Turning a Baseball Bat on a Lathe
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- This is a video on how I turned a 33 inch Baseball Bat from a maple blank.
A bunch of you asked for a link to the place where I got the blanks so here ya go
Fine Hardwoods
www.woodbillet...
Dimensions for the bat for those who don't want to be bothered with stopping the video and transcribing them (I really can't blame you for that).
Length - Dimension
0" - 2"
4" - 1"
8" - 1"
12" - 1 1/8"
16" - 1 1/4"
20" - 1 3/4"
24" - 2 3/16"
28" - 2 7/16"
32" - 2 1/2 "
The best info I’ve found. Thanks a lot for taking the time filming, editing and sharing.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you liked it
Agree. Really an excellent video. I didn’t realize how complicated making a baseball bat could be. But it’s the correct wat
Bravo, straight forward details on how to make a bat. I will do this on my Robust tomorrow with my Grandson. You have made it very simple to do. Thanks "Grumpsy" the wood turner.
Making a bat with your grandson is awesome! Have fun and thanks for watching!!
I just picked up a small Rikon lathe with a bed extension. I have grandsons that play ball and am about to make them some bats as gifts. Your information just changed my direction and how I'll make them. Thank you so much!!
Very happy to help out. Thanks for watching!
Just made my first bat today. 5yrs in thought came to fruition and then I subyour channel.... What a great day....💯☝️
That is awesome!
Man oh man OH MAN!!! My buddy cuts bats for fun, just for friends and stuff and TRUST me when I say this process is NOT this easy. The guy in this video is absolutely INCREDIBLY beyond talented with a lathe!!!! It's truly an amazing video to watch !!!
Thanks!
I finally purchased my 1st lathe. Doing a bucket list Maloof style rocker. Also now have little league bats on the “to do” list. Thank you for your instructions.
Very Happy to help out. Glad you found the info useful. Thanks for watching!
I just finished turning my first bat. It came out nice, but I wish I had found this video before I started. My process was a lot more labor intensive having not known some of your techniques.
I'm glad to hear your bat turned out well. Any time learning is time well spent. Thanks for the kind comment and thanks for watching!
You made that look so easy. I want to learn how to make bats. Thanks for the video.
It really is easy! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tips and tricks Scott.
you're welcome. Thanks for watching
Love the method for tapering a bat. Great vid! Thanks
Glad you liked the video! Thanks for watching
That is a standard lathe procedure for anything that tapers. Divide and conquer. The tricky part is blending the straight points between divisions into curves. Our host made it look easier than it is because his eyes are well trained. .
Awesome stuff! Great information & instructions! Thank you so much!
Craig
You're very welcome, thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
Great craftsmanship!👏🏻💯
Thanks!
Thank you! So cool!
Thanks for watching!
You made this look a lot easier than I know it is.
I'd be interested to hear if you ever weighed those bats to see how heavy they turned out.
Thanks for the comment. I didn't weigh the bats. i have made several and haven't weighed a single one. The bats are commissioned generally as gifts. I know one is used regularly and its owner loves it
If you're going to buy round billets, they may be available in various densities.
@@maplebones I made a 29" maple bat and it ended up being about 26oz.
Hi Scott. Great job!!
Thanks Holly!
Great Job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! 😃
awesome video thanx for all the detailed info.
I'm happy you found it helpful
very nice job enjoyed watching it.
Thanks Larry!
very cool
Thanks!
Amazing job!
Thank you!
Thanks.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
I had to do this at wood shop in high school last week and it had to be a small one and it turned out ok
awesome!
Hello friend, I live in Brazil and I'm a baseball fan, I want to make a bat, but I don't have the measurements, because this sport is not seen in Brazil. Can you give me the measurements so I can make one? please
Hi and thanks for watching. The measurements are written on the wood blank in the video. If they are too difficult to read, the measurements are also listed in the video description
Love this video. I want to start turning bats but I don't know where to start. What is the cheapest lathe I could buy and still produce a good quality bat? Also what lathe are you using?
