Lovely bag but it got some tears and worn out in places in a just few weeks. Shame really.
THE BAT MAKING PROCESS
Chase Cricket bats have an English willow blade and a cane handle. The blade is made from English willow known as salix alba cærulea. Only English willow has the exact properties required for a professional bat, being lightweight but fibrous.
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SOURCED FROM SPECIALISTS
Our English willow clefts comes from willow specialists JS Wrights. Each cleft arrives externally graded however as part of the manufacturing process, each cleft is checked and graded by our Master bat maker.
JS Wrights clefts are split from the
round using a wooden wedge, rough sawn and the ends waxed to stop splitting. The process of drying takes place to reduce moisture content before the wood is selected, palleted and sent to us.
STEP 1
What are the different processes of making a cricket bat?
When ready to be turned into bats the ends are cut and they pass through a shaping machine to give the cleft a initial rough shape.
STEP 2
Pressing the cricket bat
Our bat makers press the bats, using our pressing machine. The bat is passed underneath the roller of the cricket bat press which compresses the fibres of the face and edges. This provides a hardened surface capable of withstanding the impact of a cricket ball, aids performance and increases the life of the cricket bat.
STEP 3
Splicing the cricket bat cleft
Each cricket bat cleft is spliced. This is a V shape cut that is made in the top of the cleft for the handle to be slotted into.
STEP 4
Handle the cricket bat
Each cricket bat handle is fitted using a malleable wood glue. Our bat makers ensure the handle is set slightly forward, so it is in perfect line of the bow. Our bat makers gently taps the handle into place and it is left to dry – this must be in an upright position in order for the handle to set
STEP 5
Shaping the cricket bat
BLADE
Chase cricket bats are shaped by hand using a traditional draw knife. Drawknives are used because the bat maker can remove a large amount of wood from the blade and start to form a rough shape. A wide, flat drawknife is used to carve the back and toe of the blade whilst a thin blade blends the shoulders into the handle of the bat. The bat makers also use block planes and spoke shaves until they deem the bat to achieve a more refined shape, with perfect balance and pick up.
SHOULDERS
The shoulders are shaped with the skilful use of a draw knife.
HANDLE
The handle is then shaped with a rasp to ensure it will be a great fit for any cricket player. This also ensures we can shape the handle to a player’s specification.
STEP 6
Sanding the Cricket bat
Once the bat has been fully shaped the sanding process begins. Our bat makers require several grades of sandpaper, starting off with the rougher paper and ending with the finer for the best finish. This process is mainly carried out by hand.
STEP 7
Binding the cricket bat handle
The bat is placed onto the lathe and glue is spread on the handle prior to the binding to ensure that the string will stay in place. The bat maker holds the string, as the bat turns, the string is gradually guided into place and seamlessly wraps around the handle. The handle is left until the glue is fully dry.
STEP 8
Polishing the Cricket Bat
We polish each bat meticulously to provide a rich satin finish. This gives the bat its lovely sheen and makes it extremely smooth to touch.
STEP 9
Stickering and Gripping
Chase Cricket bats are now ready to be stickered with our graphics, gripped and weighed. A weight and size sticker are applied to the shoulders and the grip is secured in place with specialist grip tape.
FINISH
Handcrafted to perfection | Performance guaranteed
Every finished bat is meticulously checked by our master bat maker to ensure that it has been finished to our exceptionally high standards. We always check the performance by hand using a bat mallet and regrade as necessary.
KNOCKING-IN
Preparation for play
Knocking in the bat is essential. We have a knocking in machine which can complete 8 hours of knocking in in 30 minutes. Cricket bats* purchased directly from our website or showroom are fully knocked in, checked by the master bat maker, with additional hand knocking in carried out as required.
*There is an additional charge for R1, Sale and Reconditioned bats.
“Every cleft of willow has its own unique properties and is naturally soft so we press each blade three times to ensure that the wood is strong enough to take the full impact of the ball and produce a consistent strike while being supple enough to absorb the shock.”
– Daniel Swaine | Owner