Introduction: Shaun's Bat
I trying to come up with an idea for a costume for Halloween and then I saw one of my favorite movies come on tv, Shaun of the Dead, and it hit me!! Shaun Is a fairly easy costume to put together except for the cricket bat. So I decided to make one myself. This is a picture I found online that is a replica prop.
Step 1: Scrap Piece
I decided to start with a 2x6 because it had close the dimensions I was look for. I was able to find a scrap piece that would work great.
Step 2: Cut to Length
After some research I found that cricket bats are about 36" long so I cut it down to this length.
Step 3: Cutting Handle
The next step is to cut the shape of the handle. I sketched out what looked about right and cut it out with a jigsaw.
Step 4: Shaping the Bat
Next I took a large bucket and traced it to get the round of the end of the bat I was looking for.
Step 5: Sanding, Sanding, and Sanding
Next I used a belt sander and just started sanding the bat. I had to take the handle from square to round and all of the edges of the bat were taken down as well. This step is kinda time consuming but take your time to get the look you are going for.
Step 6: Stain
I put a small wood screw into the end of the handle and hung up the bat. I had some old stain and applied a liberal coat to the bat and wiped it down.
Step 7: Handle Wrap
Next I took a scrap piece of material and wrapped the handle. I started by tacking the end to the material to the bat with a couple of nail tacks. When I got to the end I folded over the end of the cloth and tacked it again. I folded it over so the material would be a little thicker and stronger for the tack to hold.
Step 8: Finished!
And here is the finished product. I also made a very simple name tag to go along with the costume.