[SillyShilly]

Whats a butterfly stain

[SAF Bats]

Is there any truth in the oft quoted saying thata bat is in it's prime when it starts to get horizontal surface cracking, and if so whats the theory behind this?

Tusen takk

Think I answered that one in Skippers reply

agree a bat needs to be pressed right depending on the willow characteristics. However, I asked you this question as I was not sure if the info shared by the guy had any merit. If yes, then most bats made for pros would not perform to their potential on club cricket level (as majority/most clubs use the readers balls) and it will need more time to knock them in to get the peak performance.

Yash sorry mate but I just make sure mine meet my preception for a G1 / G2 etc regardless of who they are!

Do people in the forum overthink bat technicalities and should they leave it to the batmakers?

Nope I don't think so, I think people are overly hung up on looks, dead weights, also hitting the ball out of the park and forget that is only a small percentage of there game.  A bat that looks great doesn't help me in the slightest when I'm batting   A bat that feels and I'm happy it has performance for my non-existent bat style does give me more confidence.

[jamferg]

Not sure of timings - I press and handle one day and then shape another, then sand another.  If I get a bit bored/lost whislt pressing or shaping I stop and do something else and then go back to what I was doing.  I never just finish off a job because I started it, that is not why I make bats!  I make them because I enjoy it!

It seems that a

You could technically do it in all the scenarios you stated!

Performance nothing - the classic shape will give you a longer middle closer the centre line the big edge will be slightly shorter and more on the outer edge.  As an amateur I would just say don't go for anything to heavy we aren't playing baseball!

I started now!

Not sure of timings - I press and handle one day and then shape another, then sand another.  If I get a bit bored/lost whislt pressing or shaping I stop and do something else and then go back to what I was doing.  I never just finish off a job because I started it, that is not why I make bats!  I make them because I enjoy it!

You could technically do it in all the scenarios you stated!

Performance nothing - the classic shape will give you a longer middle closer the centre line the big edge will be slightly shorter and more on the outer edge.  As an amateur I would just say don't go for anything to heavy we aren't playing baseball!

I started now!

It seems that Amateur players should use a light bat and pros tend to use them...heavy bats for neanderthals only?

[SAF Bats]

Why is there a difference in color of the willow between brands?

Eg: A Bradbury S Players (their top of the range bat) or DF bats have a slightly darker color willow than a Top of the range Kook, Puma, SS etc?

Also sometimes on a Newbery SPS the grains are not highly visible when compared to a Puma 6000 or a Kook or other brand. Why is this so?

Got no idea mate, I'm more of bat whore for old bats and they look like they have varnish on   Grains that standout I like as I think they perform better [maybe that's just me though ]   I'm not saying this happens but  bleaching may occur
 
 

[SAF Bats]

Sorry to bother you SAF but last question regarding pressing that does every willow needs to be pressed differently? If so then why is that? Is it because of numbers of grains?

Thanks

It is based on a number of factors, weight, grains, moisture blah blah blah

[SAF Bats]

Since heartwood is middle of the tree people say that it will snap and performance of the heartwood is limited, why and how does that happens?

Because it has no sap in it

[SAF Bats]

Whats a butterfly stain

It is occurs when someone walking through a willow plantation squashes a butterfly against a space in the bark of a willow tree and remains there as the bark grows around it.  A moth stain can also occur but this is very, very rare as people don't tend to walk through willow plantations at night.

[SAF Bats]

It seems that Amateur players should use a light bat and pros tend to use them...heavy bats for neanderthals only?

i think I wrote that down wrong, not really what I was saying. I think most people starting out in this game swing a bat around the shop and envisage hitting fours and sixes so they get something meaty!  Maybe that is a better explanation

[100 not out]

Why do bats improve with usage?

[generalcustard]

Hi,
You said that the factors affecting how you press a bat are moisture, weight, grains etc. Is that to say that the moisture content in a cleft, is not the only factor that influences the weight but the density of the willow itself?? pressing seems like the most closely kept secret among bat makers so did you learn through trial and error or did some very helpfull experienced bat makers give you a helping hand??

Cheers, (love the bats and the threads)