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The first step of making a good cricket bat involves choosing the cleft, and priming it for pressing. This is where the cleft will be cut to a 25 x 4.5 inch section. Next, we choose which end will be the toe, and which end will be the handle, before moving on to the pressing stage.
Pressing is done with a rolling machine. This is one of the most vital steps of bat making, if pressed too hard the bat will vibrate in the batsman's hands, if pressed too soft the bat will crack and dent, so this must be done just right to ensure a perfect compromise. As the density and moisture content of each cleft of willow varies, the amount of pressing has to vary by small amounts to compensate for this. I like to do this by feel.
Next, we splice the bat, and fit the handle. I do this by using a custom made jig to cut the splice, before applying high strength glue and leaving it specially clamped for 2 - 3 days. This allows the handle time to bond with the rest of the bat.
After this, we look to shape and balance the bat. This is where the bat takes its shape, by using the draw knife or pod shaver, both whose origins go back hundreds of years. This technique actually comes from barrel making! The blade gets shaped and carved here, and the shoulders edged out.
Now the bat is shaped, so we have to sand and finish the blade, so get rid of any remaining rough areas. After it has a nice, smooth feel, we tightly wrap the handle with twine, to give the handle some added strength. This is important, as if twine binding comes loose, the handle often will suffer extra pressure and crack.
The last steps involved in the bat's creation include buffing the blade to get a nice finish. We then add stickers and grip to give the bat a completed look. This ends my role in the bats creation. The batsman himself has to finish the job, by applying oil, and to knock the bat in for a good 30 hours.
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