My first 2 balls! I've seen several ..........

Re: My first 2 balls! I've seen several ..........

Re: My first 2 balls! I've seen several ..........

http://JamieDonaldson

What's happened to the edit function here? It's missing?

Re: My first 2 balls! I've seen several ..........

JamieDonaldson

.... turners making them recently, and I don't recall ever attempting them in the 36 yrs. I've been turning. So yesterday I made a set of jam chucks and made the 2" Cherry ball on the R. Today I had better "luck" with the 3" Mesquite ball of the L, took much less time and ended up closer to the size of the stock I started with, same size as the stock I started with in the Cherry ball yesterday!

I haven't been able to delete the previous incomplete posts?

Here are the jam chucks.

JamieDonaldson

I like 'em

John K Jordan

Nice job! I've turned a number and it gets easier. I like the look of the mesquite too.

Mark StLeger has the best free-hand method I've seen. Sometimes in demos he turns multiple spheres that have to be the same diameter and perfectly spherical since they fit together and spin together on a round base. In the first stage before changing the axis to hold between the jam chucks he uses a simple little spherical surface gauge made from PVC pipe or corian or something. For 2" spheres the little gauge was nothing but a 1" tube with a bevel on the working end - when placed against the sphere-in-progress it's immediately obvious what needs to be removed. He also fine tunes on three axes instead of the two I've always used.

I have tried either of those things yet but I want to. At the moment I'm turning warped spheres... eggs! Graeme Priddle got me started turning eggs which I've never tried before.

JKJ

Re: I like 'em

mikeee12345

I have turned quite a few different sized wood spheres used for pyrotechnic molds over the years. I have also turned a number of hollow sphere sets where the different sized spheres stored inside of the next larger size of sphere up to 16" in diameter.

Re: Here are the jam chucks.

Bill Howatt

I've made my chucks a bit smaller in diameter and lined them with glued-in pieces of scrap leather as recommended by a ball-turner in our club.

Bill

...jam chucks.

John K Jordan

>>>I've made my chucks a bit smaller in diameter and lined them with glued-in pieces of scrap leather as recommended by a ball-turner in our club.

If doing a lot of spheres, making one for the headstock with a Morse Taper is handy, and one for the live center, either threaded or held by compression. I used a couple of Rubber Chucky pieces and turned a depression in each.

Re: My first 2 balls! I've seen several ..........

Dennis J. Gooding

Although it seems to have been lost now in the WC software jungle, I posted an article a couple of years ago on a simple graphical aid that makes it easy to turn an accurate sphere by using a series of straight-line cuts. A version of that article was subsequently posted on the AAW site and can be accessed here:

http://www.aawforum.org/community/index.php?threads/simple-aid-for-turning-spheres-without-a-jig.12187/

Later, I posted an article here on how to apply the same technique to turning spheroids and ovoids. If there is interest, I can re-post here.

also here... *LINK*

GaryG in MD

Dennis' excellent method (which is my preferred way) is also described here:

http://montgomerycountywoodturners.org/newsletters/2016-newsletters/

Click on the "Jun" link and go to page 28.

...GG


http://montgomerycountywoodturners.org/newsletters/2016-newsletters/

Re: also here...

Dennis J. Gooding

Thanks Gary, I had lost that link.

Divide and conquer method

John K Jordan

That's the method I usually use too. I read about the calipers Soren Berger sells to mark out the segments for this method, in use at 2:08 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4s5LziiS08.

However, I just did the math for a unit sphere and then scale the numbers as needed. Works well - easier than turning by eye if you are not too good at judging the curves.

I used this method recently to turn eggs but not with math (which would be more challenging) but by first drawing a sketch then taking measurements from the sketch. Works as well as with spheres.

A sphere jig is foolproof but slower but not free. I have a Vermec.

JKJ

happy to reconnect, Dennis

GaryG in MD

And here is your spheroid article: go to the same link and click on "Jul" and go to page 36. ...GG

http://montgomerycountywoodturners.org/newsletters/2016-newsletters/

Re: happy to reconnect, Dennis

Dennis J. Gooding

Gary, I can't get either of the links to work. When I click on the month in the 2016 newsletter page, it underlines the month, but nothing else happens.

Re: happy to reconnect, Dennis

Dennis J. Gooding

Oops!!! Apparently each such click produced a PDF file that I was not expecting and could not see until I closed my Browser.

Re: Divide and conquer method

Dennis J. Gooding

John, speaking of the Soren Berger calipers, I haven't gotten around to posting it yet, but I worked out a simple way to adapt it to turning spheroids (and ovoids) as well as spheres. I don't if there are enough of the devices in use to be of interest.

Re: Divide and conquer method

John K Jordan

I don't know anyone who has one. Too expensive for me, especially since I have a calculator.

The article on spheroids is interesting. I might try one.

yes, it's there.  ;-)

GaryG in MD

Dennis,

Usually a pdf will pop up "on top" of the browser window. In your case, for some reason, it was underneath on your screen. You don't have to "close" the browser -- just "minimize" it. ...GG