Baseball bat

Abstract

A novel baseball or softball bat is disclosed. The bat has a handle of a heavy, strong wood such as hickory, to resist breakage, and a barrel of a lighter wood such as sapele, to facilitate a controlled and comfortable swing. Methods for making the bat are also disclosed. It may be formed of a plurality of wedge-shaped pieces of wood, and the two species of wood may be joined by interleaving these wedges over part of the bat's length. The interleaving may optionally be designed such that some amount of hickory extends all the way to the barrel end of the bat.

1 . A wooden bat, comprising:
 a. a handle section consisting of a first wood; and   b. a barrel section including both said first wood and a second wood;   c. wherein said handle and barrel sections are securely joined together; and   d. wherein said first wood has a higher density than said second wood.   
     
     
         2 . The bat of  claim 1 , wherein said first wood has an average density of about 0.45 to 0.55 ounces per cubic inch, and said second wood has an average density of about 0.35 to 0.37 ounces per cubic inch. 
     
     
         3 . The bat of  claim 1 , wherein said first wood is hickory. 
     
     
         4 . The bat of  claim 1 , wherein said second wood is sapele. 
     
     
         5 . The bat of  claim 1 , said bat having a length, wherein the center of gravity of the bat is located about 62% of the length of the bat, as measured from an end proximate said handle section. 
     
     
         6 . The bat of  claim 1 , further comprising a longitudinal axis, wherein said bat comprises a plurality of elongate wood battens extending along said axis, said battens meeting transversally with each other along surfaces extending substantially radially outward from said axis. 
     
     
         7 . The bat of  claim 6 , wherein said bat has a length, and at least one of said battens extends the entire length of the bat. 
     
     
         8 . The bat of  claim 7 , wherein at least three of said battens extend the entire length of the bat. 
     
     
         9 . A wooden bat having a longitudinal axis and a length, said bat comprising:
 a. a first set of elongate battens running longitudinally and disposed substantially cylindrically symmetrically about said axis, a first subset of said battens in said first set extending the entire length of the bat and a second subset of said battens in said first set extending over a distance less than the entire length of the bat; and   b. a second set of elongate battens, each batten in said second set being combined into a pairs with each batten in said second subset of said battens in said first set such that the pairs each extend over the entire length of the bat;   c. wherein said battens within said first set include a first type of wood, and said battens within said second set include a second type of wood.   
     
     
         10 . The bat of  claim 9  wherein said second set of battens is found only in a barrel portion of the bat. 
     
     
         11 . The bat of  claim 9  wherein said first set of battens comprises hickory. 
     
     
         12 . The bat of  claim 9  wherein said second set of battens comprises sapele. 
     
     
         13 . The bat of  claim 9  wherein said first set consists of twelve battens, and said first subset consists of three battens.