Bat Finished!

Today I finished turning my bat!! It's such a great feeling to have accomplished it! I put so much work into it and I finally have something to show for it. Turning the handle turned out to be a big challenge and I thought I might break it the same way I broke the mini-bat, but by turning up the speed to over 2500 rpm, and really being meticulous with my strokes, I did it. I was very nervous during the process and the risk of breaking my one piece of wood made the accomplishment that much greater. I sanded it off pretty well but will probably hit it one more time just to get it super smooth. Then I may wax it to get a nice finish if I can get some wax at the store. This will most likely be my last journal entry as my blog will be hitting the printers tomorrow for my hard copy submission to my teacher. I have learned a lot through this project and would like to thank all of the people that have read this blog and I hope that you learned something. For your satisfaction, here is a final picture of the bat. 

Bat Update

I have started to compose my written materials for my project. I can't believe it is almost over. I got a bunch of work done on my bat Thursday, and only have the handle left to turn and then some sanding to do before I have the finished product. I am planning on getting this done tomorrow after school but I will have to see what I am able to accomplish. Here's a picture of the bat right now. The barrel is on the right side. 

Progress Thursday

I apologize for the gap in entries, but the holiday weekend and a case of strep throat have kept me away from my blog. However on Thursday I started my bat! (Finally) I got the edges all rounded off of my square blank and put it on the lathe and began turning. I got the entire thing rounded and will be ready to start my first  cuts as soon as I can get on the lathe. Because it has been so difficult to find time to work on the lathe, Mr. Cowell and I are planning on staying after school pretty late one day in order to get a large portion of the work done. Here are some progress pictures of what I accomplished on Thursday. 

Before

After

Mini Bat Failure

Today while working on my mini bat, it snapped in half. All the work I did on it was lost. However, it is not a waste because I got more practice on the lathe. When I started working on the bat again today I had a bad feeling because it was getting jumpy. The scaled down dimensions were just too small and I didn't have the foresight to know that working a large piece of wood down to a half inch diameter would put too much stress on the wood and break it. This wont be a concern for the full size bat because the smallest cut is an inch in diameter which won't put a large amount of stress on the block. I am a bit disappointed that the mini bat didn't work out exactly because I was looking forward to having it in the end to look at compared to my full size bat. 

Here are the two halves of the bat after it snapped. On the right is the barrel and the left is what would have become the handle. 

Listening to Our Coaches

In wise class today, it was brought to our attention that advice from our mentors and teachers is vital. Comparable to an elite Olympic athlete listening to their coach, despite their extensive skill and knowledge that they have themselves. This can be attributed to the fact that from the outside looking in, things are different and taking a step back and considering the advice of others is important in ensuring your own success. As an athlete, I am used to listening to my coaches and have routinely listened to my mentor when he suggests things and he has helped me overcome many obstacles in this way. 

CNC Lathes and Mass Production of Bats

A CNC lathe, according to the definition from: http://www.toolingu.com/definition-800115-12284-cnc-lathe.html, a 'shop' training website, is a lathe controlled by a computer running programs driven by numerical data. Basically this means that a computer program tells the lathe the dimensions of what you want to make and then the lathe operates according to the computers directions. This allows companies to make more bats faster and with a smaller margin of error that is inevitable with a person hand turning each bat. All the big name wood bat manufactures use CNC lathes in order to produce their bats.

Solid Progress After School

Yesterday I got a lot of work done after school on my mini bat. I was able to finish about 7 cuts and practically complete the mini bat. I plan on getting it done Monday and then hit the ground running on the full size bat early next week. 

Here is a progress picture of the mini bat.

Oops

Last time I was working, I got a little bit carried away and made too thin of a cut on the barrel side of my mini bat. Not a huge deal I just had to switch sides (see picture below). To prevent this from happening again, I am using a parting tool to measure the thickness of my cuts before I start using the gouge to ensure my cuts are accurate. 

Got My Wood!

