Tom,

"...not a fast enough lathe guy..." caught my attention. You already have
the "word" on your original query: One piece.

It doesn't take that long. I hadn't used my lathe in maybe 20-25 years
when I happened to catch a New Yankee Workshop episode on
lathe basics. My grandson -- then almost 8 -- asked if I had such a
tool (he loves to watch with me, along with his little sister!). I did, and
we went out to the shop to look it over.

Norm Abram ended the show by turning a bat, then going out to
Fenway Park where a big leaguer used it in batting practice and
knocked one or two over the Green Monster.

So...I go to the hardwood dealer, buy a bat billet, and turn a bat
for my grandson. 29" length in exactly the same proportions as
one of his aluminum bats. BIG mistake. First batting practice he
cracked it! (I'm VERY proud of the guy!) The long, thin handle
of an aluminum bat is too long, too thin, and creates a weak spot
about where the diameter starts to grow to the barrel.

So...another trip to the hardwood dealer, another billet, and now
I pay attention to the shape of other wooden bats. It's heavier
than the original, even though I made it only 28" long.

Moral of the story, for the bat for your friend, is find out how long
(and how heavy) he wants his bat, then find one that meets his
needs and copy it.

By the way, a gouge is a lot easier for me to use than a skew, so
almost everything was done with a 3/4" gouge and a parting tool.
I used a skew mostly for "smoothing" (along with sandpaper and
a rasp).

Jim Stuyck


"Tom Watson" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Doug.

I want to make a bat as a present for a friend of mine who plays in a
Senior league that abides by MLB rules.

You kept me from being a little more creative than the rules
apparently allow for.

I'm not a fast enough lathe guy to waste time on the road not to be
taken.

Thanks again.


On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:50:31 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Tom Watson
wrote:
Does MLB allow glued up blanks for bats?

No.

"1.10 (a) The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2 3/4
inches in
diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The
bat
shall be one piece of solid wood."

http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/of...jectives_1.jsp

Secondary question: Can the individual laminations be of different
woods?

n/a

Tertiary Question: If glue-ups are not allowed, what woods are
allowed?

Anything you want. Rule 1.10 (d) prohibits the use of colored bats without
prior approval, and I imagine that an umpire would look a bit askance at a
bat
made of, say, purpleheart, under that rule. But a strict reading of the
rules
would permit it.
Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/