US20230381609A1

US20230381609A1 - System and method of compressing and shaping a barrel of a wooden baseball bat

Info

Publication number: US20230381609A1
Application number: US18/203,478
Authority: US
Inventors: Jerry R. McKeithan, Jr.; Vimi McKeithan; Joel McKeithan; Timothy McKeithan; Lydia McKeithan; Aaron McKeithan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-05-27
Filing date: 2023-05-30
Publication date: 2023-11-30

Abstract

The technology provides a device that modifies features of a baseball bat, including a compressing tool that compresses a surface of the baseball bat in a latitudinal direction. The compressing tool includes an implement that pivots along a lengthwise dimension to allow the implement to substantially match a surface angle of an underlying bat barrel. The implement includes a roller that contacts selected portions the baseball bat during a compressing operation. The roller may be sized in a lengthwise dimension to correspond to a surface shape of the underlying bat barrel. The roller may include a surface having any desired surface contour such a convex surface contour, a concave surface contour, or the like. The compressed surface of the baseball bat may substantially assume the shape of the roller surface contour. The barrel may assume a substantially round cross-sectional shape when compressed in the latitudinal direction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/346,456 filed on May 27, 2022, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/397,133 filed on Aug. 11, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/436,924 filed on Jan. 4, 2023, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The present technology broadly relates to enhancing performance of bats. More specifically, this technology relates to enhancing hitting performance of baseball bats by compressing a bat barrel.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

Baseball bats include several parts. The end furthest from the grip may include a cup, which is a circular indentation intended to make the bat lighter without losing striking surface. The Official Rules of Major League Baseball Rule 1.10 allows the barrel or striking surface of a bat to be dimensioned to not more than 2.61 inches in diameter. The rules permit a barrel diameter as small as 2¼ inches. Other divisions such as college, high school, and youth divisions allow different bat dimensions. The barrel may extend at a selected diameter for approximately ⅓ the length of the bat. The barrel includes a sweet spot that is ideal to hit the ball. Typically, wooden bat manufacturers mark the surface of a bat that faces upward while the bat moves through the strike zone with a logo. The logo is generally positioned somewhere between the sweet spot on the barrel and the handle area. Batters typically swing bats made from ring bar wood such as Ashe so the grain is parallel to the motion of the bat. In contrast, batters typically swing bats made from diffuse core wood such as Maple so the grain is perpendicular to the motion of the bat. These bat orientations ensure that the strongest side of a bat contacts a baseball. The bat barrel tapers down to a narrow handle for gripping by a batter. The handle terminates in a small swelling called a knob, which helps prevent the bat from slipping out of the batter's hand during a swing. Most batters grip the bat so the knob touches the bottom of their hand. Other batters wrap the bottom of their hand around the knob.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The technology can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference indicators are used to designate like elements. The drawings illustrate several examples of the technology. It should be understood, however, that the technology is not limited to the precise arrangements and configurations shown. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first device having implements that compress and shape features of a wooden bat according to one example of the technology;

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up of a compressed and shaped bat barrel according to one example of the technology;

FIG. 3 illustrates a bat with a compressed and shaped barrel according to one example of the technology;

FIG. 4 illustrates a second device having implements to compress and shape features of a wooden bat, along with implements that test compressive strength and measure a diameter of a wooden bat, according to another example of the technology;

FIG. 5 illustrates a close-up of implements that are used to test compressive strength and measure a diameter of a wooden bat according to one example of the technology; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a process to compress and shape a bat barrel according to one example of the technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

