Why do Baseball Bats Break?

[@vlKenzo]

I can guarantee you will blow up if you keep up this high quality production and information. Watched this whole video thinking you were one of those multimillion subscriber channels, until realizing you only had 20k. Keep putting in the excellent work and it will pay off.

[@CapturePlay]

This exactly!

[@GraveUypo]

give it time. his subscribers apparently quadruplicated in two months' time.

[@tjackman]

mfw 2 months ago he was at 20k, now is over 90k.

[@carloscastro3178]

You are definitely going to earn a multi-million sub page. Great job and thanks for educating!

[@de0509]

+1 subscriber here. Channel is picking speed

[@RealEngineering]

Interesting, in Ireland we have a sport call Hurling. Once described as a mixture between hockey and murder. The hurls (bats) are made with ash and they are all hand made to follow the grain of the wood. Same science different sport. Although it's probably better that the hurls break when they hit a player....great video Grady

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Real Engineering Very cool. I hadn't heard of Hurling!

[@wobbynobbenstein]

Awesome! The only sport I've seen that is as good as hockey, thank you!

[@RoyalMela]

Wooden hockey sticks were made of thin layers of wood, so grains were never parallel. Instead they made the stick stronger and allowed more flex without breaking. So, I must wonder why baseball bats are made of one solid piece of wood, instead of several layers or thinner columns glued together.

[@aneesh2115]

Ok so I looked up some videos of hurling and all I can say is It's so awesome Like you should watch it

[@aneesh2115]

It's like when a Englishman introduced the Irish to field hockey and then tried to teach them rules The Irish were like RULES . THIS IS IRELAND

[@ibew3691]

My brain- *sees title* Me- *they break because they hit hard balls*

[@CocoPerk]

Mr.Slipz same bruh

[@fatjewishjude3990]

sorry your opinion doesn’t matter since you have a fortnite profile picture

[@Jackscalfani2]

@@fatjewishjude3990 look at your channel kid! You are the people that give roblox a bad cringe name!

[@fatjewishjude3990]

Person Man roblox already has that name, i played as a joke, also why tf you defending a guy with a fortnite profile pic, he stole your roblox players and bought them to fortnite

[@Jackscalfani2]

@@fatjewishjude3990 when did I say I was defending him?

[@MrCat-fy7bz]

Fun fact: 3D printed materials also work similarly to wood when it comes to “Grain”

[@zachnerdydude6605]

Fun fact: bread too!

[@daanm3869]

@@zachnerdydude6605 not really, alsp, bread is not used as material to build

[@zachnerdydude6605]

@@daanm3869ny devito

[@JoanRubra]

k

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

The temperature of the part and hot end during printing is critical to getting proper fusion between the layers. It can make a surprising difference to material strength.

[@johnszpak1512]

Well explained, great vid. My local broadcaster is always going on about how old players went through just a couple of bats a year where as a present day player is lucky to get through the week with the same bat.

[@matthiasrandomstuff2221]

Cool video! Most of the time I see a piece of wood break, it's because the grain was crooked. I've come to look out for it when selecting wood for a project.

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Matthias Wandel Thanks. There's a cool chart in the USDA "Wood Handbook" that shows the loss of strength as slope of grain increases. I forgot to put it in the video!

[@robd1103]

+Practical Engineering That is very interesting. So are there any bats still made from riven wood? It seems like the old way would be a safer way to make bats.

[@JustinDrentlaw]

Fancy seeing you here Matthias! Two of my favorite KZbinrs in the same place.

[@attedau6235]

i love your videos. keep it up

[@verygoodboy2688]

collab!

[@WarpedYT]

we should film a bat break at 1000 -2000 fps 4K

[@souravzzz]

+Warped Perception Please do it! You have the setup now!

[@graalcloud]

Why don't you just go break one? It's fun.

[@gradyturner3367]

soooooo did ya?

[@atimholt]

3:41 Batman-ufacturers

[@shiningarmor2838]

Aww man, I thought I was original

[@josgeerink9434]

LOLOLOLO

[@justins173]

How’s life going after 4 years

[@MooseyGoosey_]

Why did i click on this video and how did i get here and why did i just subscribe

[@punkskates2469]

my thoughts exactly!!!

[@JoshuaRando]

Because this channel is epic.

[@LastBastion]

same

[@kurtov4895]

Cuz cheeki breeki iv damke

[@turbopumpen1031]

Чики брики и в дамке

[@WarpedYT]

really nice series you have, very well explained

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Warped Perception Thanks!