I'm not sure what the cheapest lathe is. I'm also not sure you'd want the cheapest. With tools, you generally get what you pay for so I'd recommend a good quality lathe as opposed to a cheap one. You'll also need to decide if you want to make anything other than bats. A lathe has two basic measurements, the swing and the length. The swing is how large a diameter you can turn (think bowl making). The length is self explanatory. For bats, you will need a lathe that's long enough to make bats up to 36 inches or so. The swing really won't matter. You could make bats with a mid sized lathe with a bed extension if you had no desire to turn bowls or hollow vessels. To save money it may be a good idea to buy a decent lathe second hand instead of buying a cheap lathe new. Just something to consider.
My lathe is an "American Beauty" model by Robust Lathes. It's definitely not an entry level tool. My previous lathe was made by a company called "Jet". Jet makes decent quality entry level tools.
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop that's good to know brother thank you. I'm trying to get my instructor to run a class on turning wood.
i would love to see how you cup the barrel
I've never done that before, but it shouldn't be all that difficult. Blank in the chuck and using a steady rest would seem to be one solution. Or, just hollow out the end between centers and remove the nub with a rotary tool. I'm sure there are several other options, but those are the two I'd try first
Awesome! Thanks for the video, Great work
Thanks for watching!
Thank you very much for the tutorial.
I just got my first lathe (used), made a bat by gluing two 2x4 together and it turned out OK. Just for display, can't find where to buy bat bullets yet in Ontario canada
I just did a web search. There were several here in the US
A lot of the hardwood being sold by US dealers is coming from Canada. Quecec especially. You'll find them if you talk to people familiar with hardwood marketing, or make your own.
KJP select hardwoods is in Ottawa. i just bought 4 maple bat blanks
Very good tutorial. Only upgrade id say is to offer more specific instruction on center finding sonce this is the most important for a beginner.
Thanks for your comment
Excellent video! Can you provide where you got the dust collection for the lathe an turning tools used? Thanx!
I got the dust hood from Rockler. My turning tools are a mix of Hurricane and Thompsons
Very pleasant. Why is a self-centering 4-jaw chuck better than a regular (metal lathe) self-centering 3-jaw chuck? Thank you.
Hi Fred and thanks for watching my video. About your chuck question... I'm not sure "better" is the proper comparison. I think "appropriate" may be a better word to use. Wood lathe chucks are designed to grip and hold wood securely on a wood lathe. Metal lathe chucks are designed to hold metal. In either case, the objective is to hold the workpiece securely while turning. I'm sure in some instances it really wouldn't make a difference, but in other instances using the wrong chuck would be unsafe. The last thing anyone would want is to have a big chunk of wood come flying out of a chuck at 1000+ rpm. I guess it just comes down to using the right tool for the job.
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Thank you for your response. I'll buy a 4-jaw chuck for the wood lathe.
I just have ONE question!!! How long did this ACTUALLY take you from very start to the very end???
if I delete the time for filming, about an hour or so
How long does it take you to make a single bat, from when you put the billet on the lathe till it's done?
It took me 5 hrs. Total . 1st bat. 5 yrs experience on lathe
about an hour if i'm not having to fiddle with filming
13.25 those saws are right handed - lol (just kidding).
A copy attachment would mean you could have a blank or template set up and you could speed up the process, if you're doing enough to warrant it.
Cheers from Downunder
yep, the copy attachment is very handy for production work. But I'm really not making enough bats to justify it
You did a really great job!
What's the name of this song?
Keep on going
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you liked the video. I'm not sure of the name of the song. its just some royalty free music that came with my video editing software.
Very nice work. I'm 26, I've turned bats since high school, and am impressed you can make one in an hour... I do have a question for you: I have a old sears craftsman lathe with a #2 Morse Taper insert for the 4-pronged spur center that came with it. When I turn with ash or hickory or maple now the spur center loses hold of the billet like 10 times per bat I turn(so annoying, I think the prongs are getting worn). I have to pull the billet off, take my spur center off, drive it in again with a hammer, and put it back on the lathe. I saw you used a chuck. Is there a good chuck you know of that could work with the #2 Morse taper on my lathe? Or what size chuck did you use? Thanks.
