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The crack of a baseball against a wooden bat is a wonderful sound seldom heard today. Too often it’s been replaced by the metallic “clink” of an aluminum bat. Baseball has its roots in balls, gloves and shoes made from animal hides, and bats made from trees. It seems an odd place for high tech equipment to intrude. Making a wooden bat returns you and your kids to the sound and feel of real, old-time baseball.
The right wood
Almost every common
wood has been used for bats
at one time or another.
However, a few species dominate
the history of the sport.
Traditionally northern ash has
been the wood of choice, but currently—
at least in the pros—it is a neckand-
neck race with hard maple. A few
bats are still made of hickory and beech.
For this project, I suggest buying a blank of
ash or maple that has been graded for bats (see “Sources”, below). The reason is not only superior
performance, but also safety. A bat made from a
graded bat blank is less likely to break in use.
Bat blanks are graded differently from regular
furniture grade lumber. First, only straight-grained
wood from slow-growing trees of moderate size
make the grade. The blank must have tight, evenly
spaced growth rings and be free of flaws like knots.
The best blanks are often split from the log rather
than sawn in order to follow the grain perfectly.
Extra care is taken in the drying of bat blanks to create
an even distribution of moisture throughout the
entire thickness.
Tools and supplies
To make a full-size baseball bat you will need a
lathe that can handle lengths up to 36-in. between
centers. For Little League bats a lathe with shorter
capacity will work just fine. It is best to have a live
center at the tailstock end, and drive with either a
spur or cup drive. If you are duplicating a bat, you
will need to fabricate a simple V-block system to
hold the master bat (the one being duplicated)
directly behind your blank (Photo 3).
The bat can be turned with three tools: a spindle-
roughing gouge (1-1/4-in. to 1-3/4-in.), a parting
tool (1/4-in. wide) and a spindle/detail gouge
(3/8-in. or 1/2-in.). If you are comfortable using a
skew, a large one (1-in. to 1-1/2-in.) can be added
as an option for smoothing the shape and rounding
the end of the barrel.
Complete your supplies with a pair of locking
outside calipers. Make sure the caliper’s points are
fully rounded smooth. Sharp points can catch
when used to size your bat. Round the points with
a file and smooth with sandpaper. A pair of dividers
is helpful—although optional-- for sizing the
knob’s width. A plastic center finder is helpful in
locating centers on round bat blanks (see
“Sources”).
Prepare the blank
Determine the type of the bat you intend to
turn: Major League, softball or Little League. This
can be based on an old favorite you’d like to duplicate
or from scratch using a drawing based on regulations
dimension (see Fig. A, below). The blank
should be 1 to 2 inches longer than the finished bat
to allow for waste at both ends.
Mark the centers on the blank (Photo 1) and
mount it on the lathe. I place the barrel end of the
bat at the tailstock. Then I true the cylinder to the
axis of the lathe (Photo 2).
Shape the barrel
Shape the widest part of the bat, called the barrel,
first. You want to preserve the thick diameter on the
blank as long as possible to avoid chatter from vibration.
Start by making guide diameters on the first
third of the blank with calipers and a parting tool
(Photo 3). Set the calipers about 1/8-in. wider than
the desired diameter to allow for final shaping and
sanding. If you’re duplicating a bat, place the master
directly behind the mounted blank.
Next is a process of connecting the guide diameters
with the spindle-roughing gouge (Photo 4).
Shoot for smooth transitions between the guide
diameters (Photo 5).
Go ahead and roll over the end of the barrel at
this time (Photo 6).
Shape the handle
Mark and shape the middle third of the bat in
the same way you shaped the barrel. When you
reach the last third of the bat, remove some of the
waste material towards the knob end first to give
you some working room. Spindle work is best done
from larger to smaller diameters because it produces
the least amount of tearout. As you reduce
the diameter of the bat, you will experience chatter.
This usually shows up as spiral marks on the
surface of the wood (Photo 7). To reduce chatter,
use a sharp tool and keep it firmly planted on the
tool rest. Take light cuts. Avoid pushing hard or
you’re bound to get chatter from the flexing blank.
Even with all these tactics, you will need added support
as the handle narrows. The traditional
method is to support the narrow area with your
hand (Photo 8). Another option is to employ a
steady rest (Photo 9). I use a steady rest when I get
to about the middle of the blank.
Continue the process of cutting and connecting
the guide diameters working from the large diameters
on either end towards the narrowest point on
the handle (Photo 10).
