Homemade table tennis blade

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I decided to go all in and use hide glue for both blades. Just bought a bag with 250g granulate to do the job. Wish me luck! :)


Good luck! I like your bravery, in the end if it goes wrong you will have learned much so it's a no lose situation really. I have another thread about using hide glue so hopefully that will be of some use.
I love the fact that so many people are starting to get into making their own blades. Hopefully this thread, and most definitely Bobpuls's thread, have made things more accessible and inspired people to make their own. Great stuff!
Maybe we should have a blade makers' thread where we can post ideas, ask questions, share experiences??
 
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IMG_0784.jpg
I received 8 sheets of this veneer today, it's quite magnificent. Japanese Tamo Ash, softer and lighter than white ash, similar to walnut in its properties. Just got to decide what to do with it!
 
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I ended combining the tamo ash with ayous as a hide glue composition with a walnut - ash and camphor burl handle. I'm happy with the way it's turned out 5.6mm and 93g. The feel is beautiful on this blade, I used a different type of hide glue so it may be that, I won't be sure until I make a few more. Excited to try this but don't really want to cover the wood up!tamoashblade.jpgIMG_0817.jpgtamoashblade2 copy.jpg
 
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Two new blades, both of which are new designs for me.
Blade 1:
This is my first 'outer' carbon blade. Kiri - Douglas Fir - Textreme - Cedar of Lebanon . Although the douglas fir and the cedar may seem unfamiliar, the fir has similar properties to limba and the cedar is similar to koto. 5.7mm and 86g. The handle is camphor burl, maple and spruce.
Cedartextreme.jpgIMG_0911.jpg
Blade 2:
This is my first balsa with hide glue. The more I work with hide glue the more I like it. It is more difficult and time consuming than epoxy, PU or PVA but the feel is better. It's hard to explain but it is softer yet still solid, I also feel it offers greater control and promotes a more confident stroke.
This has a thick 6.3mm core and is balsa - mahogany - cherry. 76g and 8.6mm. The handle is maple, mahogany and yew. It has a maple edge tape too.
Cherrybalsa.jpgIMG_0920.jpg
 
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How does the cedar textreme play?




I've not had chance to try this one out yet but a bounce test suggests it will be off with crisp feel. I've not really played with outer carbon blades so I've little to compare it against. It has a decent amount of flex so I expect it to loop well. I'll update when I've had chance to try it.
 
says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
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Read 4 reviews
How does the cedar textreme play?




I've not had chance to try this one out yet but a bounce test suggests it will be off with crisp feel. I've not really played with outer carbon blades so I've little to compare it against. It has a decent amount of flex so I expect it to loop well. I'll update when I've had chance to try it.

Alan, I am eagerly waiting for this


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Alan, I am eagerly waiting for this


Sent from my using Tapatalk

Hey Chris
Good timing, I've just come back from practice where I've used this for the two hours I was there. This is the second practice session I've played with this blade and I am absolutely delighted. On both occasions I've felt like I had total control of ball placement. It creates a great arc, a medium to high throw, which means lifting backspin is easy. Loop to loop rallies are controlled and allowed me to dominate the rally. I'm stronger on my forehand but there was a noticeable improvement in the quality of my backhand which in turn made me feel really confident. The pace is good, more than enough to finish any point but a great sense of control throughout, probably off - to off. Serving is also strong, I felt it could easily keep serves short and in the exact place I wanted. Blocks are also good although I did find the odd backhand block went a little higher than what I am used to but it didn't take me long to adjust. The feel is good too, perhaps not as good as an all wood hide glued blade for example but that's to be expected. Big sweet spot too. I am keen to get some other players to test it but I am really happy with this blade. I tested it with some old Tibhar genius so now I'm keen to slap some new Tibhar evos on and see how that works. When I get some more independent feedback I'll add to this post. This is now my current blade!
 
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A while ago I made an ayous - douglas fir - limba (86g 5.4mm) hide glue blade which, although it has great feel and control it was a touch slow. I was looking for something with a more pace especially on topspin shots. The three blades below are my to build a faster hide glue blade, with the same feel and control as before and also to try and master the use of hide glue.


Blade 1:
This has thicker core and medial ply. Limba - douglas fir - ayous. 89g 5.8mm thick. The handle is laurel and purple heart.
Limbahide.jpg
Limba.jpg



Blade 2 - Koto - ayous- ayous 5.6mm 90g. Zerbano and ash handle. I'm hoping the additional speed will come from the harder koto ply

Koto hide.jpg
koto.jpg



Blade 3 - A bit of wild card this one, 7 ply: Beech - ayous - mahogany - balsa. 6mm 88g. Handle is London plane, ash and beech handle. This has a maple edge tape on it so I haven't shown the plies. A bounce test suggests this will be quick!

