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