Baseball Bat Turning

[Jeff Wright]

My grandson visited us this week. He is a devout NY Mets fan, although he did enjoy attending the local Red Sox/Tampa Rays game here in St Petersburg FL last night. Outstanding game.

We went to the local Sports Authority store and he selected a bat that fit him just right. I took my tape measure and calipers and measured the bat's diameter every three inches. That allowed me to duplicate the bat on my new 3520B. It is the first item I turned on that lathe (or any other for that matter). A couple coats of spray lacquer after sanding to 320 and it looks like the custom bat that it is.

I bought a box of six bat blanks since I have a number of grandsons!!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Alright Grandpa - way to go! The bat looks great and I am sure it will be treasured!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That family heirloom will be in his collection long after you have departed this earth! Way to go Grandpa! Nicely done!

[Norm Zax]

Don't forget to sign it or brand it with the family name! Then, orders will come pouring in.

[Bob Hallowell]

Jeff, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Bob

[robert hainstock]

GS will always remember you when he picks it up. A treasure for sure. :):)
Bob

[Bruce Pennell]

Jeff had to be a fun project. Your Grandson will treasure that bat forever. Great job...Bruce
I've been very lucky, I've done a few projects with my 16 year old Granddaughter. The only thing is she is young and I wear out long before she is ready to quit.:D The pain is well worth the time and fun we get to have together. She love to make spoons, bandsaw boxes, little stuff like that. I do the cutting and let her sand and finish.

[Mike Ramsey]

That looks like a real Bat! Great job Jeff!! I see you used the safety
cage, mine is setting in a corner somewhere, how comfortable was
turning with the cage installed.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Reading this thread makes me really miss both my grandfathers. Great job on the bat, and the grandfathering!

[Jeff Wright]

That looks like a real Bat! Great job Jeff!! I see you used the safety
cage, mine is setting in a corner somewhere, how comfortable was
turning with the cage installed.

I've never removed the protective cage since beginning use of the 3520B. It's not gotten in the way yet, but then I have not done a lot of turning so far. I find that I don't even notice it being installed, especially since it's always been installed and I have gotten used to it. Of course, on a 30-inch bat turned from a 37-inch blank, the cage only covers part of the workpiece.

[Larry Browning]

My grandson visited us this week. He is a devout NY Mets fan, although he did enjoy attending the local Red Sox/Tampa Rays game here in St Petersburg FL last night. Outstanding game.

We went to the local Sports Authority store and he selected a bat that fit him just right. I took my tape measure and calipers and measured the bat's diameter every three inches. That allowed me to duplicate the bat on my new 3520B. It is the first item I turned on that lathe (or any other for that matter). A couple coats of spray lacquer after sanding to 320 and it looks like the custom bat that it is.

I bought a box of six bat blanks since I have a number of grandsons!!

Jeff,
Are these bats going to be used in games by your grandsons? If so, then please be aware that most leagues have very strict rules about bats. Many years ago I was an ASA sanctioned softball umpire. ASA has very restrictive rules for bats stating that the words " Official ASA Softball Bat" stamped on the bat and an SPF rating on them. This pretty much ruled out homemade bats. I was forced to disallow a beautifully hand turned bat that a player had proudly brought to a game. The disappointment on his face just broke my heart. Latter I appealed to ASA about this situation and was told that for safety reasons homemade bats were strictly prohibited. Your local leagues may be different, but it is worth checking into before considering using one of these bats for game play.
However, if these are just going to be for display only, now worries.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jeff what great gift. Well done.

[Jeff Wright]

Jeff,
Are these bats going to be used in games by your grandsons? If so, then please be aware that most leagues have very strict rules about bats.

Excellent point Larry. Our expectation is that the bat will be used only for display or some sandlot playing with his friends around home. At the rate the maple bats are breaking in the Major Leagues, I can understand why the little leagues have concerns about safety issues.

Having said that, there is nothing that sounds better than the crack of a wooden bat in the summertime. The metal bats of today just don't have that same "ring" that I recalled as a young ball player.

[Larry Browning]

Excellent point Larry. Our expectation is that the bat will be used only for display or some sandlot playing with his friends around home. At the rate the maple bats are breaking in the Major Leagues, I can understand why the little leagues have concerns about safety issues.

Having said that, there is nothing that sounds better than the crack of a wooden bat in the summertime. The metal bats of today just don't have that same "ring" that I recalled as a young ball player.

So true, so true. There are only 1 or 2 things in this world that feel better than making perfect contact with the ball, hearing that deep resounding CRACK of a wooden bat, and then watching the ball fly effortlessly over the center field fence. That only happened to me couple of times in my life, but, MAN what a feeling.
Let's not go into the other things that feel better than that.;)

[Mike Minto]

And your first turning? Professional looking - well done! Mike:)

[Joseph Peacock]

That is a nice hobby to get in too.;)

[Brodie Brickey]

Beautiful bat. May he always cherish it.

[Jeff Wright]

That is a nice hobby to get in too.;)

My 5-year-old neighbor boy just saw the bat and asked if I'd make one for him. How do you turn down a five-year-old? :confused:

["Gary Brewer"]

Hi Jeff: Nice project! If you wouldn't mind where did you get the blanks and are how much are they?
Thanks for any help,
Gary

[Jeff Wright]

Hi Jeff: Nice project! If you wouldn't mind where did you get the blanks and are how much are they?
Thanks for any help,
Gary

Gary, I got them from Penn State Industries and they were about $95 for a box of six blanks 37 inches long.

[Paul Engle]

I be soooooooooooooooo jealous..... that is way cool .As gs # 1 would say " rite on gpaaaa" .... far out!