It will be readily understood by persons skilled in the art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. In addition to the specific examples described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this disclosure supports various adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examples described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components are not described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the examples described herein. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art with access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and examples within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the technology would be of significant utility.
Unless defined otherwise, technical terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, as used herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Also, the terms “a” and “an” do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. The term “or” is meant to be inclusive and means either, any, several, or all of the listed items. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” mean to include, but are not necessarily limited to the things so described. The terms “connected” and “coupled” can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected. The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the thing that it “substantially” modifies, such that the thing need not be exact. For example, substantially 2 inches (2″) means that the dimension may include a slight variation.
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played on a field between two teams that take turns batting and fielding. The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from opposing players, to allow the offensive players to run the bases to score “runs.” Baseball bats are manufactured from billets and generally include an overall length, a knob provided at a first end proximate to a grip area, a barrel, and a barrel end provided at a second end that is opposite to the first end. Players swing the baseball bat to strike a baseball. The technology described herein imparts a higher compressive strength and improved surface hardness to the bat, specifically the barrel. This results in the bat transferring a greater impact force onto the baseball, which generally results in a faster exit velocity for a ball hit with a bat. A faster exit velocity translates into a greater distance travelled by the baseball. In contrast, bats having less compressive strength and/or less surface hardness absorb an impact force, which generally results in a slower exit velocity for a ball hit with a bat. A slower exit velocity translated into less distance travelled by the baseball.
FIG. 1 illustrates a device 100 that is employed to modify features of a wooden bat according to one example of the technology. For example, the device 100 may include various implements or tools that compress and/or shape features of wooden bats. According to one example, the device 100 may include a compressing tool 106 that compresses an area corresponding to a barrel 107 of the bat 104. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the compressing tool 106 may compress any portion of the bat 104. According to one example, the device 100 may include hardware such as a bat support 109 that may contact the barrel 107 and a clamp 110 that secures the bat 104 within the device 100. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the bat support 109 may contact any portion of the bat 104. According to one example, the bat support 109 may be positioned under and proximate to any portion of the bat 104 that is compressed by the compressing tool 106. According to one example, the device 100 may include a rotator 112 that rotates the bat 104 along an axis passing through a length of the bat 104.
According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may include an implement 108 that mechanically compresses selected portions of wooden baseball bats 104. According to one example, the implement 108 is configured to pivot. For example, the implement 108 may pivot along a lengthwise dimension to allow the implement 108 to substantially match an angle of an underlying bat barrel 107. In other words, the implement 108 may pivot in a lengthwise direction to substantially match a surface angle of the underlying bat barrel 107 in a lengthwise direction. According to one example, the implement 108 may include a roller 111 that contacts selected portions of the wooden bat 104 during a compressing operation. For example, the roller 111 may contact a bat barrel 107 during the compressing operation. According to one example, the roller 111 may be sized in a lengthwise dimension to correspond to a surface shape of the underlying bat barrel 107. For example, if the underlying bat barrel 107 includes a substantially flat section that extends 4-inches in a lengthwise direction, then the roller 111 may be sized to extend substantially 4-inches in a lengthwise direction. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the roller 111 may be sized with larger or smaller dimensions as desired.
According to one example, the roller 111 may include a surface having any desired surface contour such a convex surface contour, a concave surface contour, or the like. According to one example, the compressed surface of the wooden bat 104 may substantially assume the shape of the roller surface contour. With reference to FIG. 1 , a lengthwise axis of the implement 108 may be oriented in substantially a same direction as the lengthwise axis of the bat 104. During a compressing operation, the roller 111 may compress the bat barrel 107 along a latitudinal or circumferential direction of the barrel 107. According to one example, the bat 104 may be rotated while the roller 111 compresses the bat barrel 107. According to one example, the barrel 107 may assume a substantially round cross-sectional shape when compressed in the latitudinal direction. For example, the barrel 107 may assume a substantially round cross-sectional shape when the bat is rotated at a substantially constant speed during the compressing operation. Alternatively, the barrel 107 may assume a non-round cross-sectional shape when the bat is rotated at a variable speed during the compression operation. In contrast, the barrel 107 may assume a non-round cross-sectional shape when compressed along a longitudinal direction, corresponding to a lengthwise direction of the barrel 107. After compression, the barrel 107 will have a slightly reduced diameter compared to a diameter of a non-compressed barrel 107. According to one example, the device 100 may be programmed to press the implement 108 with roller 111 onto an underlying surface of the bat barrel 107 under control of a computer.
