A crack of the bat during a baseball game is a traditional classic sound that can give goosebumps to anyone from a small child to a baseball historian. These pieces of wood used to hit baseballs are often over looked as just pieces of equipment rather than works of art from a master craftsman.

This past weekend I took a trip to Orlando where I visited the Team Mickey store in Downtown Disney. At this store was an area where you could have your own custom bat made right before your very eyes.

You can choose from all the different qualitites of bats and the prices range from $50 to around $80. You are allowed to customize 3 lines of text as well as pick out your own clip art.

The best part about having a custom bat made is watching the master craftsman perform his art. It was truely amazing and I invite you to watch the following videos that show how a bat is made from start to finish right before you eyes at this awesome store.

Setting the Lines

Watch as the craftsman measures the diameter of the bat, makes slight pencil marks accoriding the model to get the bat ready to start  shaving.

The Flow of the Bat

Watch as the bat is shaped according to the model. A simple tool that looks like a flat head screwdriver is used to shave the diameter all across the bat. The craftsman feels the bat with his free hand to check for flow and make sure the bat has a smooth feeling throughout the diameter changes. The wood shavings fly everywhere, all over the craftsman and all over the floor. Pay close attention to the end of the bat that seems hand sculpted flawlessly.

The Finishing Touches

Look closely as the tip of the bat is shaped by hand. He uses a sandpaper sheet to smooth out the rough lines from the cuts he made earlier. The bat realy starts to take the form we are all familiar with. After the sandpaper, he uses some sort of polishing sheet to go over the bat (almost waxy looking) that gives the bat a finished polished look. Amazing!

One Happy Customer!

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