Okay, let me tell you about this little project I did – making a sort of tennis ball bat. Wasn’t anything fancy, just something for messing around in the yard.
Getting Started
So, the idea popped into my head the other day. The weather was decent, and I thought, why not make something simple to whack a tennis ball around? Didn’t want a proper racket, just something solid and easy to handle. More like a paddle, really.
Finding the Stuff
First thing, I went rummaging in the shed. You know how it is, bits of wood here and there. Found a decent piece of scrap plank, maybe pine, about the right thickness. Not too heavy, not too light. Checked it for nasty splits or knots. Looked okay.
Then I needed something for a handle. Didn’t want to get too complicated carving one. Spotted an old, broken broom handle piece lying in the corner. Perfect. Already rounded, just needed cutting down.
Grabbed some tools too:
- A handsaw
- Sandpaper (medium and fine grit)
- Strong wood glue
- Some tough tape – ended up using electrical tape, had a roll handy.
- And of course, a few old tennis balls for testing later.
Making the Bat Shape
Alright, back outside with the wood. Decided on a simple paddle shape, wider at the end. Drew a rough outline on the plank with a pencil. Nothing precise, just eyeballed it.
Then I started sawing. Took my time with the handsaw, following the line best I could. It’s not like using power tools, you gotta put some muscle into it and keep it straight. Got the basic shape cut out. The edges were rough as anything, obviously.
Next step, sanding. This took a while. Started with the medium grit sandpaper to knock off the really rough edges and splinters. Rounded the corners nicely so it wouldn’t be sharp. Then switched to the finer grit to get it reasonably smooth all over. Didn’t need it perfect, just comfortable enough to hold and hit with.
Adding the Handle
Now for the handle. I took that piece of broomstick I found and sawed it down to a good length, maybe about 6 inches or so. Sanded the cut end smooth.
Applied a good amount of wood glue to one end of the handle piece and pressed it firmly onto the base of the paddle shape I’d cut out. Lined it up as centered as I could. Wiped off the excess glue that squeezed out. You need to let glue dry properly, so I left it clamped for a few hours just sitting on the workbench. Went inside, had a cup of tea.
Important bit: Once the glue felt solid, I wanted to make the handle grip better. Plain wood can be slippery. So, I took that roll of black electrical tape and started wrapping. Started at the base where the handle meets the paddle and wrapped it tightly all the way down, overlapping slightly with each turn. Went back up again just to make it thicker and feel better in the hand. This also added some extra strength to the glued joint, I reckon.
Testing it Out
Finally, it looked like, well, a tennis ball bat! Simple, a bit rough, but ready to go. Took it out back with a tennis ball.
Tossed the ball up and gave it a whack. Clonk! Made a decent sound. Hit it against the garage wall a few times. Felt pretty solid. The weight was okay, and the taped handle gave a good grip.
It’s not gonna win any awards, but for a quick afternoon project using scrap bits? Pretty satisfying. Does the job for a bit of fun, knocking a ball back and forth. That’s all I wanted.
