How to Cork a Wood Bat

The practice of Corking a bat supposedly makes you hit a ball further, however has been shown by myth busters (Although inconclusively) to decrease the distance a ball will travel when struck with the bat. It does however make the person swinging the bat perceive themselves as more powerful, and is sometimes used as a training aid for batters who are practicing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Wooden Bat
• A Band Saw
• A 12 to 20 inch length of cork in a cylindrical shape of 3/4 inch diameter
• A Drill
• A 3/4 inch Drill-Bit
• A Bottle of Wood Glue
• A Clamp Large enough to fit the bat length-wise
• An understanding of how to safely operate a band saw

1. Using the Band Saw, cut the tip of the Baseball Bat off 1 inch below the tip (hitting end), then cut the Cylindrical 3/4 inch cork into 1 inch segments.

2. Using the Drill with the 3/4 Inch Bit attached, drill a hole of between 12 to 20 inches in depth, through the center of the batt, from the center of the surface you just cut.

3. Squirt some wood-glue inside the hole, and then insert the cork segments into the hole one by one tapping them into place with the mallet, taking time to squirt some additional glue between each segment and smear it on the sides of each segment as well.

4. Once all of the cork has been placed into the drilled hole, cover the edge of the bat and the tip which was sawed off with wood-glue and seat them back together in the same orientation that they came apart in.

5. Wipe-off any excess wood-glue from the bat, and use a large clamp to hold the bat's pieces together for 24 hours while it dries.

Tips & Warnings

• Be precise about how you align the tip of the bat when you place it back on, as this will help the bat look less like it has been altered.
• The more cork you choose to use inn your bat the more easily it is for the bat to accidentally split when it strikes the ball