Homemade table tennis blade

GinjaNinja · Nov 4, 2017

bobpuls said:
This is gold ... Thanks

thanks Bob - if anyone is interested I'll post something with further detail on how to use it including a few links to resources I found useful.

bobpuls · Nov 4, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
thanks Bob - if anyone is interested I'll post something with further detail on how to use it including a few links to resources I found useful.

Post it ... i`m glowing with open ayes .... Each info abut this is pure gold ... there are only few people in the world who can give this type of info ... and i newer now when i will use it ...but definitely i will
Thanks .

Simas · Nov 7, 2017

a small deviation from the main topic about glues, but wanted to express my admiration for everyone who are capable of doing such magic things from wood. Although I am pretty sure I wont be able to handcraft such blades ever, I wish I could and because of that I am enjoying reading these threads a lot. It must be super rewarding to play with the blade you made by yourself for yourself.

GinjaNinja · Nov 7, 2017

bobpuls said:
Post it ... i`m glowing with open ayes .... Each info abut this is pure gold ... there are only few people in the world who can give this type of info ... and i newer now when i will use it ...but definitely i will
Thanks .

No problem - next time I make a hide glue blade I'll take some pictures videos and upload. Bob - your videos have really helped me so I'd be really happy if I could give something back. Currently my time is on carbon blades which presents very different challenges to hide glue.

I'm also keen to try a blade with a carbon layer between the core and medial and then use hide glue between the medial and outer. I'll need a good chunk of free time though as this will take some co-ordination to get it all together. I presume OSP do this with their carbon blades, I'd be very interested in anyone's feedback who played with this type of blade or have made one.

GinjaNinja · Nov 7, 2017

Simas said:
a small deviation from the main topic about glues, but wanted to express my admiration for everyone who are capable of doing such magic things from wood. Although I am pretty sure I wont be able to handcraft such blades ever, I wish I could and because of that I am enjoying reading these threads a lot. It must be super rewarding to play with the blade you made by yourself for yourself.

Me too - I love reading Bobpuls and MDP's threads. I also think with sufficient time and effort anyone could make their own blade. If you are willing to spend the hours researching, practising skills, making and learning from mistakes, asking others to test them and learn from this then it's within everyone's grasp.

Yes it's very satisfying to play with your own blade. Recently I've been beaten by two people who play with my blades, now that was bitter sweet!

Simas · Nov 9, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
Me too - I love reading Bobpuls and MDP's threads. I also think with sufficient time and effort anyone could make their own blade. If you are willing to spend the hours researching, practising skills, making and learning from mistakes, asking others to test them and learn from this then it's within everyone's grasp.

Yes it's very satisfying to play with your own blade. Recently I've been beaten by two people who play with my blades, now that was bitter sweet!

Not sure about that. Besides time and energy needed, I think you need some talent for that. You are not making a kitchen chopping board after all. For example I never worked with the wood, nor I am good at other DIY stuff. Maximum what I have done is assembled some Ikea furniture

(and I assemble my rackets myself, but that doesn't count as it's not a rocket science and it's some form of meditation

)

And disregarding all that I said above, I would like to do (or be able to do) something like that.

So I am planning to make a hard bat from a cheap ordinary pre assambled racket (please dont laugh too much

). The difficult part will be peeling of the rubbers I guess

GinjaNinja · Nov 12, 2017

New blade - this one is: balsa - aramid carbon - ayous - mahogany. The handle is ash, yew and mahogany. The carbon is actually woven with twaron, a form of aramid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twaron for anyone that's interested.
7.2mm and 83g. Testing needed but there is a big sweet spot, a crisp sound and feel and I would imagine it will be in the off to off+ range. I'll feedback when it's had a thorough test.

Simas · Nov 13, 2017

Did you mention somewhere how long does it take to build one blade?

GinjaNinja · Nov 15, 2017

Simas said:
Did you mention somewhere how long does it take to build one blade?

That's a difficult question to ask as it depends on several things: handle design, thickness of piles and glue type to name a few. To provide a rough estimate, I would say between 2 and 3 hours for each blade. This is from cutting the veneers to final varnishing. The overall time taken is longer as you need to wait for the glue to dry. One of the secrets is not to rush, some processes require patience more than any other skill. Some tasks such as sanding to thickness can take quite a considerable amount of time, sanding 0.5mm doesn't sound a lot but it takes considerable time and effort to get it right. Complex handles can also take a lot of time, ss well as cutting the pieces some need two or three different stages of gluing before any shaping can start.

Simas · Nov 16, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
That's a difficult question to ask as it depends on several things: handle design, thickness of piles and glue type to name a few. To provide a rough estimate, I would say between 2 and 3 hours for each blade. This is from cutting the veneers to final varnishing. The overall time taken is longer as you need to wait for the glue to dry. One of the secrets is not to rush, some processes require patience more than any other skill. Some tasks such as sanding to thickness can take quite a considerable amount of time, sanding 0.5mm doesn't sound a lot but it takes considerable time and effort to get it right. Complex handles can also take a lot of time, ss well as cutting the pieces some need two or three different stages of gluing before any shaping can start.

