For a number of years I bought my son's wood bats from Ben Arron Lumber (batsandbillets.com). The sold bats just off the lathe for about $30. The bats took just as much abuse as any commercially sold wood bat. They were perfect for batting cages.
However, the company seemed to disappear along with a couple of other similar companies whose websites I bookmarked years ago but are now nowhere to be found. Google did not help find any other company that sells unfinished bats. Can anyone lead me to a place that sells unfinished bats? Was there a reason all these places disappeared?