According to one example, the roller 111 may be constructed from any material that compresses a wooden surface. For example, the roller 111 may be constructed from a ceramic material or other material that has a harder surface than wood. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may be coupled to a carriage 113. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may apply a compressing force to the implement 108 that transfers the compressing force onto a surface of the wooden bat 104 through the roller 111. According to one example, the carriage 113 may slide the compressing tool 106 along tracks 114 to any desired position along a length of the wooden bat 104. According to one example, a cylinder 115 provided on the compressing tool 106 may actuate the implement 108 to compress a surface of the bat 104. According to one example, the carriage 113 with the compressing tool 106 may be positioned at any desired spot along a lengthwise portion of the bat 104. For example, the carriage 113 with the compressing tool 106 may be positioned at any desired spot along a lengthwise portion of the bat 104 prior to the compression operation.
According to one example, the cylinder 115 may press the compressing tool 106 against a surface of the barrel 107. According to one example, the bat 104 may be supported within the device 100 by a bat support 109 and clamp 110. According to one example, the device 100 may include a rotator 112 that rotates the bat 104 about its length axis. According to one example, the rotator 112 may be programmed to rotate the bat 104 a full 360 degree about a lengthwise axis. Alternatively, the rotator 112 may be programmed to rotate the bat 104 a specific number of degrees about its lengthwise axis to complete a desired amount or degree of rotation of the bat 104. According to one example, the bat 104 may be initially oriented within the device 100 with a bat label facing upward.
According to one example, the device 100 may be configured to compress the barrel 107 in the latitudinal or circumferential direction to increase the compressive strength or surface hardness of the bat 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may employ a ceramic material that applies a downward or compressing force onto the surface of an underlying wooden bat 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may control surface compression to provide repeatable results. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 allows application of controlled pressure that may be varied at different positions along a circumference of the barrel 107. In other words, the controlled pressure may be varied in at different positions along a latitudinal direction of the barrel 107. Furthermore, the rotator 112 allows different increments or amounts of bat rotation to enable precise control during the compressing operation. According to one example, a servo motor 116 may drive the rotator 112. According to one example, the servo motor 116 may be coupled to a computer that sends a signal to spin the rotator 112 by a selected angle. According to one example, the rotator 112 may provide different increments of rotation speed. For example, the rotation speed may be constant or variable.
According to another example, the device 100 is configured to compress a surface of the barrel 107 to contour or shape the surface of the bat 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may employ a ceramic material that applies a compression force to the surface of wooden bats 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 provides control over surface compression to provide repeatable results. Furthermore, the compressing tool 106 may be programmed to maintain bat dimensions within desired tolerances. For example, the compressing tool 106 may be programmed to maintain a diameter of the barrel 107 within tolerances permitted by Major League Baseball or other governing bodies.
With reference to FIG. 2 , the bat 104 may include a barrel 201 having one or more sections with shaped or contoured surfaces. For example, the barrel 201 may include sections with different surface shapes. According to one example, the sections may be shaped independently of one another. Alternatively, the sections may be shaped dependently or in coordination with adjacent sections. According to one example, the barrel 201 may be shaped within tolerances permitted by Major League Baseball or other governing bodies. According to one example, the barrel 201 may include sections 202, 204, 206. According to one example, section 202 is located farthest from the grip and may include a portion 203 a having a larger diameter and a portion 203 b having a smaller diameter. According to one example, the surface of section 202 may be angled between portions 203 a, 203 b. According to one example, section 204 may be positioned to correspond to the bat support 109, as illustrated in FIG. 1 . According to one example, section 206 is located closest to the grip and may include a portion 207 a having a larger diameter and a portion 207 b having a smaller diameter. According to one example, the surface of section 206 may be angled between portions 207 a, 207 b. According to one example, a finishing tool (not shown) may be employed to smooth transition points between sections 202, 204, 206. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the bat 104 may include a greater number or a fewer number of sections. According to one example, one or more sections may have contoured or shaped surfaces.
According to one example, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to account for idiosyncrasies of a batter. According to another example, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to account for individual swing characteristics of a batter. For example, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to increase a likelihood that the surface of the barrel 201 is square to a target upon impacting a baseball. Alternatively, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to push baseballs in a desired direction. In this way, a batter may own several bats that increase the probability of steering the ball to a desired area on the field.
