So why not use a stronger material such as steel or titanium alloys? The problem is that most of these other materials are heavier than wood. Since the pin is meant to keep falling over and get picked up by the pinsetter, naturally, there would be concerns over the durability of the material the pin is made from. The core material can affect this, and also affect the game’s score. The whole point of the game is to hit the pin with the ball and make it fall. It also gives it more edge grain on the outside of the pin, making it less prone to chipping and splitting when handled by an automatic pinsetter. With multiple pieces glued together, each piece will complement the others’ weak spots and reinforce them. Single blocks of wood were less durable because, over time, the layers in a piece of wood would eventually flex and break since they all have the same shape. Manufacturers of bowling pins use multi-piece cores and stronger coating materials to improve their durability. Let’s take a look at each factor separately. When designing a bowling pin, the most important factors manufacturers consider are durability, scoring, and sound. Factors Manufacturers Consider When Designing a Bowling Pin ![]() But bowling pins must be first dipped in latex so that the nylon doesn’t crack. Nylon is less expensive than Surlyn and is more forgiving when used in the molding process. The type of coating used on a pin determines the process that would be employed. Today, the process has changed and the only materials used are nylon and DuPont’s Surlyn. The second layer helped to provide better adhesion for the rest of the five layers that would later be applied. A first layer is applied by immersing the pin into the material to the wood pores. Ethyl cellulose was the first material found to solve the problem.Ĭoating a bowling pin with ethylcellulose involved a seven-layer process. When the automatic pinsetter was introduced, there was a need to use a more durable coating. In the past, when pins were made of just a single block of maple, they were coated with white lacquer. However, most modern-day bowling pins are made from synthetic maple approved by the appropriate bodies because of the scarcity of maple wood. Trees in this region, which includes the northernmost states of the U.S, have a higher mineral concentration hence they have a higher quality and lower density. As per the requirements, bowling pins must be made out of new, hard rock maple wood harvested from trees on or above the 45th parallel. This design allowed them to adjust the pin’s weight and create pins with more edge grain to withstand the force of bowling balls and the damage from pinsetters.īowling pin construction is regulated by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). The company employed a different method of producing pins by sawing pieces of maple and gluing them together. Vulcan Manufacturing addressed the problem with the pin’s coating in 1954. Report this ad Modern Day Bowling Pin Construction It was later found that the pins got easily damaged and cracked by the pin setting machine. This wasn’t an instant success, and the pin boys still had to reset the lanes. To make resetting pins more efficient, American Machine and Foundry obtained the patent to build an automatic pinsetter. However, the wood had varying densities, making the weight of each pin difficult to standardize. The pins were easy to manufacture and durable at that time. ![]() The pins used in the early days were made from one block of solid rock maple. What Are Bowling Pins Made Of?īowling pins were initially known as skittles or Kegels. As such, we earn a small commission from purchases made when using links in our content. You will also learn how bowling pins are made, what they are made of, and so much more.īowlingQuestions is an Amazon Associate. Read on to learn more about bowling and its history. Hard maple wood is used as the core material because of its high durability and distinctive sound when it crashes on the pin deck. But what makes these pins so strong that they get hit several times without breaking?īowling pins are made by gluing and clamping multiple hard maple wood pieces into an assembly, shaping the assembly on a lathe, and coating it with nylon or surlyn. Their sole purpose is to get hit by the bowling ball, fall, and get picked up, only to get hit again. You may not give it much thought, but bowling pins are among the most important parts of a bowling game.
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