Recently baseball super star Barry Bonds has begun to use bats made of hard maple and is sold on them. They are being made by a Canadian firm in Ottawa.
According to Bonds, they not only hit a ball well, but last longer than traditional ash used in most bats. "I tried using a maple bat and I liked it. Ash wood is softer and has a tendency to crack or split," Bonds said in an ESPN interview.
Many other major leaguers are switching to maple bats as well.
And maple is a lot heavier. More of a club than a bat.
We have been selling Ash and Hard Maple turning squares for bat blanks. 3" x 3" x 36" for $15 each. One guy got 10 pieces of each.
We have a neighbor with a WM vacuum kiln dry the blanks down.
Just a niche market, but there is money in it.
ElectricAl
Diddly,
There`s a novel idea for the UP cabin.
Hunting bears with a custom turned bat, what do you think? ;D
It would be a good idea if the gun jams and the bear charges :o :o :o, but I would prefer a 480 Ruger ;D ;D for a backup firearm.
JB
12 gauge pump with slugs ;D. The best for stopping a bear at close range.
Let's get bck on track, shall we? My little brother Jacob, he's 14, watches a lot of baseball and said that the switch in wood types was news to him. I'll have him keep an eye on the remainder of the Overpaid Major League Baseball Crybabies Association coverage on ESPN sportscenter and let you know wha tI find out.
JB
The rise in players using maple, a heavier wood, coincides with players looking like bodybuilders. I doubt a young Barry Bonds could've used a hard maple bat effectively.
I recently watched a local show on the bat manufacture from Ottawa,I believe he recently quit his day job and makes bats fulltime.He started out as a one man show and now empolyes 4-5 people. DonT