Turning spheres (balls)

[Ken Appelt]

Now that I have my Rockwell lath tuned up,,, and have a wonderful set of Rikon carbide tools, I am turning balls full time.....Doing it mainly freehand,,, have a few home made metal guides to assure roundness,
Using mainly green wood,, wild cherry(black), oak, maple,,,sassafras (that’s fun to turn), some red pine,, poplar, also have access to tart cherry, sweet cherry, apple, peach,,
Made a jig to smooth, however, find I can do just as well freehand,, No real purpose for turning balls, it’s just fun to do.. I give lots of them to a friend who runs a community center to give as gifts and door prizes. He is real appreciative..
Could sell them at a one day art fair about 15 miles away,,,,,not sure about that...

Did I mention it is fun.!!!

 

[Richard Coers]

Curious about you using green wood. Do they crack a lot? They certainly won't stay spherical when they dry. The only spheres I have been able to sell have woodburing on them to look like baseballs. After that, folks have no idea what to do with them.

 

[john lucas]

Yes it is fun. They will probably crack and will go out of round but still look pretty cool.

 

[Clifton C]

Turning spheres is fun... I could quit if I wanted too...
Turning freehand is a great warm up and will help in gaining skills in tool control.

Guess it's time to turn another sphere bowl.

 

[Bill Boehme]

... I could quit if I wanted to...

So, Clifton, are you saying that despite all evidence to the contrary, turning spheres really isn't addictive.

 

[hockenbery]

Turning spheres, orbs, ball is still fun for me after 30 years

I turn most of my spheres from dry wood.
However I do most of my demos with wet wood - no dust.

the 3” wet turned spheres demonstrate the importance of curves in drying they don’t crack.
They do go oval the 3 light ones are live oak, the dark is bottle brush
rough outs from not quite dry wood that I finish turn after drying in the microwave


Suspended spherical HF a ball can be held in a vacuum Chuck for hollowing
This sweetgum turned and hollowed green the ball dried to 6.25x 5.5


These are round balls from dry wood in various stages of finishing
Ball in a ball has been a fun invention for me needs dead dry wood

Hollow ball Christmas ornaments are best with dead dry wood

 

[Roger Chandler]

Please be careful with sassafras......it can cause severe respiratory issues! Use breathing protection for your health's sake.....hope you're already aware and doing that. Just trying to be helpful, so hope you take this info in the good spirit I mean it in!

 

[Ken Appelt]

Yes, the wood cracks some time, not always...Cracks don’t bother me,,I think they enhance the orb. And after I finish them, they don’t crack anymore..by ‘green wood’ I do not mean wood I just cut three hours earlier., It’s wood that has sat in the wood pile at least six months and sometime as long as three years, so it’s dry to some degree. And if there are cracks they don’t matter, with the carbid cutters,,,,,haven’t ‘caught’ one yet.
Am careful with sassafras Roger, was aware of that already. Thank you.

 

[Glenn C Roberts]

So Mr. Hockenbery, How did you do that? Is the process a patented secret? Did you soften and spread the mouth to allow a the next sized small piece in? If water was used, won't that warp the opening? So many questions ......

 

[hockenbery]

So Mr. Hockenbery, How did you do that? Is the process a patented secret? Did you soften and spread the mouth to allow a the next sized small piece in? If water was used, won't that warp the opening? So many questions ......

ITS MAGIC - not a secret....
I’ve done this in a lot of demos and taught it in workshops.

it’s actually a bodger chair joint. These were Englishmen who turned greenwood chairs in the forest using pole lathes.
They used a spoon bit (looks like a shallow gouge) in a brace to drill the mortise.
The diameter of the mortis increases below the opening because the spoon bit tends to wobble.
The tenons were turned bulbous just a tiny bit larger than the opening. The joints were knocked together.
No glue needed and the joints got tighter as the wood dried.

The diameter of the opening in the large ball is a bit smaller than the diameter of the small ball.
I like it to stick just a little. Then give it a whack with my hand and the wood has enough elasticity to open a little and let the small ball in and then closes

Here are the notes similar to those in the 2010 AAW symposium handout.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/A ball in a ball handout.pdf

I sometimes hollow balls in a vacuum Chuck but if the ball just fits it can get sucked into the chuck and then it usually ruins the foam getting it out. Straka chuck is better.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/Making a straka Chuck.pdf

also in workshops I use golf balls for the small ball. Best to learn with. And I get golf balls in 3 sizes.
When a student makes the hole a little too big one of the bigger ball will work.
let me know if you have questions

 

[Glenn C Roberts]

Thank you for the info. Thought your process may have been similar to this:

 

[john lucas]

Bill's comment reminds me of this saying. It's easy to quit. I've done it hundreds of times.

 

[Ken Appelt]

doesn’t seem to be much interest in balls.....for me they are so much more fun and can be very challenging also, especially doing it freehand.

 

[Clifton C]

Well, maybe you're right, but that won't stop me... I mean, I could... oh never mind...
Bill, to answer your question, I can neither confirm nor deny

 

[hockenbery]

doesn’t seem to be much interest in balls.....for me they are so much more fun and can be very challenging also, especially doing it freehand.

it’s sort of a niche item.
Fun to turn,

 

[Ken Appelt]

it’s sort of a niche item.
Fun to turn,

I understand,,,,, and I apologize for not getting all excited about turning bowls,,,, my mistake.