Beech 7 ply hide.jpg







I've managed to have an hour practice with blade 1 and I am hopeful I may have achieved my goal. First impressions were fantastic, great control and feel but with that extra pace. My practice partner plays defensively, mainly fishing with subtle variations is spin and knows my game well. He noticed the extra pace also but highlighted the additional spin which he was struggling to control.


As for the use of hide glue, I would never suggest I've mastered anything but I feel very confident now. What I have learned is that there are varying degrees in their adhesive quality, you need to find a brand and method that works for you. The other thing is that like nearly everything in life, practice makes things easier and usually better.
 
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Yes I am aware, you can buy urea to lengthen the open time. I think urea is.a prime ingredient of fertiliser. I've not found a problem as long as I work reasonably fast, however this may be different when the winter comes and temperatures drop so I may to look it at then.
It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on using hide glue for the wood layers on a carbon blade. I made one blade this way and it worked well, Kiri - ac - ash - ash. This was a very playable blade with good feel. My only criticism was that it was a bit hard, great with soft rubbers though. I look forward to seeing your blades and hearing your thoughts.
 
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A couple of new blades to share. I've been very happy with the cedar textreme blade in post 227, I've also had great feedback from other players who've tested them, so much so, I've had three players wanting me to make them one.

These two test blades are variations on the same theme, I also wanted to them quite visually appealing. I find by making blades with similar compositions it helps with my understanding of the materials and what effect the changes have on playability.

1) This is ayous - douglas fir - textreme - bulela. I know very little about bulela as it was given to me to try out from my veneer supplier. I do know it's light and soft though, if anyway can help please let me know! 86g and 5.8mm thick. The handle is a mix of materials including mahogany, basswood, rippled maple and beech. It was inspired by the beautiful chess boards I saw whilst on holiday in Turkey. I've included a photo of the handles before they were attached and after a quick wipe of white spirit.
Bulela.jpgIMG_1340.jpgIMG_1300.jpg

2) Kiri - ayous - textreme - redwood burl. 85g and 5.6mm thick. I've already tested this one and it plays very similar to the cedar textreme, a little bit softer and therefore a notch slower. The handle is purple yew and zebrano.

redwoodtex.jpgIMG_1325.jpg
 
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A few new blades, the first 3 are for colleagues from 2 of the different clubs I play with.
1) This is another of the cedar - textreme - douglas fir - kiri; 88g and 5.8mm thick. I do like this blade and so do a lot of other players. It has a really crisp feel but had loads of control. This is for Maurice who plays close to the table and takes the ball early. He picked this one after spending a good few hours testing! He's pairing it with Tibhar Evo rubbers. For those who may have read the Blade Builders thread, the mahogany for the handles was a skip find. Originally a pair of desk drawers!

cedarmaurice.jpg

2) and 3) These were 'ordered' at the same time so I made them side by side. This one is for Aaron, who now has 4 of my blades, this is also the second of this composition, he wanted a slightly different handle shape with it being more rounded.
Aaron is a level 3 coach and plays mid-distance strong topspin. It's great to get to play someone this good and get feedback on my blades from him. His topspin backhand is just awesome! He pairs this with Andro Rasanters and it's fast. Definitely an off+ set up. The brief for the handle was 'Egyptian'. The composition is Brazilian mahogany - ayous - twarron carbon - balsa. It's 7.2mm thick and 85g. The control is really good but it has a few extra gears which really works for his offensive/heavy spin game. The handle is anatomic, thicker than normal but rounded. It was based on an Andro Blax handle.
mahogtwarron.jpg
Here is a another view of the handles before they were glued on. Mahogany, beech, yew and walnut.
IMG_1391.jpg

The second is the same but with a camphor burl and mahogany handle. This is for Sebi who has also has Rasanters on it.
mahotwarcanph.jpg

4) This one is my first all wood blade made with epoxy. It has a slightly larger head size, 159 x 153 and is elm - ayous - ayous. 5.8mm thick and 91g. I've been wanted to try elm as an outer ply for a while, it's properties suggest it will be softer version of koto but not as soft as limba. My aim was for a controlled looping machine! I've not had chance to test it yet but a bounce test suggests all+ to off-. When I get chance I would like to build a hide glue version of this blade to see how the two compare.
The handle is also elm with some yew and basswood. I like to keep the handle simple when the outer veneer is complex. It's also a slightly different handle design.
elm.jpg
 
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