Skip to Content

DIY Baseball Bat Display Rack

In this DIY tutorial, I show you how to make a DIY baseball bat display rack to hang on a wall.

Even if you don’t need a baseball bat rack, the DIY tips in this post can be directly applied to any woodworking project.

Here are some jump links to the main sections of this post to help you find the information you need quickly.
Video Tutorial
DIY Project Plans
Overview and Dimensions
Step-by-Step Instructions
French Cleat Wall Mount System

Full Video Tutorial

There are several things that will be difficult to explain with words and images, so be sure to check out the video below!

Baseball Bat Display Rack DIY Plans

This baseball bat holder DIY plans provide step by step instructions to build and customize this project to suit your needs.

  • Baseball Bat Holder Template
  • 12 page PDF
  • 3D photo illustrations of each step.
  • Cut List
  • Tool List
  • Alternative Tool List
  • Tips & Techniques

DIY Baseball Bat Holder for Wall Overview

Are you looking to organize the baseball bats laying around your garage?
Maybe you want baseball bat wall decor ideas.
Either way, this baseball bat storage rack will organize and preserve memories for years to come.

I had a few extra pieces of cherry and walnut laying around from a previous project and I thought they would look nice together.

Plywood, pine, or any other wood you have at your disposal would work just fine for this project.
Additionally, the tools I used for this baseball bat display rack are also not necessary.
I listed an alternative tool below each tool most people probably don’t have at their disposal.

DIY Baseball Bat Holder Dimensions

Please note: any type of wood can be used just as long as the dimensions listed below are met.

  • Wood Dimensions (L x W x Thickness)
  • 2 – 48″ x 6″ x 1″ of Cherry
  • 48″ x 6″ x 2″ of Walnut
  • 3/8″ maple dowel at 36″ long

Introduction

I have coached my kids in Baseball since they started T-Ball at a very young age.  

As a result, my collection of old baseball equipment (bats, game balls, gloves) increased as each year passed.
In addition, I do not like clutter and normally find a way to get rid of the stuff I don’t use or have a plan to use in the near future.

Baseball Memories

Each time I would see our old baseball equipment laying in a storage bin in our attic, I could not convince myself to get rid of it. 

The bat brought back memories of my son hitting the ball at a certain age.
Each glove reminded me of the long hours we spent on the practice field catching grounders and pop flies.
The game balls represented a special game I remember like it was yesterday and will remember forever.

Perhaps I am sentimental towards old baseball equipment because of my love for the game.
Or, maybe it is the pure satisfaction I get watching my children play.
Either way, I decided to create a simple DIY baseball bat display rack.

This wall mount baseball bat holder not only provides a place to store old baseball equipment.
Most importantly, it also serves as a piece of art that preserves memories.

Tools I Used

DIY Plans
Table Saw
Circular Saw (Table Saw Alternative)
Push Block
Dovetail Clamps
Bandsaw
Jig Saw (Alternative for Bandsaw)
Drill Press
Drill Press Table
Drill/Driver Combo
Forstner Bits
Digital Caliper
Tape Measure
Double Sided Pencils
Combination Square
Center Punch
Clamps
Handheld Router
Orbital Sander
Sandpaper
Glue
Glue Dispenser
Boiled Linseed Oil
Oil Based Top Coat
Finish for French Cleat
Wood Dowel
Walnut Wood (If you can’t find locally)
Cherry Wood (If you can’t find locally)

Milling Lumber

I started this project by milling my lumber.
Wood projects go much smoother when the lumber has 2 straight edges and 2 flat faces.

First, I used my straight board jig with 2 dovetail clamps to get one straight side.
Then, I put the straight side against the table saw fence, set my desired width and ran it through.

table saw jig for straight edge

The piece of cherry was about 1.75″ thick.
So, I used my bandsaw to resaw it so that I had about a 1″ piece.

resaw wood on bandsaw

Next, I resawed the 1″ piece of cherry again so that I had 2 pieces ~1/2″ each.
Afterwards, I ran the 2 pieces of cherry through the planer 2 times on each side to remove the imperfections from the resaw.  

I took roughly 1/32″ off on each pass.

wood after resaw
milling wood wen planer

DIY Baseball Bat Holder Template

I began making the template to hold the baseball bats.

The most important measurements are the width of the barrel, the width of the grip above the knob, and the width of the knob.
The width of the barrel ensures the bats do not touch each other while hanging from the rack.
In addition, it determines the number of bats the baseball bat holder can hold and the distance the hole needs to be from the front.

The measurement of the grip and knob determine the width the hole needs to be in order to securely hold the bats in place.

DIY baseball bat holder template

First, I used my combination square and double-sided pencil to draw a reference line horizontally across the piece of cherry.
This reference line marked the center of the hole I needed to drill.

DIY baseball bat holder template

Next, I used my combination square to draw vertical lines which intersected with the horizontal line I drew in the previous step.
This center of each cross is where the center of the hole needed to be.

DIY baseball bat holder template

Then, I determined I needed the width of the handle to be approximately 1.25″ wide because the actual width of the handle was 1″.

baseball bat holder template handle width

I used my automatic center punch tool to punch a small indentation.  This will help stabilize the forstner bit.

diy baseball bat holder template mark center

Next, I took the piece of cherry to the drill press and drilled 15 evenly spaced holes with a 1.25″ forstner bit.

Then, I used a scrap piece of wood below the piece of cherry to reduce tear out.

drilling hole for baseball bat holder knob

DIY Baseball Bat Wall Mount

First, I resawed my piece of 1.75″ thick Walnut down to 1.25″ thick.

