Baseball Wood Bats

I have been working on hard on my senior project, which involves making baseball bats. I have been using different types of wood, such as ash and maple, and have found maple to be easier to work with. I have been experimenting with different designs and techniques for each bat, aiming to improve my skills with each one. I have also been working on other woodworking projects, including an Adirondack chair, which I planned and successfully put in the art show along with one of my finished bats. I have been keeping track of my working hours and have spent a significant amount of time in the woodshop working hard on my project. I have shared my personal satisfaction with their progress, having finished my fourth ash bat and starting to work on a maple bat that I will use over the summer. I have noted the differences in working with ash and maple and the challenges posed by the differences in each wood such as open pores and grain of ash. Despite this, I have remained optimistic about impro

Today was a very simple day I just straight-up painted. This morning I went to breakfast and ate a bagel with my friend Eric and then I walked over to the woodshop and began painting my bats. I have already put on a layer of green on my barrels so I was doing my second coat this morning. I also decided to leave one bat completely wood colored and just put varnish on it rather than paint it. In conjunction with that, I am also leaving two bats halfway green and halfway wood color. In the afternoon I went over to English House to finish up my skis, that I was making with Josh Norris, they are now finished and look great. After I finished my skis I went back to the woodshop and put a couple more coats of paint on the bats and then left for the day. Today I worked from 8 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 3 pm, this brings my total to 73 hours and 50 minutes. 

Today was Saturday so I only had a few hours to work today. I started by rubbing my bats with steel wool, which makes the wood smooth and can help remove imperfections. After I did that I moved on to painting the barrels green, I am making some green and white and two green barrels with wood-colored handles. The paint takes 2-4 hours to dry to the touch and 5-9 hours to use the bats. I didn't have a game or practice today so it was a weird feeling Saturday with nothing to do after classes end. I will continue to paint my bats as well as add finish to my chair while the paint is drying. I am very happy with how all the bats turned out, and I can't wait to see the finished product. Today I worked from 9 am to 12 am which makes my total 66 hours and 50 minutes. 

Today was a milestone day, I finished my last bat on the lathe so now I will move on to finishing them. I will begin to paint, sand, and wood burns these bats. I am making my bats green and white, the handle will be white and the barrel will be green. I also tried the wood-burning tool for the first time today and it is straightforward to make straight lines with it but it can be very difficult to make other shapes. It heats up the tip and is used like a pencil except the tip is extremely hot. Today I worked from 8 am to 12 pm and then after lunch, I worked from 1 pm to 3 pm. This makes my total time working 63 hours and 50 minutes. 

Today I finished my sixth bat and I couldn't be happier with the progress I've been making. I believe that I now have the skill and the knowledge to make good bats that work and look good, it's just a matter of staying focused. I started my last bat of senior project today which is a big milestone given that there are five more days of senior project. The only bad part of today was I got a few little injuries, Greg and I have come to the conclusion that getting hurt on the lathe means whoever was working was being really stupid. Today I gave myself a blood blister by hitting my finger pretty hard on the spinning block of wood before it became round and more bat-like. Don't worry though, I am ok because Kelly drained the blister and now I'm all better. Tomorrow I am going to finish up my last bat and begin finishing my bats with paint and maybe a special twist, but I won't spoil the surprise yet. I worked from 8 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 3 pm which makes my to

Today was Wednesday so I had less time to do the work that I had in mind. I started by talking to Greg about my plans for finishing my bats, hopefully by painting them half green and half white. The barrel would be green and the handle white, I am also hoping to burn the wood in a couple places with some personalization. I then started turning on the lathe, I got the diameters of two bats but messed up on one of them, so I will use that to show my process during the express fest at the end of the senior project. My bats are looking good so far and I am enjoying having a routine that is working for me, and that helps me get a lot done throughout the day. I think that the senior project has helped give me a good routine for my daily life that will help me for the summer when I am working most days. Today I worked from 9 am to 12 pm and then had my last baseball game of the season, this brings my total hours to 49 hours and 50 minutes.