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I would use real wood. MDF does not do well with moisture.

I love it! That composition, even though it's a relatively thin 5-ply, feels SO solid and like the ball retains 98% of the incoming energy. I just couldn't find a way to make it light enough for players who wanted something under 90 grams. I STILL haven't had a chance to play for 7-months, as...

Welcome! I've never played at SPTTC myself, but pre-COVID era I used to play at Greenlake and the International District community centers (which are affordable, welcoming, and have a great range of players).

That's awesome that you've been using Sen in your builds as well! Unfortunately, I have not been able to play for the past few months due to Coronavirus, so I have not had a chance to try it out yet. Like you've suggested, I can't find much online about its wood properties but stuff I've come...

That's a wealthy of knowledge - thanks! Do you happen to have a good sense of the fiber weights that many of these companies use?

George specifically requested these handle dimensions, so he better like them! :D

I had the opportunity to acquire some rough alaskan yellow cedar and sitka spruce lumber recently (they are quite expensive per board-foot) and was excited to use them as core-woods. The good news? They're gorgeous (especially for the handles). The bad news? They're heavier than ideal (for...

I would love to know the dimensions of that blade AND handle (especially if you want me to make a blade that shares or is similar to those same specifications).

Looks great! Based on your description and my wild imagination, I thought it was going to be less traditional looking (this one looks very similar to Ross Leidy's "Compact-2" shape). What's the composition of this blade? Is this one of the blades made by Waqidi?

In short, to answer your thread title "Is My Fast Blade a Crutch?" - the answer is "most likely". It's so easy to buy faster equipment to make up for short comings in technique and the exogenous but immediate boost in "playing level" tends to impede actual improvement. From my personal...

As far as I can tell, butterfly cuts their blades oversized with some type of router, and then they use these monster sanders to finish stacks of blades all at once. Check out this video (starting at :20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YiNEfBakqs If you don't mind me asking, how do you cut...

Thanks! I like the feel of Kiri and knew I needed to keep my weight down on this specific blade...also, I don't have access to ayous thick enough for a core, so Kiri really was my only choice for this blade. Bad news - I haven't had an opportunity to play since March and I have no idea when...

Afrobro (Dave) reached out to me a few weeks back and initiated a trade of materials (what a great opportunity!). I've just had the chance to put together some blades using some of the things he sent my way. Blade 1 (Xiom Vega Tour Knockoff): Composition: Kiso Hinoki-ZLC-Ayous-Kiri...

That's great how much you like the 5-ply I included (I put it on top of the blades you were expecting so you didn't miss it this time)! There's something special about that engelmann spruce core, but that blade is definitely pushing the acceptable weight range for most people (i.e., the core is...

What's that gorgeous, thick piece of dark striped wood you've use in the handle on this latest blade?

Through an "internet-accident", I ended up with some Sen wood (Japanese Ash). Not quite the same as the white ash used in the Nittaku Violin's construction, but I think it turned out nicely all the same. Since my Sen was a little thinner than I imagined the real-Violin's white-ash plies to be, I...

A functional blade that light is an amazing achievement. The lightest blades I've (currently) built were 67g each, but even my lightest "solid" (i.e., non-hollowed) pair of handles are 16-17g. What material did you use for the handle to get the overall weight that low?

Just finished up these five blades for a forum member. I tried to tell him you can only use one at a time, but he wouldn't listen... 3 of them with this composition: Koto European Larch Spruce Kiri (cores increasing by 0.1mm each) Spruce European Larch Koto 2 of them with this composition...

I did - there is a difference with a bare blade bounce test, but who knows what it will be like with some rubber sheets on it. :)

I posted some discussion points in the "SDC Handmade Blades" thread about the concerns that arise when building a combination blade (i.e., a single blade with dissimilar playing properties on each side), as there's no easy/conventional way of building an effective one. Der_Echte's friend reached...