Today I went to Danby hardwoods and bought the wood for my bat! This took me a while to track down and I spent a lot of time deciding whether or not to buy the wood online or keep searching for something local. Today it paid off and I have something to show for it. The shop at Danby hardwoods was very interesting and I could immediately tell that a veteran woodworker was in charge. The piece of wood from which my blanks were cut was enormous, about a foot wide and eight feet tall. They cut out enough wood for me to make my blanks and after I paid for it he offered to cut it into two blanks for me. I'm glad he did this because I don't know how I would've done it at school. Below is a picture of the original block and then the two blanks cut out afterward. 

Wood for The Full Size Bat

After calling Danby hardwoods and talking to them about ash they have in stock, I will be able to get enough wood for 2 bats for about 10 dollars more than I would pay for one blank to be shipped. So I made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon to visit the shop and hopefully get my wood cut. 

Mini Bat Update

I have my first two cuts complete and the  third one underway. With a total of 11 cuts on the whole bat, for about 45 minutes of actual turning I am not doing too poorly. Below is a picture of my progress with each cut marked off. The top is the right hand side and the bottom will be the left hand side. 

Reviving a Dying Art

My project is all woodworking based and all of my work is happening in the IHS tech room. All of the equipment is pretty old and as time is going on I am realizing that woodworking is not what it used to be. The computer and technology boom has taken over and making things with your hands is rapidly becoming obsolete. I realized all of this today as I was rummaging around in the back storage room of one of the classrooms and found a huge box full of dusty old woodworking tools. I am glad have been exposed to somewhat of a dying art and may have the chance to pass it along in the future. Below is a picture of the box full of decrepit old tools. 

Videos on Woodworkinh

After completing the first "cut" on my mini bat, I wasn't sure if my technique was right. So yesterday I pulled out my bibliography and looked up some of the videos I had previously researched. They were: Baseball Bat Turning Time Lapse. YouTube. YouTube, 15 May 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2013. Making the Perfect Baseball Bat in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World. Dir. DisneyParks. Perf. Larry Steele. YouTube. DisneyParkss, 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Feb. I looked at these videos and confirmed my technique, starting from one end and working your way along gradually getting smaller and smaller. 

Wood Blanks

I finally got a hold of someone at Danby Hardwoods, (local wood shop) and unfortunately they don't have any ash blanks small enough for a baseball bat and for them to cut one would not be cost effective. I also tried Cayuga lumber with no luck. So my efforts to support local business seem to have failed. But, it never hurts to try! I will just order wood from woodbillets.com like I have previously stated. 

Lathe Spindle Speeds

Mr. Cowell recommended that I do some research on spindle speeds. What I found is that basically slower speeds are used for larger blocks and more control. Also a slower speed should be used toward the beginning of a project to ensure the wood gets even initial cuts. But for about a 2" block (a baseball bat) a safe and effective speed is about 2900 rpm. So I will experiment with these speeds while I make my mini bat in order to master the lathe even further.

Mini Bat Started!

On Friday, I finally got started on my mini bat. The first step was to prep the wood. Since I was just using a scrap block that Mr. Cowell had, some work needed to be done. First I had to cut the wood so it was a manageable size, I'm making a 16.5" bat so I wanted to leave about 2" of extra wood on each end. This was just some simple measuring and cutting. Then I had to use a block plane to round the square edges of the wood. Basically that is a blade with a handle that is run against the wood and chisels off how much you want. The purpose is to round off the square edge so it is easier to turn on the lathe. After that was done, I set the wood in the lathe and began to turn the wood. Initially using the gouge, my goal was to just get a round shape from the square block. It is the biggest thing I have turned so far and the wood is fairly hard so the shavings were flying all over the place. After about 20 minutes I was covered head to toe with wood shavings and I had a nice round piece of wood with which I can make my bat next week. I have my dimensions all set and will be ready to start and finish the actual turning of my bat next week.

The first picture is the block before I started rounding off the square edges with the block plane (upper right corner) and the second picture is the block in the lathe after I made the whole thing round.

