OOAK Table Tennis Forum

That is true.

Of course it is a hobby. The problem ist that I will be drowned in a pile of blades if I do not sell blades. However there are some things to be done before I can start selling
- validation of reproducibility of a model
- how to deal with the fiscal authorities

I think about 79,- €. That would be in the above cited range (Piet 25 € => Ross 120 €) for a straight cedar handle. Of course special features like exclusive handles will result in higher prices. For example this
http://www.edelholzverkauf.de/product_i ... s_id=10537
handle would add another 75 € to the 79,- € .

For me a price at which I would give custom blades a try would be around 50 maybe 60 euro. Anything over that and I would have to be sure the blade would be exactly what I am looking for. Maybe something like the american hinoki people do would an option, keep some test blades in circulating for people to test.

A while ago I was looking for veneer which is surprisingly hard to find here in Holland and what can be found is about 5 times more expensive than in German shops.

This company seems to have good prices http://www.metz-furniere.de/indexg.htm

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Competition bats:
Win-tec power def Tibhar 5Q sound Power Update 1.8 * Spinlord Agenda ox
TSP Balsa 3.5 Tibhar Genius+Optimium sound 1.8 * Grass D-tecs ox

Put to rest:
Galaxy T10 Bluefire M2 2.0 Palio Ck531a ox
Victas Koji Matsushita Tibhar Genius+Optimium sound MAX * Spinlord Dornenglanz ox
Donic Defplay Senso Tibhar Aurus Sound Black max * Grass D-tecs ox

Check out my quest for my new blade here: http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=23241
Current standings:
Butterfly Matshushita powerdefence * Joola Chen Weixing * Nittaku KVU * Nittaku Shake defense* Tibhar stratus power defense * Victas Koji Matsushita * Yasaka Sweeper * Win-Tec power defence

I don't know if this question was answered somewhere else in the 23 page thread, but what do manufacturers use to bond wood vaneers and Arylate carbon or aramid carbon?

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Photino
My rubbers are 9 years old. They won’t be there long.

Don't know what the manufacturers use, but hand layups with carbon/glass/aramid/etc. are done using thin epoxy resins. Polyesters cure too quickly (and stink to high heaven). For the hobby blade builder, I suggest this:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XCX58&P=ML



It's got very low viscosity, and plenty of working time. You don't need much per blade (maybe half an ounce or less). A good clamping setup is a must. The more resin you squeeze out of your composite the stronger and lighter it gets.

This seems to be more or less the same (and costs less):

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XK304&P=ML

There are others too:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/epoxy.html

20 years ago there was just Safe-T-Poxy..

Iskandar

Iskandar

Here a solution for making of hollow handles

<the order of the pictures is reverted; can someone fix this ?>

The problem with this approach is the exact placement of the back rail. It must center the router exactly in the middle of the piece of wood. It took me 6 pieces before I made it.

Laminated wood for handles:

http://www.cousineauwoodproducts.com/about-spectraply/
http://www.rutply.com/products/colorwood.html

Ah... here's where all those beautiful burls come from:

http://www.woodturningz.com/Exhibition_Pen_Blanks.html

Iskandar

hi , i came across this interesting thread today, i haven't read all the page for sure , but i want to ask one thing , would you be interested in making blades for other people ?
i haven't played for 7 years , now i'm back , but every thing is different , no more blades that i know ! i always fancied a kazan blade ,but unfortunately its no where to be found , if i provide you with the description , can you make it ?

This is a great forum topic. I'm not done reading everything, but the information is very usefull!
Does anyone have experience with cheaper vacuum press systems?
The roarockit (http://www.roarockit.com/) DIY skateboard system looks promising, but I was wondering if cheaper systems were available. For exemple the same system is used to store clothes, but I can't find any information about the amount of pressure those pumps can handle. Does anyone have experience with the clothing vacuum bag systems?


These are my homemade frames:
They are (almost) completely handcrafted as I lack the machinery. My first 4 blades were some experiments with unusual materials. I still use the MDF penhold blade to play TT at work.
The last 4 blades were a bit more mainstream and as I do research and get tips from the more experienced framebuilders, the blades keep getting better.

The first 2 blades with the cross in the handle are blades with composition similar to classic frames (abachi/limba/koto/mahogany). The 3rd blade is a balsa frame where i tried to reduce the weight to a minimum by reducing the weight of the composition and the shortening the handle. The handle shape might seem strange but I hold my bat quite high, so it feels comfortable.

I played with the green handled blade for a long time but now switched to the recently finished blade with the pink-yellow-red handle. It has a composition similar to a stiga clipper and is my fastest, yet lightest (except for the balsa frame ofcourse) frame up to now.

Hope you like them

They look really good MDP, great work!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Hello guys.
I have joined the forum because of this thread.. I am a natural DIYER and I have just completed my very first blade. It plays amazingly well. (birch 3.2m core, anigre medial and limba outer.)
I am very very proud of it as I had no idea how it would turn out. LOL
Anyway I have a question for someone more knowledgeable. What is the name of the wood used for the handles on the premade blades.?
If not available,, what would be the best wood to use for the handle. I believe I have seen them using layers to build up the handle which would be more comfortable but does anyone know the best and lightest wod to use.?

I don't know what it is exactly that say butterfly uses, but I'm a fan of the lightness and feel of mahogany. You don't need to apply a finish and you don't need to really use a fine sandpaper (in my opinion). Finishing it at an 80 grit or so leaves it grippy enough that it wont fly out of your hand. To clean it you can sand it lightly as well. That's at least what I do.

Hi MDP,
nice blades.
can I ask how you achieve the stripes on the handle. ? Also to Ross, What wood do you use to veneer when making the handle.?

Hi Ross,
pls ignore the last question as I mistakenly assumed that handle burrs were veneer and not solid wood. Pls confirm. thnx

I do often use veneers on edge to make the pinstripes in the handle grip, but the majority of the grip will be made from solid wood.

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

Ross, do you sell handles on their own.?