I did this because I needed a 1/2″ thick piece for another project.

resaw wood on bandsaw

Next, I repeated the same process I explained earlier in order to get straight edges & faces on the piece of Walnut. 
Then, I ran it through the planer the same way as well.

Afterwards, I marked 2 horizontal lines on the piece of Walnut as the starting point for the dados.
One line was 1″ from the top and the next line was 1″ from the bottom.

diy baseball bat holder for wall template

Cut Dados

First, I set my table saw to cut 1″ high and aligned the fence to cut at 1″ (on the horizontal line I drew in the previous step).

Next, I made one slow pass at 1″ and 4 more passes after moving the fence 1/16″ after each pass.  
I repeated this process for the other line.

cut dados with table saw

Then, I tested each piece of cherry to make sure it fit securely.

I wanted the pieces of Cherry to barely fit in the dados; otherwise, it would not be secure.
Luckily, it fit the first time.

test fit dado

The depth of the Dado was right at 1″.

table saw dado depth

Baseball Bat Holder Wall Mount Roundover

I used my handheld router with a 1/4″ roundover bit on the 2 pieces of cherry and the piece of Walnut.

baseball bat holder template roundover with router

Cut Out Baseball Bat Holder Template

First, I used my jig saw  and it did the job perfectly.
This piece of Cherry holds the bats & the other piece with the holes will hold Baseballs.

diy baseball bat holder template cut out

Next, I spent extra time at the Oscillating Spindle Sander smoothing out the cuts.

diy baseball bat holder template sanding

DIY Baseball Bat Holder for Wall Roundover

Next, I used my handheld router and 1/4″ roundover bit on the entire bat rack piece.

Then, I sanded 3 pieces of wood using my Orbital Sander with 220 grit sandpaper.

diy baseball bat holder wood sanding
diy baseball bat holder wood sanding

Attach Bat and Baseball Holder

The special tip on my glue dispenser came in handy to make a fine bead of glue on the bottom and each side of the dados.

I placed each piece of cherry into the dados (bat rack on bottom and ball holder on top).
Next, I lightly clamped them down with F-Clamps while the glue set.

attach baseball bat holder to wall display
attach baseball bat holder to wall display

While gently tapping the pieces of cherry with a rubber mallet, my camera fell off the bench from the vibrations.

Yes, that was a stupid thing to do.  Luckily, the camera didn’t break.

video camera falling

Next, I removed the clamps and made sure the glue dried completely.

diy baseball bat holder for wall clamping

I noticed a few burn marks left by my router due to a slower than desired feed rate.
So, I fixed these burn marks with 220 grit sandpaper and my dremel tool with a sanding head.

router burn marks
fix router burn marks in wood

DIY Baseball Bat Holder Glove Dowel

I needed to figure out a way to hang 2 old gloves on this DIY Baseball Bat Display Rack.

So, I decided to drill 2 – 3/8″ holes at a 45 degree angle on my drill press using my drill press table to hold 3/8″ dowels.

Next, I inserted the maple dowels into the holes to test the fit and needed to widen the holes a bit, so I grabbed my drill with a 3/8″ bit.

Then, I put glue on the maple dowels, inserted them into the holes, and used my Japanese trim saw to cut off the excess from the back.

baseball glove holder
drill angled hole
baseball glove holder

Attach Baseball to Dowel

First, I placed 2 baseballs in my bench vise and drilled a 3/8″ hole about half way into the baseball.
Next, I put the baseballs on the end of each dowel, but chose to not use any glue because the fit was really snug.

Plus, I may want to change this one day.

drill hole in baseball
attach baseball to wooden dowel

Apply Finish

I used a mixture of 1/3 oil/urethane & 2/3 Linseed oil.  

In addition, I used the oil/urethane because I didn’t have any poly.
Next, I applied the finish with a lint free cloth and put on 2 thin coats.

diy baseball bat holder for wall wood finish

French Cleat Wall Mount System

I decided to use a french cleat system as a wall mount to hang the DIY Baseball Bat Display Rack on the wall.

French cleats are easy to move around and it can hold a significant amount of weight.
Since I did not have enough plywood, I used multiple pieces instead of 1 long piece.

The french cleat is the exact same length/width of the Walnut minus 1/8th of an inch in length and width on all sides.
Additionally, this helps to hide the french cleat from view while standing in front of the Baseball Bat Display Rack

french cleat wall mount
baseball bat holder mount on wall

French Cleat Wood Stain

Finally, I stained the plywood with a gel wood stain (Ebony) to blend in with the Walnut and it worked out ‘ok’.
The stain turned out darker than I wanted, but it blends well enough.

diy baseball bat holder wood stain

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dimensions of a baseball bat?

The dimensions of a baseball bat is 2.75″ (7.0 cm) in diameter at the barrel and no more than 42 inches in length.

How do you store baseball bats?

The best way to store baseball bats is to make a DIY baseball bat holder and hang them on a wall.

How do you make a baseball bat holder?

To make a baseball bat holder, you need to cut notches in wood and hang it on the wall. I recommend downloading a set of baseball bat holder DIY plans to help you with the build.

Related Posts

Online Baseball Training

If you are interested in quality online baseball training, visit Scott Hemond Baseball.
Hemo offers softball and baseball lessons at his facility in Destin, Florida. He also offers online hitting courses, swing analysis, camps/clinics, and virtual 1:1 baseball training for all skill levels.