# Baseball Bat: How do I cut the Maple log and dry the bat blanks?



## wslayton (Feb 13, 2013)

Got a nice Maple log last weekend that I think can produce about six baseball bats? Questions:

1) Is one type of Maple better than another for baseball bats?
2) Is there a particular way I should "remove" the bats from the log?
3) How do I dry to prevent warping and twisting?

Probably enough questions about preparation. I'll save my turning questions for later.

Any help greatly appreciated! Need to get that log cut quickly before it dries too much. I have sealed both ends with two coats of high-gloss acrylic house paint.

Thanks!
Bill


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Ash is used for baseball bats, traditionally..


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

As I understand it, the bats are rived from the log. I believe the pith is left off of any bat.


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## wslayton (Feb 13, 2013)

bondagaposis: what is "rived"?

My bandsaw only has an 8" cutting height and this log is about 16" in diameter and 36" long. Unlikely to get any help so I was thinking of splitting it with my chainsaw to make it manageable for me to lift up onto the bandsaw. Then I would set the bandsaw table to 60 degrees to make the 4 cuts.

Any other ideas welcome…
Bill


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Riving is splitting, like when you split firewood with
an axe or a splitting maul.

In maple especially, riving would be a good idea
because riving minimizes the grain runout that 
will be a big culprit in breakage of a bat made 
from a wood like maple.


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

Ash did used to be the standard choice but today a large majority of bats are made of maple because of the availability and also because of the characteristics of the strength of the wood. it is also true that in the past blanks were rived or split to provide for grain that carried through from one end to the other reducing the possibility of shear failures where the grain would traverse the blank this is not true today blanks are produced in large volume in sawmills and the grading of the billit is hoped to preclude an iferrior product. This accounts for an increase int the number of failures. If you are making one yourselfe i would think splitting the blank would help to provide the best billit. the process olf kiln drying also makes the wood stiffer qiute different than air drying.


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