Slight wood splitting during knocking in

[the_rhino_uk]

Slight wood splitting during knocking in

Hi all,

I have been knocking in a new bat (Custom made Grey Nichols Powerbow) with my knocking in hammer.

I oiled it first and let it dry over night before starting with the mallet and everything was going ok until last night I noticed there is a bit of splitting on the surface of the bat (front of the blade).

Now the split (or flaking) is like a small tear down one of the grain lines and I can lift the flake up a tiny bit with my finger nail (as its raised a bit after knocking).

I was wondering if this is normal with the knocking in process and should I be worried? What can I do? Sould I just carry on knocking / oiling and just stick it down with wood glue or something before fitting the scuff guard?

Sorry for all the questions but this is the first time I have tried to knock one in myself and am not sure if this is normal!

Thanks, and tips / advise would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Slight wood splitting during knocking in

Nothing overly to worry about, although it may suggest that the wood is soft. You could stick it down with a bit of glue then cover with anti-scuff sheet but you'll want to let any oil applied properly dry first.

Though you will often see small cracks appear down the grain, you may want to start off a little bit gentler with the knocking in, building up to the heavier blows.

Welcome to site btw!

 

[the_rhino_uk]

Re: Slight wood splitting during knocking in

Nothing overly to worry about, although it may suggest that the wood is soft. You could stick it down with a bit of glue then cover with anti-scuff sheet but you'll want to let any oil applied properly dry first.

Though you will often see small cracks appear down the grain, you may want to start off a little bit gentler with the knocking in, building up to the heavier blows.

Welcome to site btw!

Thanks! I came across it because there was a nice 'how to' for using a grip cone and thought I would ask about my bat.

I feel a bit silly because I bought this bat off ebay from someone who said it came from a 1st class cricketer and it was a custom made GN (to look like a powerbow). I've had 2 powerbows in the past and took a real risk buying this one and it is a lovely piece of wood.

So you can imagine my panic last night when this split appeared down the drain line. I thought I had wrecked it!!!

Ok I shall continue to (gently) knock it in and then oil it once last time and then fit the scuff guard. Going to let it dry for a while before of course

Can I use any form of wood glue? I have some standard wood glue at home if that's ok to use? (used it for putting furniture together)!

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Slight wood splitting during knocking in

Standard wood glue should be fine, don't overdo it and clamp it for 24hrs if you can.

There are some good videos on youtube with regards to knocking in a bat, worth a search.

 

[the_rhino_uk]

Re: Slight wood splitting during knocking in

Standard wood glue should be fine, don't overdo it and clamp it for 24hrs if you can.

There are some good videos on youtube with regards to knocking in a bat, worth a search.

Ok cool, I will give it a go. I've had a look at some videos on youtube and there are some good pointers there. Knowone mentions anything about splits / flaking mind!

I guess I was just a little too heavy handed!

Thanks for you help

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Slight wood splitting during knocking in

You do need to use some force but you build up to it. The flaking/lifting is natural but if you're overly worried get a photo or two and post them up.