DIY Network

*Marathon Special: Louisville Slugger Factory From "Major League Remodel Marathon" episode DMLR-M3

A genuine piece of Americana: the Louisville Slugger.

In this special segment of DIY's Major League Remodel Marathon, we look at a quintessential item of baseball lore that has transcended generations of players and carried many into the Baseball Hall of Fame -- the Louisville Slugger. And we tour the facility where the legendary bats are made.

advertisement

	Figure A
	Figure B

• The Hillerich and Bradsby company produces more than 1,000,000 hand-worked Louisville Slugger bats per year. That legend begins with Bud Hillerich who hand-turned a bat for Pete "The Old Gladiator" Browning who, at his next game, went four for four.

• Northern white ash, grown on 5,000 privately owned acres of timberland in New York state and Pennsylvania, is cut and cored to create the elements that become the Louisville Slugger bats. The wood is then categorized by weight.

• Once a player's request has been put in for a custom bat, a bat craftsman picks out a template and begins work. According to bat-maker Daniel Luckett, the individual bats are made from a metal template much in the same way that a duplicate key is made from an original. A roller shapes the bat along its length, and a craftsman makes temporary mounting-knobs and cuts the bats to the specified length (figure A).

• In the old days, craftsmen used calipers to gauge the exact measurements of the wood as they hand-turned the bats to the specs of an original template. There were more than 20 measuring points for each bat, ensuring that each copy was an exact reproduction of the original. Hand-turning bats using these techniques took about 15 minutes per bat. Today, bats can be made on a tracer machine in about 35 seconds.

• After the initial turning, the logo is burned into the bat using a press and branding iron. It is at this point that the signature mark of a famous player can be branded into the bat to give it its designation. The company maintains branding irons of more than 8,000 player signatures.

• After the branding, the scorched areas and any rough spots are removed from the bats using a massive sanding machine. After the temporary mounting-knobs are removed and ends are sanded smooth, the bats are given a finish coat by dipping them into a vat of lacquer.

• Hillerich and Bradsby can also make custom bats with company logos laser-engraved into the wood (figure B).
  

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	Major League Remodel, 1-Hour Special
  	*Marathon Special: "Curve Ball" Wall-Hanging
  	*Marathon Special: Louisville Slugger Factory
  	*Marathon Special: Baseball Gear Lamp Display
  	*Marathon Special: Terry Pendleton's Batting Tips, Pt.2