Ready to Go

Today I met with Mr. Sauve and got permission to use the lathe tomorrow 4th and potentially 5th. With this time I will be able to get a lot of work done on my mini bat. I am going to go in early tomorrow to set up the bat with Cowell so I will be ready to go when 4th period comes around. I am excited to get going tomorrow and will hopefully get a lot of work done.

Work Suspended a Bit

I tried to get on the lathe today to turn my mini bat but I couldn't use the room. I need to go talk to Mr. Sauve and see of I can set up some time to work in his room. I am feeling a bit pressed to get the mini bat done so I want to get a substantial amount of that done this week. Updates to follow.

Wood for Mini Bat, and Jig

On Friday I met with Cowell and we found some wood for a mini bat. I got my bat dimensions off of rawlings.com and am just going to halve that in order to make a mini bat. I marked off the wood and can start working with that next week! Also, regarding my jig, Cowell suggested that I employ some help from one of the technology students versed in inventor, the computer design program to design a sketch for my jig so we have something more solid to work with. Next week I need to start turning the small bat and get the jig set up so I can sharpen my tools.

Jig Sketch

I'm no artist when it come to drawing things, but this sketch comes with good intentions. After conducting research on jigs this will be the simplest one to make. Essentially it is a piece of wood with a slot for a screw to be attached to an adjustable arm that I can move freely to obtain different angles. On top, a "box" with holes is glued on to hold the tool in place while it is held against the grinder. This should prove effective and I will bring it to Cowell tomorrow so we can get it put together.

Partner Research

Out most recent assignment for WISE was to partner up and do some research for someone else's project. I partnered up with Rachel Sally whose project is molecular gastronomy. That is basically cooking things that appear to be one thing but taste like another, it is a progressive and very tasteful way of presenting food. Her topic is so foreign to me that I had to ask her for an idea of what to look up. She asked me to research el bulli. I thought it was a person but I was surprised to find that it was one of the most famous restaurants in the world and they are the leader in molecular gastronomic cuisine. There was a lot of interesting information about the restaurant and what they do, I would recommend checking it out: www.elbulli.com.

Clean Grinder and Next Steps

Today I cleaned up the grinder an got it ready to go (picture below). After that I talked to Mr. Cowell about what is coming up next. My next steps are: 1. Getting my wood. 2. Sharpening tools 3. Gluing together a blank for a second mini bat. I'm coming to the point in my project where things are starting to fly by and my progress will be coming in full stride, this is what I have been preparing for all semester.

Wood Blanks Found!

After some price shopping online today, I found nice grade A ash that is 2.89x37". This is a suitable length and width for me to turn a 33" bat with a barrel diameter of 2.625". The website I found with the cheapest wood is http://www.woodbillets.com/products.asp?cat=11. They are selling grade A ash for 19.95 per billet which I think is very reasonable and the best price that I have found. I am meeting with Mr. Cowell tomorrow and will see what he says about the wood and hopefully I'll get it ordered this week.

NPR Reflection/In Class Realization

We listened to an NPR excerpt of Brian Grazer, a successful film producer who regularly pushes his comfort zone. He talked about pushing his comfort zone in order to keep his life interesting. He said that it is important to do this in order to live your life to your potential. I can relate this to my wise project because I think I am pushing my comfort zone and this is allowing me to learn more than I ever thought I would. Also today during class Ms. Lord was throwing some dates at us and I realized that the year is wrapping up quickly before my eyes. I realized that I need to step it up a little bit, order my wood, get the grinder going and then start work on my bat. I have decided on my type of wood and how long I am going to make my bat so now what lies ahead of me is making the bat. I feel that it is time to progress in order to get my project done before the end of the year.

Community Contact

Unfortunately, Mrs. Turks husband doesn't have any ash large enough to suit my needs. However she did reference me to other local mills, Danby hardwood and a hardwood store in preble NY. So there still a possibility that I may be able to get some local wood. I will look into both of these leads as soon as possible.