I’ll carry on, enjoying turning spheres, and enjoying the results from giving them to people to enjoy..

Sorry,,,

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Ken, for variety try ellipsoids and ovoids.

 

[hockenbery]

I understand,,,,, and I apologize for not getting all excited about turning bowls,,,, my mistake.

I’ll carry on, enjoying turning spheres, and enjoying the results from giving them to people to enjoy..

Sorry,,,

You may have misunderstood!
I turn a lot of spheres and I have fun doing it. What a meant is Spheres are niche area with not a lot of people turning them. Like ornamental turning - not a lot of people doing it.
Doesn’t mean it isn’t appreciated.

spheres have been good to me.
i have demonstrated turning spheres at the AAW and 6 regional symposiums and lots of clubs.
Taught a bunch of workshops. Had 3 pieces based on spheres accepted in the AAW shows.

This is a citrus sphere sandblasted and dyed black on a 3 sided stand.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Last week I got the Vermec sphere jig. What an amazing piece of a mechanical engineer! Before some of you ask or tell me, yes, of course, I can turn a sphere without a jig. My idea is to turn some flat bowls and add 3 spheres of different Hawaiian woods. According to Betty Scarpino, she told us when she came to Maui, a piece with something extra sells better and faster. For production turning of spheres, I think a jig is the way to go. I already turned a few, surprisingly, I had fun doing it. I was afraid it was going to be as boring as turning table legs with a duplicator. My son has a sandblaster, thanks to Al for showing us what else can you do to a sphere. Al, I can't see the stand, would it be possible to see it? I'm curious about the 3 sided part. Below you can see a Maui curly Koa sphere. Why do we use the word sphere more than simply I turned a ball? Hmmm...

 

[Clifton C]

There is nothing to sphere but sphere itself...

 

[Bill Boehme]

There is nothing to sphere but sphere itself ....

Rumor has it that people have been banned for lesser puns than that.

 

[Ken Appelt]

Dennis,, I have tried some other shapes, and it is a real good idea, thank you,,I showed one to a friend, I thought it was a lemon shape, he said it felt like a peach to him.

Hock, guess I did mis understand,,, my apologies.

Clifton, looks like bill has warned you.....

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Ken, you might be interested in four articles that I posted in the Tutorials and Tips forum on a simple aid for turning all three of these shapes. They are extensions of a technique that Al Hockenbery developed many years ago.

 

[hockenbery]

would it be possible to see it? I'm curious about the 3 sided part. Below you can see a Maui curly Koa sphere. Why do we use the word sphere more than simply I turned a ball? Hmmm..

To answer the second question
Perception of value. Balls $
Spheres $$
Orbs $$$$

The three sided stand is done turning on 3 centers to cut each face.
I pick the prettiest face grain side of a spindle and mark my reference line on it or opposite it depending on which layout method I’m using. I want a corner to be opposite this face so that it shows on one side.

once I have the 3 sides I put it on true center and cut a small tenon.
Put it in a Chuck To hollow if out. I test the ball for fit. Your Vermec jig can hollow so you use it to match the curvature of your ball exactly if the jig does not chip the corners. On the top I go for sharp corner may need to soften it with sandpaper for blood free handling.
The i jamb Chuck the stand to turn away the tennon. Here I cut a flat in the corners1/8-1/4 so the point won’t split then hollow. Here I cheat a bit and leave a pretty button in the bottom middle as I cut off the last of the tenon.

If I have several balls of the same size I can turn a long spindle to 3 sides and cross cut it into stand blanks.

A quick and dirty layout.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/THREE SIDED TURNING LAYOUT.pdf

After you do a bunch you can get pretty close by eyeballing the layout.

layout for napkin rings uses more accurate methods.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/TurningTriangles.pdf

Napkin ring video shows the 3 sided turning
https://vod-progressive.akamaized.n...nload=1&filename=three+sided+napkin+rings.mp4

 

[Clifton C]

Bill... sorry... Back to my corner...

 

[Ken Appelt]

Dennis, I’m starting to work through your videos.,,thanks

 

[Ken Appelt]

Dennis, I like your tutorials,, however I seem to find my style more matches John Torchick’s

 

[Ken Appelt]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM6vX7SDogk


Hope this works, and that’s alright to post.. this is a good learning on turning balls.

 

[hockenbery]

Hope this works, and that’s alright to post.. this is a good learning on turning balls.

Worked fine. Sharing a video you find useful or inspirational is usually fine unless it shows unsafe practices.
The guy does fine.

If you have an opportunity to see Michael Hosulak turn a baseball size ball that is real treat.
He cuts the ball free with a pocket knife.
Also watching Christian Burchard or Dale Larson turn a spheres can set higher aspirations

You might enjoy this video.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/B&Bvideos.htm

 

[Ken Appelt]

Angus Pitt has a video turning a very large ball.

