Baseball bats made by hand on Chicago's Northwest Side

CHICAGO (WLS) -- At Firehouse Bats, in a Far Northwest Side back yard, in a small shed no bigger than a major leaguer's locker, a sawdust covered businessman is dedicated to the boys of summer and the lumber they swing.

Buddy Herberg named his business Firehouse Bats in honor of his father, a Chicago firefighter who helped him get started.

To make a bat, Herberg starts out with wood blanks of maple, birch or ash and then, strictly by hand, by feel and by eye, he uses chisels and an old lathe to turn shapeless wood into hitters' hits.

"Around here, there's a lot of amateur leagues using them," Herberg says. "They use them in the Chicago Suburban League, the Westmont Red Sox. College kids are using them."

Herberg makes about three bats a day, totaling about 50 a month. They range in size from 28 inches long for kids up to 35 inches and 33 ounces for adults. And he doesn't make any extra bats.

"Everything is made to order," he says. "So as soon as I get an order I make them, I send them out. I drop them off or someone picks them up. Every bat that I make is sold."

Buddy has already sold about 500 of his bats, which are cost significantly less than big name bats. A Louisville Slugger costs about $110, but Herberg's bats run $35-$45.

The bats are finished in Herberg's basement with a colorful custom paint job. Then, finally, the Firehouse Bat logo is applied. And, of course, there's no aluminum in sight.