Balls

[Jacob]

Turned some 4" spheres for newel posts. 14 so far. Not something I've done before I'm still a beginner/dabbler.
Pleased to say that several of them were approximately the same size and shape!

Done with spindle gouges - not quite au fait with the skew but getting there - and it gets faster

 

[Sandyn]

Your balls look wonderful!!!

 

[Lazurus]

Add some resin for effect

 

[Jacob]

Add some resin for effect

Well it's an idea, thanks for that! I was thinking more of painting funny faces on them.
How did you get that fiery effect?

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

How did you get that fiery effect?

Fire.

It's really hard to encase in resin, but looks ace.

 

[Linus]

Turned some 4" spheres for newel posts. 14 so far. Not something I've done before I'm still a beginner/dabbler.
Pleased to say that several of them were approximately the same size and shape!

View attachment 123150View attachment 123151View attachment 123153





Done with spindle gouges - not quite au fait with the skew but getting there - and it gets faster

Apart from Steve the woodturner - who is? I found making balls extremely therapeutic. No use whatsoever, but therapeutic.

 

[Sachakins]

You say have odd sized balls, but large ones.
Can't work out if that's a boast or an issue !!

The more you play around with them the better you'll get, or arrested if someone sees you.

Puerile and childish I know, but couldn't resist it, sorry.

 

[Inspector]

Jacob the fiery ball is a resin and burl casting. The bark is removed from the outside of a burl and a yellow tinted epoxy is poured over it in a cylindrical form. Then when cured it gets turned and polished. No secret society special handshake involved but they might hunt me down and dispatch me for telling.

Now as long as the spheres satisfy you that's the most important thing. To me they look a little too small. I think they should be roughly the corner to corner dimension of the post in diameter or bigger rather than the side to side dimension. It is because they are perched on the top of the basically flat topped post. If the chamfer of the post was made bigger, so the top of the post more closely resembled a turned post with a cove from the ball to the flat sides it would trick the eye and make a nicer transition. As long as the post tops are flat the spheres would look better if bigger. That's just an opinion and worth less than you paid for it.

Pete

 

[Henniep]

Had a project a few years ago, making balls for fence tops. Consistancy in size was a problem and we had to make 80. An engineering friend made this gismo for my wood lathe. Based on the version for making steel ball valves. Works like a charm.

 

[Jacob]

Jacob the fiery ball is a resin and burl casting. The bark is removed from the outside of a burl and a yellow tinted epoxy is poured over it in a cylindrical form. Then when cured it gets turned and polished. No secret society special handshake involved but they might hunt me down and dispatch me for telling.

Now as long as the spheres satisfy you that's the most important thing. To me they look a little too small. I think they should be roughly the corner to corner dimension of the post in diameter or bigger rather than the side to side dimension. It is because they are perched on the top of the basically flat topped post. If the chamfer of the post was made bigger, so the top of the post more closely resembled a turned post with a cove from the ball to the flat sides it would trick the eye and make a nicer transition. As long as the post tops are flat the spheres would look better if bigger. That's just an opinion and worth less than you paid for it.

Pete

The wood was off-cuts and left overs from the stair making and was either rough sawn 4" x 4" or planed 94x94mm, so some came out smaller than the posts (94x94). Yes I thought of increasing the chamfer but on the other hand I've lots of other things to do! Could get caught in the 'over thinking' trap - there's a lot to be said for spontaneous head-down & brain-off!

 

[Jacob]

Had a project a few years ago, making balls for fence tops. Consistancy in size was a problem and we had to make 80. An engineering friend made this gismo for my wood lathe. Based on the version for making steel ball valves. Works like a charm.View attachment 123213

Good idea just what I needed!

 

[Jacob]

Apart from Steve the woodturner - who is? I found making balls extremely therapeutic. No use whatsoever, but therapeutic.

Skittles?
PS hey that's a good idea might be my next project. ball and skittle - Google Search
Have already been thinking along the lines of Indian clubs!

 

[clogs]

Henniep.....
very handy tool, dont think I could make to many of the same size ball freehand....hahaha.....
I lived in Krugersdorp for 4 years....single and fancy free......
Happily now in a long term marriage....still living in the sun tho....lol......

 

[Henniep]

Henniep.....
very handy tool, dont think I could make to many of the same size ball freehand....hahaha.....
I lived in Krugersdorp for 4 years....single and fancy free......
Happily now in a long term marriage....still living in the sun tho....lol......

I'm in Randfontein. Ex South Coast 15 years ago.

 

[scooby]

I'm going to call them spheres (and be boring). They look pretty good to me, I've turned a few and its not easy to get them properly round and a consistent size.

 

[recipio]

I have a gadget that mounts on the lathe and does a perfect job with a flat scraper. Pretty sure I bought it from Turners Retreat. In general spheres look better if you can turn a base to lift them up a bit as in the famous Versailles planters. All the planter boxes I see in garden centres have a sphere ' plonked' on a post . Not the real thing !

 

[Adam W.]

I'm going to call them spheres (and be boring). They look pretty good to me, I've turned a few and its not easy to get them properly round and a consistent size.

Sphereiods, if you really want to be on the money.

 

[Adam W.]

I think they're great and far better than anything I could turn out.

 

[Jacob]

I have a gadget that mounts on the lathe and does a perfect job with a flat scraper. Pretty sure I bought it from Turners Retreat. In general spheres look better if you can turn a base to lift them up a bit as in the famous Versailles planters. All the planter boxes I see in garden centres have a sphere ' plonked' on a post . Not the real thing !

I looked at other ideas but went for plonked on in the end. Fits the building somehow - ex chapel, everything simple but tidy. They somehow lighten up the staircase - a bit fairground style. The banister details are direct copy of the very simple originals.

 

[Jacob]

Skittles?
PS hey that's a good idea might be my next project. ball and skittle - Google Search
Have already been thinking along the lines of Indian clubs!

There's gold in them thar skittles! 9 Pin Skittles - 5 inch Gloucester - In Stock, Quick Dispatch
Could sell them in sets of 9 with the USP; 'guaranteed no two of them identical'