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

A lot of people have been asking for a way to support the channel, so I now have a Patreon page at www.patreon.com/PracticalEngineering. If contributing to Practical Engineering is something you’re interested in, that is greatly appreciated and will go toward improving the quality and quantity of content.

[@trayfenodonnell5386]

Why have I not seen this channel before? It's right up my alley.

[@joshuarosen6242]

Thank you, that was interesting. I've watched cricket all my life and baseball for about the last 10 years. It has always struck my how many bats break in baseball, something that almost never happens in cricket and when it does, it's caused by the handle separating from the rest of the bat - the wood doesn't split. It was interesting to see why this happens so often with baseball bats.

[@andrewcullen3235]

I’ve been having a Grady Engineering Renaissance this week. As a carpenter/construction guy/engineering and baseball super fan I feel like I haven’t been watching your videos with the diligence I should be, given how much I enjoy them. This one was enough to drive me to add a “KZbin comment” which is not normally a community I’d pridefully consider myself a part of. The comments usually drive me mental. But I’d like to show my appreciation for your channel. Sooooo Thanks bud I’ve learned quite a bit from you

[@SammSheperd]

Awesome video, and great woodworking!

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Samm Sheperd (SNRS) Thanks Samm!

[@thelittlestmig3394]

+Practical Engineering It's nice to see that level of craftmanship! I've got a carpenter's degree an I approve!

[@RoflZack]

Hey! Make more videos

[@SammSheperd]

+Zachary Taylor finishing up school is consuming all my time! Lots in the works! Follow my Instagram if you want

[@lazaglider]

My goodness, what a wonderful channel this is!

[@Yonkage]

Monty Python Villager: "Because they're... made of wood...?" Bedevere: "Good!!"

[@hemlet]

thank me for watching? thank you for creating

[@ThoolooExpress]

If you really don't want the bat to break, just make it out of aluminum.

[@scasny]

in that case all hits will be homeruns

[@finnelhumano6096]

+scasny Is really that much of a change?

[@scasny]

Finn El Humano dont know dont care dont watch

[@h3rteby]

Yeah, Mythbusters did a test on it. Aluminum bats are so superior that, if the pros weren't limited by their wooden bats, the sport wouldn't work anymore.

[@Odin029]

And who in their right mind would be a pitcher. 60' 6" away from a powerhitter with an aluminum bat... that would be a horror movie waiting to happen

[@Lance-Stroll]

I thought bonds broke the record with a needle.....

[@ruebenllongoria836]

goober pea looked like a popsicle stick to me.

[@bokchoiman]

Another home run video. Good audio quality and continuity. Really a pleasure to listen to.

[@deriksteven]

I thank KZbin for the timing (Dodgers just won the 2020 World Series), and I especially thank you for your wonderful video posts. Grady, you convey information concisely and with a general sense of ease. I appreciate your posts, old and new. -Cheers

[@blendpinexus1416]

really nice to watch the bat being made while you talked. really cool. i'm going to be an engineer myself but not of civil engineering, i'm going for a computer hardware engineer.

[@earthbjornnahkaimurrao9542]

4:03 - I broke a bat when I was 7 playing little league in 1991. It broke exactly like that.

[@unknowncuyler5449]

i really like the way you edit just your face into the end of your videos. really helps to see a smiling face behind the videos.

[@Keister87]

"...bat manufacturers..." "...bat man..." batman

[@vishva8kumara]

Awesome video! The wood grain orientation is taken very seriously in bow making for archery. In pro/competition level, often composite materials are used. But in traditional archery, the orientation of wood grain is considered paramount in bow making.

[@iotaje1]

Another problem would be elasticity, Ash is a very tough and elastic wood while maple isn't. In Europe most bows were made out of riven Ash because it's the best common wood for that use. A bat well made of Ash should be unbreakable, however it's elasticity means a portion of the energy in swinging it will be lost when striking the ball because of the deformation. Maple on the other hand is a very dense, brittle and inelastic wood. This makes it great for musical instruments for instance because it'll transmit sound waves easily without dampening them, and when striking an object it's inelasticity makes it transmit the full force of the blow. Maybe the ideal bat would be a composite, made out of an ash or hickory core with maple sides.

[@MikeDermksian]

these are some seriously high quality videos. as an engineering student and a woodworking enthusiast these hit me in all the right places :D thanks for all your hard work in producing these!

