Baseball Bat Display Tension Brackets

Baseball Bat Display Tension Brackets

I wanted to hang this bat off an existing shelf. These tension brackets I came up with don't require any extra hardware.

I wanted low key brackets that would allow easy removal of the bat.

Tool List:

band saw, a jig saw would also work

Introduction
I sketched an idea in Sketchup for the bracket. A c shape clips the bracket to the shelf, and a foot contacts the bottom of the shelf to prevent rotation.

The brackets are dissimilar because the bat has a 1" diameter at one bracket location and 1 7/8" at the other bracket. This also requires that the bracket's distance between the shelf and bat are dissimilar as I wanted the bat close to the shelf.

I cut a proof of concept out of 1/8" plywood with the idea I would cut the finished brackets out of 3/4" plywood. I cut them out with a band saw.

Iteration #1

Iteration #2

I didn't factor in the fact that the bat's weight is at the end of the barrel. This makes the bat want to rotate around the larger bracket. I was holding the bat in place when I made my measurements and didn't realize the weight distribution. I recut the smaller bracket with the hook on top to stop the bat from rotating.

I liked the thinness of the 1/8" plywood enough that I used the proof of concept as the final product. Gravity keeps the brackets in place. While weight pushing the smaller bracket down instead of pulling it up would make it more stable, the L shape of the shelf mitigates the issue.The brackets and bat are completely stable.

If you're wondering who signed the bat, it's career minor leaguer Glenn Williams. When he signed the bat he was in his first year of pro ball with the Danville Braves, a rookie affiliate with Atlanta.