Practicing Journal Entry

This article is all about the importance of practice. Practice applies to all things in life, we can't be good at everything right out of the gate, but like the saying goes, practice makes perfect. As an athlete, I am we'll aware of this fact and understand the necessity of practicing my skills in order to enhance my abilities, but this doesn't just apply to sports, it comes with everything. But currently, I will implement it into my WISE project. Most importantly to woodworking is practice, Mr. Cowell has always told me that woodworking only gets better with practice he even said one time "why do you think all the good woodworkers are old?" This is very true and only strengthens the fact that I need to practice as much as I can in order to be able to make my bat. Also I after reading this I realize that I will need to push my comfort zone in order to accomplish new things. This journal entry was supposed to go in earlier but it got lost in translation, I am happy to report however, that I have already been implementing these things, both pushing my comfort zone and practicing as much as possible.

Possibility for Wood

Circling back to my possible community contact toward the beginning of my project: Mrs. Turk, a woman within the district who is often in Mr. Cowell's room during our meetings, is married to a man who has a sawmill and dries and processes his own wood. I talked to her today and asked if she knew of he had any ash that was about 36 inches long that I may be able to use for my bat. I am hopeful that this works out because I would be much happier to support a local business, if it is affordable. She said she would check with her husband tonight and meet with me tomorrow to let me know.

Grinder with Attachments Found!

Today I went to meet with Mr. Cowell and he proposed an idea to me that I hadn't considered, that the department buy a jig they can use on the grinder to sharpen tools. So I started looking on the computer again for jigs to purchase. After a while of searching I said to Cowell that it'd be helpful to see the grinder before ordering a jig. So he took me into a tech room where there were supposed to be a grinder, but it seems to be broken. So Cowell and I went into the room with the lathe in search of a grinder and we found a super old grinder under a whole bunch of dust and dirt, with attachments for sharpening! So up next on my agenda is getting that grinder cleaned up and running so I can get my tools sharp and ready to go! Pictures to follow.

Wood Type and Reflection

I have decided that I will use ash for my baseball bat. It is a durable wood and will be nice and smooth to turn on the lathe. I have also decided to turn a 33 inch bat. This is the length bat that I use for baseball and I am comfortable with that size, also I think it will be better to have a wood bat the same size as the metal bat that I swing everyday. Unfortunately, I will be unable to meet with Mr. Cowell this week so I am on my own. But I have some goals and know that I need to learn all about sharpening my tools so I can get started with that when spring break ends. Also I need to find some sort of instructions to build a jig and a supply list so I can work with Cowell to get that assembled as soon as possible.

Sharpening Tools, Making a Jig, and What's Next

This weekend was a little bit of a wash because my family and I were traveling to visit my older brother and I didn't have any opportunities to work on my project. But after conducting some solid research today, I found a great resource for sharpening tools and constructing a jig. It is a tutorial blog with many pictures and step by step instructions. The link is: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-sharpening-lathe-chisels/. This will be very valuable to me in learning more about my tools. Next I will research what type of wood I will use and do a little bit of price shopping.

Next Step: Loads of Research

Today I met with Mr. Cowell and he told me I needed to start some research behind my tools. He told me that I need to learn how to sharpen the lathe tools because it will be important to have sharp tools in order to carve smoothly. For our meeting today, he put me on a computer and told me to start researching. I found some interesting information. There are many different tools and they all require a different angle of sharpening in order to serve there purpose. The easiest way to ensure this accuracy is with a jig. Instead of just free handing the tools against a grinder to sharpen the tool, a jig is a sort of stabilizing tool that will hold the tool at the desired angle. Jigs come in all different shapes an sizes and you can buy one or you can find instructions to make your own. Given the creative nature of my WISE project, Cowell and I have decided it is better to make my own jig. In a little under an hour of research today, I learned a lot about sharpening and found a few templates for jigs and have a solid base to conduct more research on my jig and then sharpening my tools.

