Broken Baseball Bat Golf Putter

This all starts with a broken baseball bat. What is destined for the firewood pile can be reused for another sporting event. Of course, you can use a new bat, but . . .
Materials:

Broken baseball bat

½" Dowel – 4 feet in length

Weights – if desired.

Tools:

Scrap piece of wood . . . needs to be square

Hot Glue Gun

Band saw/Jig saw

Belt sander

Drill

½ Drill bit

Vise

Glue

Step 1: Cut It Down.

Inspect the bat to determine where it is broken. You need to remove the broken parts and cut it down in sections of the handle and a section of the barrel. You will need approximately 8 inches of the handle (from the end) and about an 8 -inch section of the barrel. Here I am cutting down the barrel section into an 10-inch section. Bigger is better, but all you will need about 8 inches. I realize that the bat is rounded in all directions, so at this point in time, don't worrry about keeping a square end.

Step 2: Cut Down the Barrel for the Putter Head.

Start with the section of the barrel; the most difficult part of this instructable is taking a rounded piece of wood and creating a flat side. Once you have a flat side, you can work off of that side and this becomes easier. I do this by using a square piece of scrap (“4 x 12”) and hot glue. Hot glue the barrel piece perpendicular (as best as you can guess . . . we will square up as we go) to the scrap piece.

Place the bar at the end of the scrap piece so that about 1 inch of the barrel hangs off the scrap piece. Don’t be afraid to use the glue. You want to make sure that it holds the piece well. You will be surprised to see how easily it can be peeled off after you make the cut. Don’t rush.

NOTE: If the barrel has some writing or an autograph that you would like to preserve, then glue the barrel in a manner that the writing side is on top. The barrel that I am using does not have writing or autograph that I am wanting to save.

On the bandsaw, using the miter gauge to keep it square, cut approximately ½ of the barrel. GO SLOW. Remember that you are working with a hard wood that has been born and raised, and subsequently machined, to hit baseballs 400 feet.

Remove the barrel piece from the scrap, peel off glue and then do the same thing to the opposite side. You will then have the barrel piece with two opposite sides that are flat. The sides are rough, but at this time you can take what you have to the belt sander to flatten the sides. . . personal preference.

Step 3: Cut Out Putter Head

On one of the flat sides, draw out what you want the putter head to look like. I have an old 60s style putter and modeled the head after that. This is where you can do whatever funky design you want in your putter. Keep in mind that if you have one of the rounded faces with writing, that will be the top of the club, so draw out your club head accordingly.

Step 4: Hello Mr. Sandman. Shape and Sand

Take what has now become the club head to the belt sander and begin to square/flatten the sides and shape the head of the club. You are then left with a clean club head.

Step 5: Drill Shaft Hole

You will need to use the ½” bit in the drill to drill a hole in the head to accommodate the club shaft. We will be using the ½ dowel as the club shaft. You can order metal shafts online if you prefer, but I prefer the wood look (old skool clubs). The shaft angle can vary between 90 degrees to 70 degrees, with the typical shaft angle being 72 degrees. Here, I was going for the old school look and went with 90 degrees. I have also included a picture in Step 7 of another club I have made where I drilled the angle at 72 degrees. Test fit club head into shaft. Bingo! Making progress.

Step 6: Drill Handle Hole. Trim. Glue

Grab the handle end of the bat. Place in vice or ask a neighbor with the strength and fearlessness of Dwayne Johnson to hold it for you. . . though I recommend the vice. Take the time to do you best to square it. Drill a hole in the center of the handle.

Test fit handle on opposite end of dowel. Take a practice swing and trim dowel as necessary.

Once you get the desired length, glue the club head and handle on the ends of the dowel. You now have a putter made out of what would have otherwise been scrap firewood.

Step 7: Optional. Add Weight.

This is optional, but some may find the weight of the putter a tad on the light light. Traditional putters weigh between 330 and 350 grams while heavyweight putters weigh between 450 and 550 grams. If you want to add weight, you can cut out a section of the face of the club. You can see in one of my putters, I cut out a portion of the face and replaced it with a brass inlay. Also, you can drill a hole in the back of the club and fill it with bbs, or some other metal. I prefer the solid wood look as it is a great rembrance of my kid playing baseball when I miss an office putt. Either way, enjoy.

Step 8: