Hi,
New to the forum, and new to turning. I bought an old shopsmith last year to turn a bat for my son's birthday. I've done a few heavy practice bats for my son and his teammates, but recently wanted to make one for him for an upcoming wood bat tournament. I purchased what was supposed to be padauk from a place called "exotic wood zone", and turned a bat, but while doing so noticed that it seemed really soft compared to the maple and hickory bats I've done previously. I believe it's supposed to be ~18% harder than maple, and just a little heavier. It was way easier to shape on the lathe, and the finished bat is much lighter than expected. I had a leftover chunk of the wood, so I took some measurements and weighed it...looks like it's ~37.5lbs/cubic ft. Padauk should be 47-50, according to what I've seen online. Is there any way to figure out what this actually is? Anyone know if this vendor is reputable?
Thanks.
New to the forum, and new to turning. I bought an old shopsmith last year to turn a bat for my son's birthday. I've done a few heavy practice bats for my son and his teammates, but recently wanted to make one for him for an upcoming wood bat tournament. I purchased what was supposed to be padauk from a place called "exotic wood zone", and turned a bat, but while doing so noticed that it seemed really soft compared to the maple and hickory bats I've done previously. I believe it's supposed to be ~18% harder than maple, and just a little heavier. It was way easier to shape on the lathe, and the finished bat is much lighter than expected. I had a leftover chunk of the wood, so I took some measurements and weighed it...looks like it's ~37.5lbs/cubic ft. Padauk should be 47-50, according to what I've seen online. Is there any way to figure out what this actually is? Anyone know if this vendor is reputable?
Thanks.