Shape the knob
As you approach the end of the bat, go ahead and
lay out the knob area. Establish the knob’s width and
diameter (Photo 11). Then reduce the diameter
on the knob’s right side, blending into
the handle. Leave a 1/2-in. to 1-in.
length of waste material past the end
of the knob.
After the handle area is completed,
finish off the knob by rolling
away the corners with the
spindle/detail gouge (Photo 12).
Finishing touches
Sand the entire piece, working through the different
grits up to 180 (Photo 13). Turn the waste material
on both ends down to slightly larger than your
lathe centers. Remove the bat, cut the waste off with
a handsaw (such as a small Japanese saw), and finish
sanding the ends of your bat by hand or a disc on the
lathe.
Most bats have brands to indicate how the bat
should be held. Always swing the bat with the label
up to reduce the chances of breakage.
The goal is to hit the ball on the radial grain, or
what some woodworkers call the edge grain—rather
than the tangential or face grain. So, put your
brand on the grain that looks like chevrons rather
than the edges of plywood. Use a woodburning tool
to put whatever name or symbol you wish to use as
your brand (Photo 14).
I recommend finishing your bat (Photo 15). A finish
gives the bat a nicer look as it brings out the
grain. Plus it offers some protection from moisture.
All types of finishes have been used for bats, including
shellac, lacquer, varnish (water-based or oilbased).
For this bat I am using a wipe-on poly; three
coats is sufficient. Some players prefer the handle
area to be free of finish—for better gripping and
applying pine tar.
Now, it’s time to hit the field!
Sources
(Note: Product availability and costs are subject to change since original publication date.)
Ambrosch International, (888) 641-5966,
www.ambrosch.net
Ash Bat blanks, $7-$19, Maple Bat
Blanks, $18-$25.
Cutting Edge, (800) 790-7980,
www.cutingedgetools.com
Center finder, #400-800-2875, $8,
Woodburners, $55 to $125.
Alan Lacer, www.alanlacer.com
Spindle steady, $110.
Fig. A
This story originally appeared in American Woodworker July 2007, issue #129.
July 2007, issue #129
Purchase this back issue.
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Click any image to view a larger version.
1. If you’re starting with a purchased round blank, mark the center on both ends with a plastic center finder. On a square blank use a ruler across the diagonals to find the centers.
2. True the cylinder’s entire length with a spindle-roughing gouge. This step is necessary because the blank may be warped, or your center marks aren’t perfect. Take light cuts. You don’t want to remove too much stock.
3. Size the bat with calipers and a parting tool. Transfer diameters from a drawing or an existing bat (called a master) onto the blank. Lightly push the calipers into the work as you reduce the diameter with the parting tool until the calipers just slip over the cut.
4. Use a spindle-roughing gouge to “connect the dots”. The goal is to join and blend the different guide diameters to create a smooth cylinder that tapers towards the handle.
5. Take light cuts and create level transitions as you approach the final shape of the barrel. Work from the large diameter to the small to minimize tearout.
6. Roll over the end of the barrel with a detail/spindle gouge. Shoot for a smooth, gradual curve like the master has. Leave about a 1/2-in. by 2-in. diameter waste area near your live center for now.
7. Spiraling or chatter is a big challenge for the bat maker. Spiraling results from the wood flexing, or the tool bouncing or a combination of both. As the bat gets thinner, the problem becomes more pronounced.
8. Support the work with your hand to reduce spiraling. This is a safe and common practice. Make sure there is little gap between the tool rest and the wood. Keep your hand pressure on the back of the blank.
9. A steady rest is an alternative to the hand-support method. It virtually eliminates chatter and spiraling because the work is supported on three sides at once. A steady rest requires a smooth area for the wheels to run upon.
10. Work the area to the right of the knob. Cut from the large diameter towards the small diameter (also known as cutting downhill). This produces the smoothest cut with the least tearout.
11. Establish the width of the knob with a pair of dividers. I keep the wood on either side of the knob as fat as possible until the handle area is almost complete. This helps reduce spiraling from a flexing blank.
12. Roll the knob using the spindle/detail gouge. Start at the widest portion of the knob and ride the bevel of the gouge down to the handle or waste block. The open or U-shaped portion of the gouge faces the direction of the cut.
13. Sand your bat with the tool rest, steady rest, and master bat removed. Start with 100 grit followed by 120, 150 and 180 grit paper.
14. Add a customized look to your bat by burning in your own brand. The brand is always placed on the face grain portion of the bat (see inset) to give the hitter a point of reference for positioning the bat.
15. Apply a finish to give a richer look to the bat as well as some protection against moisture.
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