Kippax Willow Ltd has over 25 years experience of making the finest hand crafted cricket bats through traditional methods using only the finest of their own willow trees. From planting of willow sets accross the UK and maintaining trees by de-nibbing (pruning off branches) over a period of at least 15 years each tree has been nurtured through to felling.
Once felled the tree is cut into rounds and the ‘splitting out’ process begins. This involves driving wedges into the round to split it into raw clefts. Following a five cut process on the saws the clefts are then waxed at each end to prevent splitting. Stacked in the drying rooms the natural drying process begins. After six months or until the clefts have dried to the required moisture level the process of making the cricket bat begins.
Each cleft has to be cut to size on the saws, then pressed using Kippax Willow's unique pressing technique at four different pressures in both traditional and bow styles. The handle is then fitted, shoulders and toe are cut and then the bat is hand drawn traditionally with drawknives and spokeshaves by the master bat maker, Matthew Doidge.
Rough and smooth sanding takes the bat near to completion. The handle is then traditionally strung, a rubber grip applied and then the final step of a wax finish to ensure that the Kippax bat supplied to the customer is the finest traditionally hand made cricket bat available.
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