According to one example, the barrel 201 may be shaped as illustrated in FIG. 2 to maintain hit baseballs in fair territory over longer distances of travel. For example, the left-field and right-field foul poles are located 325 feet away from home plate. According to one example, reducing the diameter of portion 203 b by 0.05 inches compared to the diameter of portion 903 a imparts an angle of 0.7 degrees to the surface of section 202. Similarly, reducing the diameter of portion 207 b by 0.05 inches compared to the diameter of portion 207 a imparts an angle of 0.7 degrees to the surface of section 206. FIG. 2 illustrates that the surfaces of sections 202,206 may be angled in opposite directions. According to one example, providing opposing surface angles of 0.7 degrees to sections 202,206 may steer a baseball approximately 4 feet into fair territory over the distance of 325 feet, between home plate and the respective foul poles. In other words, appropriately angling the surface of the barrel 201 may minimize hitting of foul balls. According to one example, section 204 may include substantially no surface angle and may correspond to a “sweet spot” of the bat 104. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the bat 104 may include other surface contours or shapes. For example, the bat 104 may include surface contours or shapes to steer a baseball in any desired direction, while staying within tolerances permitted by Major League Baseball or other governing bodies.
FIG. 3 illustrates a bat 300 according to one example of the technology. The bat 300 includes a shaped barrel 201, a grip area 308, and a knob 305. As discussed above, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to account for idiosyncrasies of a batter. According to another example, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to account for individual swing characteristics of a batter. For example, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to increase a likelihood that the surface of the barrel 201 is square to a target upon impacting a baseball. Alternatively, the barrel 201 may be custom shaped to push baseballs in a desired direction. In this way, a batter may own several bats that increase the probability of steering the ball to a desired area on the field.
According to one example, bat characteristics are impacted by bat manufacturing processes including cutting, rough sanding, boning, filler additive, finish sanding, and paint finishing, among other manufacturing processes. Boning is a process in which an implement is rubbed along a bat barrel in the longitudinal or lengthwise direction while the bat is rotated at a high rate of speed. The technology described herein provides post-manufacturing processing to increase bat compressive strength and surface hardness, among providing other benefits. Bat compressive strength is the capacity of the wood to withstand compression forces such as when the bat 104 is hit with an object such as a baseball. Surface hardness refers to the resistance of wood to denting. Bats made from softer woods such as birch have less compressive strength and therefore absorb an impact force, resulting in less impact force transferred to a baseball. In contrast, bats made from harder woods such as maple have more compressive strength and transfer more impact force when impacting a baseball. Generally, baseballs travel further when hit with bats having higher impact forces.
Referring to FIG. 1 , the device 100 may include a compressive strength measurement tool 120 that tests and rates compressive strength of a bat 104. According to one example, the compressive strength measurement tool 120 may be used for non-destructive estimation of material strength properties such as surface hardness, penetration resistance, or the like. For example, the compressive strength measurement tool 120 may include a rebound hammer 122. According to one example, the rebound hammer 122 may include an internal design having a spring and constant mass. According to one example, the rebound hammer 122 measures the rebound of a spring-loaded mass that impacts against the surface of a material. According to one example, the rebound hammer 120 hits the material at a defined energy and determines a rebound value that is dependent on the hardness of the material. According to one example, the rebound value may be obtained with reference to a conversion chart, which is used to determine a compressive strength of the tested material. According to one example, the compressive strength measurement tool 120 includes an air cylinder 123. According to one example, the air cylinder 123 is fluidly coupled to a pressure regulator 126 having a knob 127 that adjusts air pressure into the air cylinder 123.
According to one example, the rebound hammer 122 is oriented at a substantially right angle to the surface of a material for conducting a test. For accurate results, the material surface contacted by the rebound hammer 120 should be flat and smooth. Given the curvature of the surface of a baseball bat 104, the rebound hammer 120 may include a v-block tool 124 mechanically affixed to the end of a plunger or rod 125. According to one example, the v-block tool 124 may be dimensioned to dissipate or spread an impact force of the rebound hammer 120 over an area that is larger than the surface area of the end of the plunger 125. According to one example, the impact force is spread to reduce a likelihood that the rebound hammer 120 will deform a surface of the bat 104 during testing.
According to one example, the rebound hammer 120 may be employed to obtain a plurality of reading. According to one example, the highest and lowest readings may be dropped. According to one example, twelve readings may be taken, with the highest and lowest readings dropped. According to one example, the remaining readings may be averaged. This testing method is indirect since the test does not provide a direct measurement of the strength of the material. According to one example, the testing method provides an indication based on surface properties. According to one example, the rebound hammer 120 may be actuated with an air cylinder multiple times to obtain readings of the compressive strength of the barrel 107. One example of a rebound hammer is a Schmidt #OS8200L.