 

[Gary Beasley]

Only sphere of any size Ive dealt with was a two part globe for my neighbor. Shy pyroed the continents onto it after I finished it. Had a spare pedestal for the top when its taken apart to serve as bowls.

 

[hockenbery]

Angus Pitt has a video turning a very large ball.

Watched that and two things came to mind.

nearly identical to the way I turn spheres except I use a bowl gouge with the Ellsworth grind.. You probably saw that in the video.

And

It was what we did first day in David Ellsworth’s class in 1995. We turned a 10” sphere from a log mounted between centers with the bowl gouge then turned it 90 degrees an cut it in half with the straight hollowing tool.
One side we turned into a bowl. The other side was our first hollow form in the class.
Just a great way to learn to use the Ellsworth gouge.
Another fun with spheres exercise.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

To answer the second question
Perception of value. Balls $
Spheres $$
Orbs $$$$

The three sided stand is done turning on 3 centers to cut each face.
I pick the prettiest face grain side of a spindle and mark my reference line on it or opposite it depending on which layout method I’m using. I want a corner to be opposite this face so that it shows on one side.

once I have the 3 sides I put it on true center and cut a small tenon.
Put it in a Chuck To hollow if out. I test the ball for fit. Your Vermec jig can hollow so you use it to match the curvature of your ball exactly if the jig does not chip the corners. On the top I go for sharp corner may need to soften it with sandpaper for blood free handling.
The i jamb Chuck the stand to turn away the tennon. Here I cut a flat in the corners1/8-1/4 so the point won’t split then hollow. Here I cheat a bit and leave a pretty button in the bottom middle as I cut off the last of the tenon.

If I have several balls of the same size I can turn a long spindle to 3 sides and cross cut it into stand blanks.

A quick and dirty layout.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/THREE SIDED TURNING LAYOUT.pdf

After you do a bunch you can get pretty close by eyeballing the layout.

layout for napkin rings uses more accurate methods.
http://aaw.hockenbery.net/TurningTriangles.pdf

Napkin ring video shows the 3 sided turning
https://vod-progressive.akamaized.net/exp=1581635078~acl=*/296386117.mp4*~hmac=624fed0717461613f763b1da3ba314a630135b3c0674190c9148187878a58809/vimeo-prod-skyfire-std-us/01/1736/4/108682428/296386117.mp4?download=1&filename=three+sided+napkin+rings.mp4



View attachment 32040

Thank you for such a detailed response. What a beautiful stand!

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM6vX7SDogk


Hope this works, and that’s alright to post.. this is a good learning on turning balls.

That's painful to watch. This is why YouTube gets such a bad reputation. Wrong tools, wrong cuts, wearing gloves, one tool looks like a chisel or a screw driver. And he makes a video of it all....

 

[hockenbery]

That's painful to watch. This is why YouTube gets such a bad reputation....

You would enjoy seeing Michael Hosulak turn a “baseball” with a skew.

I agree with a caveat-
The guy in the video did succeed in getting a close to round ball. Be interesting to see if it would roll a straight line.
The carbides have their place. One friend of mine has limited range of motion. He can turn with the carbides and makes some really nice pieces. He can’t use a gouge effectively. The carbides also let people with limited skills get some enjoyment from turning.

I much prefer using tools that do the work while I cradle them.

Scrapers used for wood removal, including the carbides, tend to beat up the body a good bit. Sadly those scraping with carbides never enjoy the beauty of effortlessly shaving the wood.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

That's painful to watch. This is why YouTube gets such a bad reputation. Wrong tools, wrong cuts, wearing gloves, one tool looks like a chisel or a screw driver. And he makes a video of it all....

You are almost right I would say it is beyond painful

 

[Fadi Zeidan]

I like watching this guy, I don’t know his real name. He did a sphere using skew, I would end up with a nice decorative spiral shaped block of wood if I tried it.

View: https://youtu.be/7FSlQIVBbJ4

 

[john lucas]

Whew that was a painful.video to watch. I did like his sphere measuring tool.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

That's painful to watch. This is why YouTube gets such a bad reputation. Wrong tools, wrong cuts, wearing gloves, one tool looks like a chisel or a screw driver. And he makes a video of it all....

I think it is a mortising chisel. They are thicker but have sharp edges on the shaft and that is why the glove. They should ban stuff like that.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

You would enjoy seeing Michael Hosulak turn a “baseball” with a skew.

I agree with a caveat-
The guy in the video did succeed in getting a close to round ball. Be interesting to see if it would roll a straight line.
The carbides have their place. One friend of mine has limited range of motion. He can turn with the carbides and makes some really nice pieces. He can’t use a gouge effectively. The carbides also let people with limited skills get some enjoyment from turning.

I much prefer using tools that do the work while I cradle them.

Scrapers used for wood removal, including the carbides, tend to beat up the body a good bit. Sadly those scraping with carbides never enjoy the beauty of effortlessly shaving the wood.

I did not know the short tools are carbides. I should try to turn some sphere with some of my Hunter tools. I agree I start all new turners with carbides, some do not want to make the jump and or do not care about putting the hours to learn how to use a gouge. When people bring pieces to the meetings, we do not ask what tools they use, what matters is the final product.