If it takes 2-3 hours that's not bad imho, I don't have expedience with wood, so I thought it could take at least one day, maybe a day and a half. And off course it depends on the design of the handle, but that's an "extra feature". I think not to include glue drying time is the right approach as during that time you can do something else

GinjaNinja · Dec 5, 2017

This is my first penhold blade. It's nearly complete I've just got to add some clear resin to the insert. This is Walnut Burr outer with a teak or possibly lime (the wood was a gift so I'm not sure, if anyone knows let me know!) handle with yew and walnut. 84g and 6.4mm, kiri core. It's a gift for one of the players, hence the more dramatic appearnace, at my club who is moving to Switzerland.

SFF_lib · Dec 5, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
This is my first penhold blade. It's nearly complete I've just got to add some clear resin to the insert. This is Walnut Burr outer with a teak or possibly lime (the wood was a gift so I'm not sure, if anyone knows let me know!) handle with yew and walnut. 84g and 6.4mm, kiri core. It's a gift for one of the players, hence the more dramatic appearnace, at my club who is moving to Switzerland.

View attachment 14813 View attachment 14814

I love the wooden pattern. It's great to see your first penhold blade.

Do you make a different head dimension for penhold blade? From my understanding penhold blades tend to be slightly wider and shorter than shakehand.

Passionate about TT

GinjaNinja · Dec 5, 2017

SFF_lib said:
I love the wooden pattern. It's great to see your first penhold blade.

Do you make a different head dimension for penhold blade? From my understanding penhold blades tend to be slightly wider and shorter than shakehand.

Passionate about TT

I reviewed various manufacturers and their dimensions for penhold blades and they are all different, not hugely so but quite significant nonetheless. I eventually settled on 150mm width; 159mm length and 8.2mm handle. It seems to have worked well but I'll only know for sure when I get some feedback from the player.

SFF_lib · Dec 12, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
This is my first penhold blade. It's nearly complete I've just got to add some clear resin to the insert. This is Walnut Burr outer with a teak or possibly lime (the wood was a gift so I'm not sure, if anyone knows let me know!) handle with yew and walnut. 84g and 6.4mm, kiri core. It's a gift for one of the players, hence the more dramatic appearnace, at my club who is moving to Switzerland.

View attachment 14813 View attachment 14814

Is it possible to have a test penhold blade?

Passionate about TT

GinjaNinja · Dec 13, 2017

SFF_lib said:
Is it possible to have a test penhold blade?

Passionate about TT

Not at the moment I'm afraid. I'm too busy making blades for other people to make a test penhold blade. It is something I've considered but only when I have more free time. I do have a few shake hand blades which would be suitable for testing but no penhold. Sorry.

Simas · Dec 14, 2017

GinjaNinja said:
Not at the moment I'm afraid. I'm too busy making blades for other people to make a test penhold blade. It is something I've considered but only when I have more free time. I do have a few shake hand blades which would be suitable for testing but no penhold. Sorry.

It's great to hear that people are interested in your custom blades. Are they your club members, from TTD forum or some other players?

GinjaNinja · Dec 14, 2017

Simas said:
It's great to hear that people are interested in your custom blades. Are they your club members, from TTD forum or some other players?

Hi Simas
Most have come from players at my club or in my league - often repeat requests. The head coach at a local club has just ordered his 3rd blade from me. Quite a few have been through 'word of mouth'. I've also sold a few (5 or 6) to TTD daily members.

cfagyal · Dec 18, 2017

I recently worked with GinjaNinja on a blade, and was happily his first customer for a carbon blade. It was a thoroughly enjoyable process talking about the blade making process. So enjoyable and interesting to me i've taken the plunge and started working on building blades myself (more on that in the future). Here is a picture of the blade Ginja made:

I must say it is stunning to look at, and thoroughly enjoyable to play. The feel is excellent, with a nice sweet spot. It is great for looping and has a really nice touch close to the table. I've found drop shots are just as easy as strong loops from mid table, which sometimes isn't the case with a carbon blade. here is a certain "wow" factor playing with a csutom blade. The craftmanship is evident, the looks are striking....and all of the comments from friends of "wow that is beatiful" and then they play with it and remark how good the feel is.

Thanks for such a fabulous blade @GinjaNinja

GinjaNinja · Dec 18, 2017

Chris - that's really kind thank you! I've added another photo so you can see the maple burr handle a little bit clearer.

Simas · Dec 20, 2017

cfagyal said:
Ii've taken the plunge and started working on building blades myself (more on that in the future).

Homemade table tennis blade

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