Out of the Rut Journal Activity

This is an in class journal designed to help us spruce up our journal and strengthen our weak areas. Mine is definitely research and planning.
- 7 things I want to accomplish in the next week are researching my wood, price shop for wood, learn how to sharpen my tools, assemble and engrave my second pen, find some scrap wood for a second mini bat, research dimensions for my big bat, and scale down my dimensions and make another mini bat.
-5 people I should talk to are Mr. Cowell, Mr. Suave, My older brother, Mr. Peters, and Reuben Brenner-Adams.
-Supplies I need include scrap wood for more miniature bats and real wood blanks to turn my full size bat. I will probably get two in case I make a big mistake.
-3 things I should discuss with my mentor are what I should accomplish over break because I won't be able to woodwork, when we will glue blanks for mini bats together, and we should also evaluate my progress and to see how I'm doing.
-7 things I want or need to know more about are what speed to turn the lathe for the bat, how to form the knob better, what type of wood will be the best, where I should order my wood, how to sharpen my tools, what type of finish is used on baseball bats, and CRC lathes and mass production of bats.

Great Progress After School

So today my goal was to get my second pen assembled, laser engraved and take some pictures of my next step, turning the mini bat. The laser engraver wasn't working so I didn't get that accomplished and I can't assemble the pen until it has been engraved. However, I got a ton of other work done that is more important. After school I had plenty of uninterrupted time on the lathe, and not only did I get to start turning my mini bat, I finished it! Here are some before and after pictures of the little bat.  

This picture is a little bit far away, but I wanted to capture the whole lathe. It is almost exactly the same as the small lathe just bigger. The black knob on the left side is the on/off switch with speed controls ranging from 1000-3000 rpm  The wheel on the right ride with the red knob is used to tighten the wood further after you make the larger adjustments by sliding the green apparatus on the right. In respect to the wood, it was just a simple block of scrap pine that Mr. Cowell had. 

That is near the finished product. The wood underwent about an hour of turning and 10 minutes of sanding in order to get down to that size. I wasn't expecting to make my mini bat today so I just eyeballed the dimensions and the shape. I have played baseball for the majority of my life so I am very familiar with the general shape of a bat.

This is the final product after I took it off of the lathe and used a band saw to cut off the excess. Overall, my product came out better than I expected for a freestyle.  However there is always room for improvement and I definitely learned a lot from my experience today. For example I got a little bit carried away and carved the handle a bit too thin and the bottom knob is not at all what I wanted it to be. Also since nothing was really planned or measured, there are some other size issues. All of this being said, I am very happy with how today went. I plan on making at least one more of these, maybe even two or three because Mr. Cowell has lots of scrap wood that I can use, and practice makes perfect. Also Mr. Cowell suggested that I do some research on how to properly sharpen the tools that I will be using because they get dull with use and dull tools cause errors. I hope to get this research done this upcoming weekend.  

Work Suspended a Bit

I wanted to get into the classroom 4th today to assemble my pen and take some pictures of my next steps but unfortunately, the classroom was occupied. Thankfully, Mr. Cowell has offered to stay after school so we can get a little bit of work done and I have late practice today so it works out perfectly.

Second Pen and Wood for Mini Bat

Today I waxed my second pen and tomorrow I will be able to assemble and engrave it. Also Mr. Cowell gave me a piece of scrap wood today that will be perfect for me to carve a mini bat on. He had carved a little of the wood down just to experiment but it's still a good piece of wood. Expect some pictures of the new pen, wood and the big lathe to come soon!

Gleaning from the Past

2-3 real gems of the project
-he made great community contacts
-he worked really hard under pressure

2-3 oops, could've been better
-his timeline and organization could've been better
-he wasn't very diligent about following through on his personal goals

2-3 things I'm going to borrow
-make some community contacts and hopefully learn from them
-I'm going to borrow what not to do in time management, I have learned that time management is important and necessary for a wise project to be a success.

