Softball bat

[router-jim]

I haven't posted much lately but I have been busier that heck.

I got asked if I could make a "display" softball bat for my graduating niece and teammates to give to their softball coach.

I choose to use hickory because I knew it would look pretty when finished and it carves well without chipout. First I glued up boards to give me a 3 x3 x 36" blank which I planed down to 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 (I googled the diameter of an official girl's softball bat)

Next I ripcut the blank into a hexagon and made a carrier sled to hold the long blank firmly in my Carvewright. I then designed three little programs to route the text, rotating the hexagon in the sled between each program run. This gave me a long hexagon with text on three of the six sides.

I then put the blank on my lathe and turned the bat using a picture of a bat on the lathe to eyeball the shape. As I got closer to "round" some of the outside edges of the text started to be "erased" with my turning tools so I would periodically stop and reroute using a dremel to maintain the outside of the letters.

Finished with shellac, sharpie, and shellac.

[Gregory Of Sherwood Forest]

[Boxman]

Very nicely done, and creatively solutioned....

[CJF]

Great looking bat. I'm sure the reciprent will be delighted.

[router-jim]

Thanks all. My brother in law (the constant joker) told me that the girls all signed the bat and when they presented it to their coach that the coach started crying. Then he elbows me and said, "I really didn't think the bat looked that bad!"

[JJOLD]

Very nice indeed.

[TowMater]

That's one heck of a nice gift!