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+MrVardig Thanks!

[@michaelb2362]

I truly didnt understand the entire middle part of the video, but I still liked it. Good stuff!

[@jedidr4918]

Low key flex at the end.

[@Mikki-Moo]

I am glad to see a video about wood for a change. I work in the branch in sales

[@dcox01]

Thank you. I've learned something new.

[@bradygriffith1893]

Excellent video! Loving the channel.

[@landonryan8200]

My stomach turned when I saw your hand on the wood spinning. Great topic, and extremely entertaing.

[@willemkossen]

this is very interesting. i just turned a kids sized baseball bat for my son to play with. i turned it without even looking at regulations or size requirements. it's heavy, thicker than usual, shorter, beech instead of ash or maple and it looks awesome (with a bit of spalting in the wood). I don't think he's gonna break it, but if i ever turn another one, i'll pay closer attention. My video of the turning process will be up later this month.

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Willem Kossen Very cool. If he ever breaks it, you can just turn a new one!

[@benjaminchild3227]

I just found this channel the other day from the yoyo despin video posted on reddit, and I've got to say, it has quickly become my favorite! Keep up the great work!

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Benjamin Child Thanks!

[@nasamarsmission]

I learn more from this channel than school

[@krishnayashas8360]

The time and effort it must consume to make this and I'm shocked to see you don't have the subs you deserve.. Keep up the good work..I learnt a lot from your videos. Thank you for great content.

[@DesignBuildExecute]

Really great information, Grady! I enjoy the engineering side of woodworking just as much as the woodworking it'self.

[@ab1577]

Watching the way he's sculpting that wood bat is soooo satisfying...

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

Should you find yourself in Louisville, Kentucky go to the 'Slugger' factory. It is great for baseball people and the bouquet is as intoxicating as the local Bourbon.

[@ab1577]

@@hugh-johnfleming289 thank you sir for the great recommendation. Maybe one day when I'll visit your side of the world.

[@parkerjohn2459]

I love this channel !

[@luckigolfer]

Loved the video. Well done!

[@thatrealba]

OK this is my second video of yours, but I am going to have to subscribe now. This is really great content!

[@jamesstanlake4064]

You bring out the important part of wood and it's structure. As a carpenter by trade I noticed in the early 80's the same failure in wooden tool handles. The same as Ash with a bat is the same forces of say a hammer handle or shovel but thankfully when either of those break there is a significant less chance of injury, unless you rank frustration up there too. This became so common I stopped buying wood handled hammers and use steel shanked handles. In the old days of wooden wheels on wagons and early automobiles a wheelwright who make the hub, spokes and rims all with a keen eye as to how the grain in the wood was used, this made wheels stronger and less likely to fail. I blame automation for this as it put wheelwrights out of work and replaced then with less skilled workers who were just used to feed machines and paid little attention to grain strength. I use grain as well as color and uniformity in all cabinets and furniture I make and turn on a lathe. Paying attention to the wood and it's grain makes for a more stunning and quality product in the end.

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+James Stanlake Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[@brainlessspudlogic4875]

Hickory is the handle of choice in axes and hammers. The long fibres generally keep the head flying off with a breakage, not that I've ever had one.

[@ehsancharolia3297]

it's so satisfying to watch that bat making process..

[@skemmdarvargur]

best youtube channel. Shout out from Iceland

[@TravisPlaysYT]

Your a bloody good craftsman.

[@jompis007]

Loving the channel!

[@keithbettencourt7569]

Loved the video. Keep it up!

[@jamesfurnia727]

It's so satisfying to watch the bats being made

[@gradyturner3367]

interesting look at bats G. great job the best part in my opinion is that you made yer brother a handmade gift..... thats the kinda thing not often seen in todays world.... love yer channel thanks from Arkansas and another Grady.... lol

[@squiddyfish9159]

I don't know why but lathes are so satisfying to watch

[@moominpapa1980]

Your videos have the best music

[@OtterSwims]

I learn stuff I was never even aware of existing everytime I visit this channel

[@jdurfer]

I love that you turned a bat

[@17hmr243]

topic for a vid please why dose kitchen scrubber pad scratch steel sinks if the nylon is softer then then steel

[@denisl2760]

hard particles trapped in the nylon?

[@PatienceDepleted]

That is exactly correct. Those scrubbing pads are generally impregnated with abrasive material to improve their effectiveness.