First Independent Woodworking

Sorry for the overload of posts, but today was a big day for me. I was able to get into the classroom and get some real woodworking done today so I felt like I had to accomplish a lot. I snapped a few pictures of my equipment and the setup, but I also did some woodwork. Earlier in the week I glued together some more pen blanks so I could turn another pen to practice my new skills. Today I put them to the test without Mr. Cowell watching over my shoulder! Up until today he had been guiding me along with all the woodworking, but he was busy so I decided to take it upon myself and see what I could do. There was an adult in the room, but he was running a class so I set up and turned the pen all by myself. It was a pretty rewarding experience! I felt like it was my first sink or swim moment in my project and I'm pretty sure I swam. Cowell came into check on me toward the end and was impressed with the amount that I had gotten done. I got the whole pen carved and sanded down nice and smooth. Now all I have to do is wax it so it comes out nice and shiny, and then assemble it. From what I did today, I think my skills have really improved and I feel a lot more like I know what I'm doing in terms of woodworking. Lots of my peers ask me questions and I find myself explaining things to them like I've known them my whole life, this is definitely shaping up to be quite an experience for me.

My Tools

This is a picture of the primary tools necessary to turn a pen. On the left is the skew. The flat angled edge allows you to get a nice smooth surface on your wood and really work out any dips or impurities. On the right is the roughing gouge. This is the heavy lifter, you use this tool to carve off the majority of the wood in order to get a circular shape. The gouge has a bowl shape so you can angle it different ways in order to expel less or more wood, depending on what you are making. I have learned a lot about these tools just by using them a few times. They are very intuitive and the best way to master woodworking is to just experiment.

Lathe Set Up

So here is a picture of what the small lathe looks like set up with the wooden pen "blanks". Blanks are basically just blocks of wood that you spin on the lathe. A little insight, you turn the lathe on to start spinning the wood, then you smoothly run your tool back and forth on the wood to carve it down to your desired shape and size. Some names of parts on the lathe in the picture from left to right are, the head stock, the tool rest and the tail stock. The head stock is where the mechanism is that actually rotates the lathe and the tail stock is the back of the lathe that slides left and right to accommodate the wood you're working with. The tool rest is the most important piece. This is adjustable in all four directions and provides you with a stable base for your tools so you can get nice and smooth strokes.

Slight Snag Friday

Mr. Cowell and I were supposed to meet Friday to glue together another pen blank so I could turn my second pen on Tuesday, but we both got tied up in other work. I made it to his room with about 15 minutes left in the period and he said he was busy all period and hadn't even eaten lunch yet. So we decided to glue on Tuesday and be ready to start my second pen by Wednesday.

My Next Move

So here I will outline the next few steps in my project. I have some lathe experience under my belt and am starting to see my project coming together on the horizon. My next step will be to make another pen on the small lathe in order to really familiarize myself with how to handle the tools and manipulate the wood. After that is complete Mr. Cowell and I will glue together some scrap wood to make a block that I can turn on the lathe and make a miniature baseball bat. This will be useful because I will have some more freedom to shape the bat into what I want. As far as research goes, I will finalize what type of wood I will order for my bat, (I'm leaning toward ash) and I will study up on making bats by watching videos and reading sources that I documented in my bibliography. I'm looking forward to getting back on the lathe to make some new things!

First Lathe Project Reflection

This is a few days late but here it is, my first experience on the lathe was exciting to say the least. Handling the tools felt natural to me and I felt like I got the hang of it very quickly. It was a unique experience and I felt accomplishment watching the block of wood that I started with transform before my eyes in a matter of minutes. The machine is quite easy to operate. Basically you flip a switch to turn it on, spinning the wood and then you run your tool against the wood to shave it down to your desired shape. As far as time is concerned I was able to shape the pen in a little under a half an hour and with sanding and waxing my total time was about 50 minutes to make my pen. I am feeling good about my project and am ready to take my woodworking to the next level!

First Lathe Project!

Yesterday and today I was finally able to get on the small lathe and make my pen. It was much more exciting than I was anticipating and I am ready to tackle my next project on the lathe. My mentor suggested that I make another pen in the shape of a baseball bat in order to practice technique that I will need in order to make the real thing on the big lathe. I am pleased with my progress and now can't wait to get back on the lathe.

