Fisher Cricket Bats - The Hog Oz Blade Razor Model

Lachlan Fisher Hog Oz Blade Cricket Bat,  Australian Willow Hand Made . Single Sale. Made from genuine Australian grown English Willow, harvested by Lachlan Fisher. Knocked in with extratec and a 12 month warranty.

The Fisher Hog Oz Blade Razor model brand new. Normally retails at $300. Weight range 2/8-2/10. A well balanced quality bat with plenty of “meat” from the finest Australian grown English willow grown in Gippsland Victoria.  Hand crafted by Lachlan Fisher, this bat is ready to play and is boned, oiled and knocked in, fitted with extratec facing for better protection and comes with a 12 month warranty.

 For more information about Fisher Bats and the Hog Oz Blade go to

http://www.fisherbats.com.au and click on the Hog Oz Blade link.

Lachlan Fisher

 Lachlan has worked as a professional bat maker for 19 years and has made over 12,000 bats by hand. His company Fisher Bat and Willow has been producing top quality, hand crafted, individually tailored bats for over 16 years. Lachlan Fisher also researched and re-introduced the growing of English Cricket Bat Willow in Australia in 1996 in Gippsland, and is now harvesting these trees to make the Hog Oz Blade in Melbourne.

 " The skill in batmaking, especially in Australia where the lighter bats are used, is to produce a well balanced "lightish' bat without compromising the the thickness of the edges or toe. To do this consistently out of varying weights of willow blocks whilst maintaining the performance of the bat is the challenge and skill of the bat maker." Lachlan Fisher

 Bat Preperation

 All Fisher Bats are prepared before leaving the workshop, that is we oil, bone, knock in and fitted with extratec facing.

 What the player should know , do and avoid.

 Fisher Bats are prepared for use prior to leaving the workshop. They are oiled, boned, knocked in and fitted with extratec facing. The bats should be lightly played prior to the game use- at least twice. We recommend hitting catches and doing throw downs with old game balls. This process helps settle the the face of the bat down and develops rebound and performance. After this process net practice is helpful to become familiar and confident with the bat as well as preparing it for match use. The more old balls you hit, the better the bat is prepared for the game.

Materials and Manufacture.

 The main materials in cricket bats manufacture are English Willow and Manau cane for the handle.

The Gippsland grown English Willow comes as rough sawn block. Its worked to a width of 4& 1/4''. A profile curve created across the blade to match the curvature of the press or roller. The roller compacts the face of the blade establishing the appropriate hardness for the job. We then cut the splices or "V" into the blade to fit the handle.

The Handle

To make the handle we split the cane and laminate three rubbers into that part of the handle for the top of the splice to the top of the handle. This provides the necessary flex or give for the bats to function at their best. We turn the handle on the lathe , cut the slice or "V" and finish by gluing the handle into the blade.

Handcrafting the Bat

 The hand tools used are the draw knife, hand plane, spokeshave,and rasp.

With the handle now fitted into the block we handcraft the blade andf handle to the shape and weight required. This is called "roughing out" and gets the bat close to the final shape. We then balance the bat by taking willow off the lower part until the pick up is right. Once the balance is correct we smooth out the lines of the bat so that the look and feel is unified. The rough marks on the  bat are smoothed over with the spokeshaver prior to sanding. The bat is then sanded to a silky finish.

 Be Warned. Many bats sold on eBay originate from Pakistan and India and may be made of lesser quality willow. Some of these bats are not from the original maker they claim to be. Wood is a natural substance,  importing bats may incur fumigation and customs charges and may result in the bat being quarantined.

All Fisher Bat Products also come with a warranty / maintenance and care guide to help you extend the longevity of your bat.