Podshaving in pictures
by Alan Rowley, 6th February 2007

Local bat maker Charlie French occasionally allows the public to witness him create one of his hugely popular bats at his workshop in Mansfield Woodhouse. At his last public demonstration, 'the follow on' was amongst the audience and here is a pictorial record of this fascinating process.

Charlie uses only the finest quality willow for his bats. The trees are kept free of off-shoots for the first three metres and have to grow to a minimum of six feet in circumference before felling - a total of over seventeen years growth. The wood is air dried or kiln dried to about 13% moisture content, although Charlie prefers to get the moisture content a little lower.

Selecting the cleft and cane

Shaping the cleft

Willow is sold to bat makers, or podshavers, to give them their correct title, in 'clefts'. The cleft is then cut down to 4 3/8th inches and the face is cleaned and shaped to the traditional convex shape. This helps to protect the edges of the bat.

The blade is pressed to optimum pressure using a bat mallet as a gauge. All pieces of willow are different and need individual pressing. Charlie told 'the follow on' "The press is called Joe, after my elder brother who made it in the fitting shops at Welbeck Colliery using old parts from the coal industry. It is unique in that it is hydraulic and allows me to add pressure when the press is rolling, meaning I can make the bat harder at the toe for extra protection."

Pressing the cleft

Once the cleft has been pressed to the required hardness, the 'V' is cut out for the splice.

Cutting the 'V' for the splice

The Manau cane is split and the inserts are glued in before the handle can be turned, cut and fitted to the blade. The toe and shoulders are then cut.

Shavings fly as the handle is turned

The handle is inserted into the blade

Once the handle and blade have been joined and glued, the bat is shaped using traditional tools like draw knives, spokeshaves and block planes. Hand shaping means that the bat can be balanced better. As Charlie has 41 years of experience as a decent batsman, he understands the feel and balance of the bat.

Hand shaping the bat

Once the final shape is achieved, the bat can be sanded on a pneumatic drum sander and is then hand sanded and polished. The handle is then bound and the labels and grip are fitted.

Applying the binding to the handle

A selection of bats at various stages of manufacture

A rack full of handles and bats awaiting repair

All bats in the Charlie French range, except the 2000, are made from air dried grade one willow. The price of each bat is based on the time taken to produce the shape.

The full Charlie French range, complete with new stickers
Left to right: 2000, Advance, Fusion, Recurve, Tourist

If you want a bat producing to your requirements, or you are happy with an off-the-shelf bat, call in at Cricket First at Bromley Croft, off Swan Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse and Charlie would be happy to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, take a look at the CF Bats website - click here.