How to shave a softball or baseball bat: Bat Shaving 101

Bat shaving 101: A new or used bat can selected for shaving each will see significant gains in distance. The first thing that happens is the end cap is taken off. A cap should be able to be taken off in its original form and be put back on after the bat has been shaved. After thousands of every type of bat (softball, fast pitch and baseball) we have mastered the art of cap removal.

Next is prepping the bat to be shaved: remove any excess material from where the end cap was taken out, and place a protective layer around the bat so the paint is not harmed or gets dirty. The bat is ready to go into the bat shaving machine (CNC lathe) to widen the inner barrel (shave out material).

Predetermined specifications are used for each bat that is shaved which is used to input X and Z coordinates into the lathe.  After the bat comes out of the lathe it is then cleaned off and weighed. Weight is added back to the bat in order to get the same balance as when it started. Weight can be added to the handle or the end cap (which is called end loading).  The bat now is ready for the polymer coating which helps the durability of the bat and reduces annoying composite flaking.  After the correct amount of weight is put back into the bat or end cap and the coating is applied then it is ready to be put back together.  There are a wide variety of epoxies and glues that people try to use to put caps back on, a lot of these will temporarily work.  We use a heavy-duty flexible epoxy that bonds ridiculously strong.  After the cap is put on it dries overnight in a 36 inch clamp that locks the cap in place so there are no gaps near the end cap.  Every bat is then inspected for quality and compression tested before it goes out the door.