Hi Austin. Thanks for the kind comments. They're much appreciated. Sorry you're having issues with your drive center. Now onto your question about chucks. I know of no chuck that's designed to be used with a Morse taper. Every chuck I own threads onto the spindle much like a faceplate would. I'm not familiar with your lathe but I assume your spindle not only is drilled with a Morse taper, but is also threaded on the outside for a faceplate. If you know the thread pitch you should be able to find a chuck with the appropriate adapter for your spindle. I use chucks made by Nova and Vicmarc both accept adapter inserts for nearly every standard lathe spindle thread pitch. The Nova chucks are solid and reasonably priced. You can check them out here
www.teknatool.com/product-category/chucks/
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Thank you very much for the reply and the info. Much appreciated!
Honestly after all this time I didn't even notice my lathe spindle was threaded. I had always just used thee spur center. Thanks for pointing it out.
@@austinbull Have you tried putting 1/8'' deep saw cuts into the wood where the prongs are ? If you're replacing your spur get one with 4 prongs and you'll only need to make 2 cuts.
good idea thanks@@maplebones
How did you manage that without a centre steady? When I did one it was impossible to get a smooth finish until I supported the centre.
If you work on one or two sections at a time, the remainder of the blank should be stiff enough to prevent vibration. If you start by cutting all the sections to their proper depth first, you'll definitely have vibration issues. Once all the sections are turned, you should be finished with tool work and should only be sanding. If, for some reason, you need to use a tool on the bat after it's shaped, you can use your hand as a steady. It's an advanced technique but really shouldn't be necessary
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Thanks for the reply. I came in from both end to try to leave the centre as stiff as possible, but still got lots of vibrations which left a very rough surface. Even the steady had problems containing it. I ended up working from one end with the steady at about six inches from the end and then just kept moving the steady six inches at a time until I got to where the bat thickens for the head. The end result is good but it was a fiddle to get there. I also found the steady wheels were digging into the wood but that was not a problem as I was following the steady and removing the grooves as I went. First time I have used a steady so it was good experience. Just for interest mine was 32 inches long and from hawthorn which had been dried for at least 7 years under cover.
p. s. I just noticed lower down your lathe speed. Mine was much slower so that may have been part of my problem.
@@terrythornton1549 if you do another, try it like I did in the video and see if it makes a difference. It definitely should. Start shaping at the tailstock end and work towards the chuck. If you're getting vibration, try working on one section at a time
What was the formula you used to calculate the measurement for 33 instead of a 32
There's 8 sections, so if you want it to be proportional, just add 1/8th to each section. But if you want the barrel to be a bit larger add 1/4 to the top 4. It's really up to you
Good afternoon, I will start this project today actually, can I have the source of the measurements that you mentioned for the 32 inch bat that then you modified for the 33 inches?
Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Check this link. There's an image of the dimensions
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baseball-Bat
Your bat looks like it does not even need sanding, what am I doing wrong?
I've made 4, and not liked one. I sanded, but the marks showed up after painting.
Help please
It's very difficult for me to troubleshoot your bat turning without seeing exactly what you are doing. If you're still seeing tool marks in the finished piece that won't sand out, I'd guess that you just need a bit more practice blending the sections together. I use my hand to check for any irregularities. Also, a quick re-sharpening of your gouge or skew for the final cuts for each section will help smooth things out
Trying to make one now!!!!!
Good luck, have fun 👍
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Well it's done! I'll post some video on my channel Turnin' and Burnin' check it out when you get some time!!! Thanks!
@@turninandburnin8798 I just watched the two short videos you have posted. Nice job 👍
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Thanks man! The video of the finished bat didn't turn out the way I wanted, I'll post another tomorrow.
Great video. Can I ask what lathe speed you used for the turning?
First, thanks! And to answer your question, about 1500 ish
Cool project, how did you finish?
I'd normally give them a few coats of lacquer, but these two were ordered 'unfinished' so they could be decorated
Hi there! I live in the UK and wanted to try and start doing this. Finding the right lumber is challenging though. How much do you usually pay for a raw piece of maple like that? And what are the stipulations you look for to make sure the drying / treatment process has been good?
I bought the blanks from a reputable dealer who specializes in providing blanks for baseball bat's. They have several different grades up to professional bat grades. If you're looking to make baseball bat's you should be site the wood is Kiln dried and free of any visible defects.
If you're just looking to start Woodturning in general you can use nearly any wood. You just need to take some care using green/wet wood to dry it properly so it doesn't crack as it dries
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Thanks Scott. Just doing a bit of planning right now! Will report back if I ever make an English made bat!