[@joshbuffalow]

Awesome video bro! 👍👍👍

[@fahadkelantan]

These concepts apply to Bokken (Wooden practice Japanese swords). No wonder knock off cheap manufacturers have huge failures, while in Japan only a few old multi generational Bokken craft specialists make great quality items, even though it's the same wood.

[@jompis007]

Can you make a video explaining how the grid fins on The Falcon 9 work? and the physics and engineering that comes into play when landing a first stage?

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+Dragic Cool idea! I will put it on my list.

[@jompis007]

+Practical Engineering Amazing! Thanks :D

[@Beatboybeatboxx]

Very informational. Thank you!

[@dtardis]

Very interesting, thanks

[@russellgilbert8625]

This was crazy helpful. Count me in as a sub. Fantastic work! Can't wait to poke around your channel some more!

[@CRMayerCo]

Very interesting, Grady. Nice bat too.

[@kodykinsella]

I enjoy your videos so much. I look forward to each one and know I will learn something and be smarter from it. BTW I'm in college for civil engineering. Thank you for your videos.

[@YouGoPro]

I wonder how much the broken bat number has gone down since the ink dot 🤷‍♂️

[@aedengb9532]

this is actually so cool

[@mocoyotzi11]

Awesome video ! 👍🏽

[@sween187]

solid metal core rod may help, plus you wouldn't get the compression/spring benefit that aluminium bats give.

[@nizizumi]

I didn't understand any of this, but it sure sounded smart!

[@DevinSloan]

Holy shit, this channel is amazing. Thank you for making it. Insta-subscribe.

[@Auriam]

You have a lucky brother!

[@spaceracer23]

Engineers: Why do bats break? Me (an idiot): uhhh.....the players swing really, really hard at a ball moving really, really fast?

[@gizmoguyar]

You have an awesome channel and one new subscriber. I'm a mechanical engineer by training, so I love that you go into more depth in your topics, yet you find a way to explain things in theoretical terms without tons of math or rarefied jargon. Between you and Applied Science, my youtube science video needs should be covered!

[@steveskouson9620]

There is another reason bats break. A bat is basically, a lever . The fulcrum is where the bat and ball meet. If the fulcrum is too close to the handle, the bat wants to fold at that point. Hitting with the extreme end of the bat, will also cause it to break. The best way to prevent the bat from breaking, is to hit the ball with the sweet spot. (Hitting the ball, at either extreme will also be quite painful.) steve

[@flyesouisi]

Saman wood should be great for this. It is actually stronger along the grain as it is across, which is also quite strong.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Fascinating!

[@Eddygeek18]

Why not coat the handle and neck (weakest points) of the bat in a rubber/plastic/fabric mesh to try and hold onto the broken shards once the break occurs?

[@YoahCat]

Why not use Oak?

[@Jeff-mn1uq]

Yoah Cat the ball springs off the bat better with maple. oak is heavy and dense.

[@wtblack5]

PC MasterRace so if maple gives an advantage, why not just force all bats to be ash

[@Jeff-mn1uq]

*Harambe* because its not like using a metal bat or roids or a corked bat tar on the ball or something. its still a wood bat that with flaws and perks that has to be practiced with and learned. its bat preference. the same reason everyone isn't required to use the same glove or same cleets even though through testing you could probably prove a few are way better than the rest.

[@danielkeo316]

It wouldn't be oaky to do that.

[@Itoyokofan]

They should use iron tree.

[@lawrencegomez3991]

I have been following a lot of videos of yours you are very creative and handy

[@MrHBSoftware]

+Practical Engineering please tell me what you think of a wooden bat drilled from edge to edge with a rubber or other flexible material insert.... my theory is when it brakes it will hold both halves and not fly off...kinda like a laminated glass....

[@brainfornothing]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing !

[@IvarHuisman]

You look kind and smart! These videos are like you, kind and smart! YAY ENGINEER!

[@SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

Why don't they simply use composite materials, or reinforce the wooden bats with a carbon fiber mesh or something? That would not prevent all breakage but I'd think that it would create less clean breaks and more partial breaks where the bat is still one piece.

[@dajetfan97]

The exit velocity off of the bats would be too high and would be dangerous for pitchers. Even at high school levels the use of composite baseball bats has been reduced to the BBCOR standard.