Slightly Frustrating

Today I was supposed to be introduced to the lathe by Mr. Cowell, but the room with the lathe was hosting a lecture during Cowell's free period. Once he shows me how to run the lathe and some basic technique, I will be able to work a little bit more independently. Hopefully I can move forward on the lathe this week. Updates will follow.

Lathe Concerns Resolved!

Today I met with my mentor to see if he had been able to get us time on the lathe. Great news, the teacher that teaches in the room with the lathe said we can come in and use it whenever we want. I am very relieved because I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to get any time to work on the lathe. With this now open door, I will be able to start my lathe work tomorrow. I can't wait!

Some of My Classmates Projects

After looking at several blogs that belong to my fellow WISE students, I am excited to see how many different things are going on. Some people are involved in some really cool things. Music production, modeling, fitness training, becoming an EMT, and baking that is taken to a new scientific level, are just a few. I am intrigued by many of the projects that are going on and look forward to seeing everyone develop as our time frame moves forward.

Slight Road Block

So today I went to meet with Mr. Cowell and hopefully begin on the lathe but we ran into a problem, the room that has the lathe has classes during all of mine and Mr. Cowell's free periods. So he is going to talk to the teachers that teach during those periods and we will meet next week to discuss what the next step will be.

Possible Community Contact

At the end of my mentor meeting today a woman came into Mr. Cowell's room and started asking about my project. When I told her what I was doing she said her husband cuts and dries his own wood and she would talk to him about my project to see if he had any recommendations or information. I'm really excited about the possibilities surrounding this opportunity.

Getting Started

Today I met with my mentor Mr. Cowell and we took the first step in working with the lathe. My first project on the lathe will be turning a pen to practice technique and become familiar with my tools, and the step we took today was to glue brass inserts into the wood to form the well of the pen. Now I have to let the glue dry overnight and should be ready to begin turning my pen tomorrow.

Moving Forward

After my first meeting with my mentor today, I am feeling good about my project. I've learned about the tools I'll need to use to complete my project and am ready for the next step. My mentor suggested that next week I get on the small lathe at the school and start woodworking a pen, to practice technique. In the meantime, I will do some research on what type of wood I will use for my bat!

Tools Needed

After conducting some research I have determined that the tools I will need to make my bat, besides the lathe, will be a roughing gouge, a parting tool, a spindle gouge, and calipers. The roughing gouge will be used to shave a lot of the wood off of the blank, bringing it close to the specified diameter and that diameter will be measured using calipers. The parting tool will be used to make spaces in the wood to mark dimensions. The spindle gouge will be used to fine tune the dimensions to get them where I want them to be.

Project expansion idea?

After a phone call with my older brother who is an avid baseball fan such as myself, and telling him about my proposed WISE project, he had an idea. His idea was that I also make a composite wood bat. Composite bats are relatively new to baseball and I know very little about them. This will definitely be something for me to investigate.

First Two Weeks

This is a basic outline of what I plan on completing for my project during the first two weeks of independent study

Week 1:

• Begin research on woodworking techniques
• Learn about the lathe and how to run it 
• Meet with my mentor and discuss a project timeline

Week 2:

• Solidify research on woodworking techniques
• begin work on small lathe to practice basic woodworking technique
• meet withe mentor to discuss progress 
• 
  

Introduction

Dear Reader,

My name is Brennen and I am a senior at Ithaca High School and I am starting my WISE project soon. WISE is a class at Ithaca High that has an entire semester dedicated to independent student learning through a self guided, 16 week project. For my project I have decided to learn how to woodwork a baseball bat. I have no experience woodworking so I am a little bit nervous how my bat will turn out but I am ready for a new challenge. I hope to tackle this with tons of research and learn a lot about woodworking, baseball bats and even how mass the production of wood products has made hand turning wood a dying art. I have been a baseball player for most of my life and when I was thinking about what to do for my WISE project, I figured what better field than the sport that I have loved my whole life! I am excited to get started on this project and eager to explore the world of woodworking and hopefully learn lots of new things.