I see premium bats being made from European Beech. I think that might be grown in the UK.
Hi
Why does my piece of 3x3 maple keep flying off the lathe? I dont want to try again after 3 attempts.
Paul
Hi Paul. It's very difficult to diagnose any problem without seeing the exact setup. Wood blanks should never fly off the lathe if balanced and mounted properly. You may also be experiencing some sort of lathe failure. Is the tailstock slipping? If the headstock is movable, is the headstock slipping? Live center and drive center mounted properly? If the blank is totally out of balance, try a lower speed until it's properly balanced. Is it coming off as a result of a catch? Is it coming off in the beginning of the turning? Near the end? So many questions, not enough info.
My suggestion would be to visit the AAW website at www.woodturner.org/
Find a club local for you and have someone check out your setup. An experienced turner should be able to diagnose the situation and get you back up and turning in no time
if i got a wooden bat and made a model of it and poured melted hot almuumim in it and it molded into the bat model will it work ?
I'm definitely not an expert in casting aluminum, but I'd think a solid aluminum baseball bat would be very heavy
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop thank you for replying sir
What is the tool you used for making the dimensions of the bat (the things you measured with the caliber)
Each segment depth was turned with a 1/8 inch parting tool, measured with calipers, and then blended into the previous segment with a spindle roughing gouge
Could you make a burl and resin decorative bat?
Yep.
If you were to cup the ebd of the bat what equipment would you recommend?
There may be a better way, but if I was going to cup the end I'd need a "Steady Rest". After getting the blank in the chuck I'd true up a section near the top end and install the Steady Rest to keep the blank from vibrating while I hollowed out the end. After it was cupped, use a wide cone center to secure and center the top end, then turn to the knob on the handle as shown in the video
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop what type of drill bit do you recommend?
@@gritbaseballcompany I'm not sure what you're asking. If you're asking about a drill bit to hollow out the cupped end, I wouldn't use a drill bit at all. I'd hollow the end with a spindle gouge
@ScottsMiniWoodshop thank you sir, that's what I was asking. I've had others say 1-3/4 router bit, plunge bit, Fortsner. Most of the "cupping" methods I've seen are in cnc machines. Thank you for enlightening me on this.
400 grit seems s tad excessive for a baseball bat. But it sure is pretty.
Maybe so, but the client was very happy. Thanks for watching!
Recently I have started making by own bats, but I run into an issue where once I get it thin it vibrates. This severe vibration causes the bat to be uneven in some spots. Does anyone have a solution for this?
Hi, thanks for the question. What works for me is only working on a small section at a time. The wood thickness helps keep the piece stable. Thus is the reason I use a chuck instead of turning between centers. If you need to work on the handle after the bat is turned you could use your left hand to steady the piece while using your right hand to hold the tool. This technique generally requires that the left thumb is used to guide the tool. This is an advanced technique. If you're not sure about this or don't feel comfortable doing it, you ciukd use a steady rest which will accomplish the same thing without having to steady the vibration with your bare hand
Can you turn a bat out of hardwood?
I turned both bat's in the video from maple which is a hardwood. You could use any wood you'd like but ash and maple seem to be preferred
What lathe do you have? Link?
It's an American Beauty by Robust Lathes
www.turnrobust.com/american-beauty/
Where can I get the dimensions for the bat
I used this although I did have to make some adjustments for the length
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baseball-Bat
Where can we find the tmeplate you found?
Try this
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baseball-Bat
Where did you find the file?
I uploaded this video a few years ago. I transcribed the dimensions from the video for you and you can now find them in the description section.
The one major thing u didn’t do to the bat was bone the bat. Easy to do on the lathe
Thanks for the comment. I had to look up what that was. I'll be sure to add that when I remake the video next time
How do you paint them?
I've never painted one but I've used spray lacquer on them. It's basically the same but lacquer dries a lot faster. I spray the handle first. after a few coats I hang them from the knob and spray the rest.
boss pwede bang bumili o hu mingi boss ha pls boss pang laro ko lang sa base ball bat po pwede po boss
I'm sorry. I tried to translate your comment but I still failed to understand what you were asking
The camera is turned the wrong direction.
🤣
yeah, me and the camera cant occupy the same space
Hi Scott! Great job!!
Thanks Holly!