[@dajetfan97]

Its not the size of the field that is the problem jokurandomnimi its the velocity of the ball off of the bat. If you use a composite material the bat will have a greater trampoline effect making the ball move much faster off of the bat. The problem with this is the safety of the fielders. Right now most homeruns have an exit velocity of around 100-105 mph if they switched to composite bats it could rise to 120-125 mph. A ball hit that fast and right back to an infielder or pitcher could cause serious damage, and thats not accounting for the people in the stands who might not even be paying attention.

[@dajetfan97]

Not to say that the Finnish players aren't good but the MLB is a whole different beast. There are pitchers throwing over 100 mph, batters crushing pitches over 450ft using wood bats. The addition of composite or metal bats would just be too dangerous for spectators and players as well.

[@kauske]

+dajetfan97 I wonder if something replacing the bat's core could eliminate breakage without increasing the power transferred into the ball. Something like a plastic rod with similar elasticity to wood, that would prevent total separation of the bat if it breaks off.

[@dajetfan97]

+kauske that's called corking a bat which is against today's ruleset.

[@mitre1]

Nice work!

[@brightest07]

can you do a comparison video on the strength of various building materials and how they are further reinforced?

[@markbernier8434]

I'd like to see you do something on wooden compression posts, such as deck posts or building piers.

[@cullender1]

Great video! I'm a bit confused about 1:42, is the plane of weakness not across the growth rings (perpendicular to them) instead of around them?

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+cullender1 For ash, the plane of weakness is around the growth ring due to the increased porosity. For maple, the weakest planes are tangential (perpendicular to the rings).

[@cullender1]

+Practical Engineering Thanks for the response. Does that mean that an ash bat is more likely to break if a ball comes into contact with the face grain? (growth rings vertical)

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+cullender1 Exactly. This is why the logo is placed on the face grain, so players will swing with the edge grain contacting the ball. See 1:57.

[@cullender1]

+Practical Engineering Thanks, just wanted to make sure I had understood the video right, keep up the good content!

[@adrian5b]

How much would it help if they put a steel truss rod along the bat, just like they do on guitar necks? I know that the purpose of the rod on a guitar is different, but it sounds like it would still give the bat a lot more resistance to breaking.

[@lorenlange4866]

I wonder where laminated hardwood comes into play here. They probably already thought of this, tested it and determined it doesn't work, but I wonder if a structured laminate might mitigate some of the issues with solid hardwoods...

[@ojtheterminator]

That is a damn fine bat, nice work :)

[@stanmccorkle]

Great work as always. I’m a long time subscriber and as of today 2022.02.07, I am starting your channel from the beginning and going all the way to the present. How many videos it will take for me to get to one I’ve already a seen? Seen or new to me, how long will it take for me to binge watch your channel? What do you know about space elevators? So many questions, the world may never know.

[@ArturoRodriguez-gb2uv]

What would sctually be the best wood for baseball bats? Maple, ash, oak, chestnut...?

[@scottlux2904]

I realize I'm late to the party, but at 0:48 is that a black locust push stick? If it is be careful, it's hell on blades ;)

[@tree2040]

shiiiiiiit, that footage was satisfying af

[@GregN456]

One question: When you're showing the resistance to bending for the edge and face grain using the deck of cards the moment of inertia of the bending wasn't the same. If it was a square section rather than rectangular, how much stiffer is the edge grain vs. the face grain supposing I is the same? IE What is the modulus of elasticity comparatively for a species like maple or ash?

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

+GregN456 The deck of cards was just an illustration to demonstrate anisotropy. If you want specific engineering properties of wood, I recommend taking a look at The Wood Handbook put out by the US Forest Service. I believe you can download it from their website.

[@GregN456]

+Practical Engineering Cool! I didn't know such a thing existed. I just finished my 3rd year of Mech and I haven't done much with anisotropy. Its definitely an interesting new flavour of analysis for me!

[@tommieduhswamy6860]

Bats can be engineered to be relatively break resistant by re-inforcing the inside with carbon fiber. A central section is garnered with a tubular pc. embedded the length ....breakable? Probably not.

[@aria8928]

or just a carbon wrap around the outside. it can't be a problem that's all that hard to solve. Hockey players switched to composite, and it's well time baseball does too.

[@daviddawson1718]

In my experience, when ash breaks it shatters, maple and hickory, made bats make spears and shrapnel. Probably due longer kiln time it takes to get a wood as dense as hickory down to weight. What do we do in 5 years, when there will not be any substantial ash trees on this continent?

[@Kaloffee]

I have literally no idea at all what you’re saying but it’s cool.

[@mikaandric]

Amazing video