According to one example, a handle 130 provided at the carriage 113 may be employed to position the compressive strength measurement tool 120 over a desired location on the wooden bat 104. According to one example, the carriage 113 may slide the compressive strength measurement tool 120 along the tracks 114 to align with any position along the wooden bat 104. According to one example, the handle 130 may be provided to manually guide the compressive strength measurement tool 120 along a lengthwise direction of the bat 104 or barrel 107. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that an automated mechanism may be provided to move the compressive strength measurement tool 120 along a lengthwise direction of the bat 104 or barrel 107 under control of a computer. FIG. 4 illustrates a device 400, similar to device 100, having various implements or tools that are employed to perform various operations on baseball bats 104 according to examples of the technology. The device 400 is illustrated on a cart 402 to demonstrate one working environment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a close-up view of the carriage 113 having the compressive strength measurement tool 120 and the compressing tool 106 mounted thereon according to one example of the technology. According to one example, the compressive strength measurement tool 120 includes an air cylinder 123. According to one example, the air cylinder 123 is fluidly coupled to a pressure regulator 126 having a knob 127 that adjusts air pressure into the air cylinder 123. According to one example, the compressive strength measurement tool 120 may include flow controllers (not shown) that are provided on air ports fluidly coupled to the air cylinder 123. According to one example, the flow controllers provide an air flow that exerts a pressure on the air cylinder 123 during each operation. According to one example, the air cylinder 123 depresses the compressive strength measurement tool 120 against the baseball bat 104. Stated differently, the flow controllers ensure that the v-block tool 124 presses against the barrel 107 with sufficient force to actuate compressive strength measurement tool 120.
FIG. 5 further illustrates a dial indicator 510 that is mechanically coupled to a shaft 511 to measure a diameter of the barrel 107. Still further, FIG. 5 illustrates a compression cylinder 115 and a pressure regulator 513 that are employed by a compressing tool 106 to compress an area corresponding to a barrel 107 of the bat 104.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 , the devices 100,400 may include a rotator 112 that rotates the bat 104 about its length axis. According to one example, the rotator 112 may be programmed to rotate the bat 104 a full 360 degrees about a lengthwise axis. Alternatively, the rotator 112 may be programmed to rotate the bat 104 a specific number of degrees about its lengthwise axis to complete a desired amount or degree of rotation of the bat 104. According to one example, the bat 104 may be initially oriented within the devices 100,400 with a bat label facing upward.
According to one example, the devices 100,400 are configured to compress a surface of the barrel 107 to increase compressive strength or bat surface hardness. According to one example, the devices 100,400 may employ a ceramic material that applies compressing forces to the surface of wooden bats 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 provides control over surface compression and offers repeatable results. The compressing tool 106 provides an effective way to uniformly “break in” a bat 104 using a machine that compresses the barrel 107. One benefit of the compressing tool 106 is that the wood surface may be compressed all around the barrel 107. In contrast, batters typically “break in” their bats by hitting over 50 baseballs, which is a time-consuming process and only compresses the hitting surface of a bat 104 where each ball contacts.
According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may be programmed to maintain bat dimensions within tolerances. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may be programmed to apply a controlled amount of pressure along the length of the bat 104. According to one example, the compressing tool 106 may vary the applied pressure at different positions along the barrel 107 of the bat 104. According to one example, the rotator 112 may precisely rotate the bat 104 during compression by allowing different increments of rotation.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart for compressing a wooden bat barrel according to one example of the technology. In operation 602, a bat barrel is measured for compressive strength. For example, the compressive strength measurement tool 402 may measure the compressive strength of the barrel 107 of a baseball bat 104. In operation 604, the bat 104 is clamped in the bat support 109. In operation 606, the dial indicator 510 is mechanically coupled to a shaft 511 to measure a diameter of the barrel 107. For example, the dial indicator 510 may measure the diameter of the barrel 107 at the “sweet spot.” In operation 608, the compression tool 106 is positioned above the barrel 107 such as at the sweet spot. In operation 610, the bat 104 is rotated and the compression tool 106 is actuated to press against the barrel 107 at a high force value. For example, the force value may be up to 300 pounds. In operation 612, the bat 104 may be rotated several times while the compression tool 106 presses on the barrel 107. In operation 614, the compression tool 106 is retracted and the bat rotation is stopped. In operation 616, the barrel diameter is measured to quantify an amount of compression achieved. In operation 618, the bat 104 is unclamped and removed from the device 400. In operation 620, the bat barrel is measured for compressive strength.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific examples are described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, the methods, techniques, and systems for the shaping baseball bats are applicable to other settings.
While the preferred example of the technology is illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred example.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A device that modifies features of a baseball bat, comprising:

a compressing tool that compresses a surface of the baseball bat in a latitudinal direction;

a bat support that contacts the baseball bat; and

a rotator that rotates the baseball bat.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the compressing tool includes an implement that pivots in a lengthwise direction.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein a lengthwise axis of the implement is oriented in substantially a same direction and as a lengthwise axis of the baseball bat.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the implement includes a roller that contacts a surface of the baseball bat.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the roller includes a surface having at least one of a convex surface contour or a concave surface contour.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the roller is constructed of a material that compresses a wooden surface.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the compressing tool applies controlled pressure to the surface of the baseball bat.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rotator provides different increments or amounts of rotation.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bat support contacts the baseball bat along a lengthwise axis of the baseball bat, the bat support being positioned beneath the compressing tool.

10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a dial indicator that measures a diameter of the baseball bat.

11. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a clamp that secures the baseball bat.

12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an air cylinder that depresses the compressing tool against the baseball bat.

13. A device that measures features of a baseball bat, comprising:

a compressive strength measurement tool that determines material strength properties of the baseball bat; and

an air cylinder that depresses the compressive strength measurement tool against the baseball bat.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the compressive strength measurement tool is a rebound hammer.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the rebound hammer is oriented substantially perpendicular to a surface of the baseball bat.

16. The device according to claim 13, further comprising a v-block tool that is mechanically coupled to the compressive strength measurement tool.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the v-block tool dissipates an impact force of the compressive strength measurement tool against the baseball bat.

18. The device according to claim 13, further comprising a carriage that mounts the compressive strength measurement tool, wherein the carriage positions the compressive strength measurement tool at locations along a lengthwise axis of the baseball bat.

19. The device according to claim 18, further comprising tracks that guide the carriage along the lengthwise axis of the baseball bat.

20. The device according to claim 18, further comprising a bat support that contacts the baseball bat along the lengthwise axis of the baseball bat, the bat support being positioned beneath the compressive strength measurement tool.