Another learning experience. My son has been really into baseball lately and I had an ash blank from my dad that was easily 30+ years old. I didn't have a bat my size to be able to hit balls to him for defensive practice, so I figured what the heck.
This was by a long shot the biggest stick of wood I have ever turned.
I went with a 33" length and aimed for a "271 turn," with a 2.5" barrel down to a handle just under an inch. I think the specifics for a 271 might be 15/16" on the handle. I stopped before I got that thin on the handle because the piece was flexing a lot and "acting squirrely" for me when I got it down to about 1 1/16". I figured close enough.
The one thing I wish I had done better was taper it from the barrel down to the handle a little more aggressively. I think I was a little too "thick" in the middle. I stained about the upper 1/3 of the bat over the barrel with a black cherry stain. I kinda dig the color combo of the natural ash with the black cherry.
We had one ball in our bucket that was stained pretty bad and a little beat up like a mower had hit it. The kiddo wanted me to test out the new stick. I tossed it up and thumped it down into the neighbor's field (on the 2nd attempt lol). So it bangs.
This was by a long shot the biggest stick of wood I have ever turned.
I went with a 33" length and aimed for a "271 turn," with a 2.5" barrel down to a handle just under an inch. I think the specifics for a 271 might be 15/16" on the handle. I stopped before I got that thin on the handle because the piece was flexing a lot and "acting squirrely" for me when I got it down to about 1 1/16". I figured close enough.
The one thing I wish I had done better was taper it from the barrel down to the handle a little more aggressively. I think I was a little too "thick" in the middle. I stained about the upper 1/3 of the bat over the barrel with a black cherry stain. I kinda dig the color combo of the natural ash with the black cherry.
We had one ball in our bucket that was stained pretty bad and a little beat up like a mower had hit it. The kiddo wanted me to test out the new stick. I tossed it up and thumped it down into the neighbor's field (on the 2nd attempt lol). So it bangs.
