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Today I thought I'd see if I could turn a sphere using a wood lathe. To do this, I use some cheap pallet timber, as I didn't know what I was doing. I was really pleased and surprised that it takes about 30 minutes for me to do the whole thing. I'm sure that I'll get quicker with practise, but here you go.
I also made this compression chuck. The left-hand bit was the base of a vase I'd made previously, and then just hollowed out to make a pit with enough depth for the ball to fit into. The right-hand end is two rubber furniture feet glued to an old tail stock. It is a remarkably simple process to do this once you have the basic cylinder.
1) Measure the diameter of the cylinder.
2) Cut down the cylinder to be the same length as that diameter. Make sure you leave enough at each end so you can cut off the marks where it is clamped.
3) Multiply the diameter of the sphere by 0.293 and then put two pencil lines that far in from the ends of the cylinder and also on the flat end of the cylinder at the same distance.
4) Remove the wood between these two lines so you end up with a narrow cylinder with a 45 degree cone at each end.
5) Mark the flat cylinder bit with lines on each quarter distance, and again the same on the cone faces.
6) Remove the wood for the corners between the quarterbarks so it looks more round like the fourth picture above.
7) Change the compression chucks and gently chisel off any of the bumps. Release of the chucks, turn it 90 degrees and repeat.
8) keep moving round the chucks until it is nice and round, sand it, wax it, and you have a sphere.
Load of balls.
Well done WCA 👍
Memory jogged by the "what do you buy your mates?" thread. Made this for a 50th birthday last year. It's a ring/watch holder. 
Classy. That's up there with my 'bedside ornament'
I've made half a dozen of the balls, and I'm now trying to think of things to do with them. Here's my first attempt.
Daughter very pleased with the mushrooms / butt plugs.
Have to say - the most butt pluggy shaped of the mushrooms is of a dimension that would take some swallowing.
@kayak23, what theatre / show is that?
Daughter very pleased with the mushrooms / butt plugs
All tested and approved by management before shipping 😉
I fitted a quick-shift kit to my Lancia Beta Coupe tonight. I have not mig welded in 30 years and was given a free well used modified mig welder by a mates father in law. I had a quick practice, guessed the setting and managed to 'weld'...
I have replaced all the bushes in gear change rods also, so hoping this is an improvement
The last wood turning one for a while, I promise, but I thought I'd show you what they actually do with those balls I made. This is playing around, but I need to work out how to do the face a bit better, I think. Any suggestions are welcome or failing that, i'll be on to YouTube.
Little upcycling proj, herb planter and outdoor kitchen worktop from leftover bits and bobs i had ligging about
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Tailstock die holder for the lathe. Made from Hemingway kits drawings. It has a clutch mechanism allowing you to thread up to shoulders under power.
Man i need to get my lathe working.
The husband of a friend of ours has spent a lot if time and effort lovingly crafting a bin shed out of old pallet wood. It was only fitting to make it a sign on my old Taylor Hobson pantograph.
While I was at it I also engraved my name and the year on the tailstock die holder I made so that if it gets handed down through the generations someone might care who made it and when.
Why does a Miller need a tailstock?
Actual name doesn't check out. 😁