DIY Network

*Marathon Special: Bat Display From "Major League Remodel Marathon" episode DMLR-M1

	The acrylic bat displays line either side of the hallway.

In this segment of the Major League Remodel Marathon, retired major-league legend Johnny Bench installs a bat display for his collection of prized bats in his basement. With some assistance from our carpentry expert Darrin John, Johnny shows how to install two different types of bat displays.

Above, right: Retired major-league legend Johnny Bench installs bat displays like these for his collection of prized bats. Bench works the bat displays in among his Player of the Year award and other wall-mounted trophies.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Johnny Bench shows Darrin John some of his prized bats that he has collected over the years -- including gifts from such baseball greats as Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Mark Maguire.

Acrylic Bat-Hanger Display

The first bat display is a pre-made acrylic hanger that mounts along one wall and can accommodate multiple bats in a collection. For Johnny's installation, a hanger was installed on either wall of a hallway. The bat display was mounted slightly higher than chair-rail height -- at 49 inches from the floor.

• Measure up from the floor, and mark the location of the bat-hanger using a straight-edge and level.

• Pre-drill the holes for the screw-anchors that will secure the hanger to the wall. Be certain to use heavy-duty screw anchors since the combined weight of all of the bats will be fairly heavy.

  Once installed, this acrylic hanger incorporates a lock to prevent the collectible bats from being removed from the display (figure A).
  

Do-It-Yourself Wooden Hanger

In addition to the acrylic multi-bat display, individual bats are hung in the overall display using wooden hangers that Darrin made from scrap wood in just a few easy steps. Here's how he did it.

Materials:

1x6 boards
Compound miter saw (or chop saw)
Hand-held router
Cordless drill
Hole-saw bit
Level

• Using a chop-saw, create a simple template so that you can cut several hangers in uniform size. The template is used to mark the pieces (figure B) that will be mounted together to create the custom holder.

• Mark off a 4" length of a 1x6 board to create the back plate. For the top plate, measure and mark a piece 4 inches deep by 5-1/2 inches wide. Cut out both pieces.

• Use a 1-5/8" hole-saw bit to cut out the hole that will hold the neck of the bat.

• Use a hand-held router to bevel the edge of the hole (figure C).

• Use the chop saw to cut out the gap. The beveled hole and gap forms the holder for the neck of the bat. The lip of the bat-handle will allow the bat to hang in the holder (figure D) once it's installed.

• Route all of the sides using a trim-bit to create finished edges.

• Use a nail gun (or hammer) and finish nails to secure the two pieces together as shown (figure E). Some wood filler can be used to conceal the nail-heads.

• We opted to spray-paint the holders with a flat-black paint.

• Once the paint has dried, pre-drill the screw holes that will be used to secure the hanger to the wall (figure F).

• Using a torpedo level to determine proper alignment, place and fasten the hangers using wall-anchors and screws(figure G).