Ball Turning Tool Post????

K

Kroll

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Guys,as I read post here on this forum and search the net looking at some of the fantastic things that well experience machinist and hobbiest machinist make,design from scratch I am amaze.I am still restoring my small 12"/36"Sears 101.07403 lathe and just bout finish.I have never turned the first piece of metal,don't have any experience with a lathe.I am just now getting setup to what I hope will be a fun and learning adventure.What attracted me to metal turning was making round knobs for my old table saw and other woodworking machines.I did have someone make me some knobs in the past and he said that he use the step method.(I don't know what that is)
But I have been watching Tubalcain on Youtube,it is great.Somehow I watch a Youtube on a person making a tool post for turning Knobs or balls and it was also great and did not look like it took alot of time.There were several Youtubes on this subject,most look like it all works.But has anyone here made their own that maybe they would share on how you made yours?Or maybe provide a link to Youtube that you made using their method.The Youtube that I watch was fantastic and it looks like its alittle easy to do for someone with alittle experience,but for me(no experience,no talent) not at this time.Maybe afew mos from now,but here is what I watch
Here's a pic of a knob that I want to make

Thanks for any ideals and directions----kroll
 
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Kroll, if your just starting out you should get the book "How to run a lathe" by South Bend. Its an old book but lots of information and a good reference book. Lindsey books carries it and I think I've seen it on Amazon too. Watching the videos won't hurt either. Ken
 
Kroll,
Here is a site that has project plans for two different ball turners. I see you are in Porter, Tx. You might consider visiting a meeting of the Home Metal Shop Club here in Houston. Look at the www.homemetalshopclub.org and you will find a lot of useful information as well as video of the monthly meetings. The site you are at right now has a wealth of good friendly, knowledgeable people. Good luck.
Mike
 
Hi

There is a simple way to turn curves on a lath with using the automatic movement and a moving for a hand the other way.

Laths do have two directions, Z (length) and X (diameter). If the cutting steel is moving automatic in Z and you are turning the X handle you will have a curved form on the piece that you are working with in the lath. You might have different speed in moving the X to get the right shape you want to gain, the closer to center the faster you turn to have a ball look-a-like shape.


BUT ALWAYES MOVE AWAY FROM THE PIECE YOU ARE WORKING ON, it means if you miss you are in the air and not destroying the piece or the machine.

Hope it helps.... at least it will works for the piece you like to make, I think.

All the best and just try
Orvar
 
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Thank you Mike,book mark the website and will investage the monthly meetings---kroll
 
Here is my version of a ball turner. Copied it of a some site and did a few changes for my 12" Craftsman lathe.

The plate that sits on the base is recessed into the base.

Made out of what I had handy which was 6061.

Ball Tuner 001 (Small).jpg Ball Tuner 002 (Small).jpg Ball Tuner 003 (Small).jpg
 
Here are some pictures of a ball turning attachment I made for my Craftsman 12" just this summer. Just went to my local machine shop and picked up some scrap flat stock and a piece of 4" round. I just copied some others I have seen on the web. Turns out it works well and was simple to make.

P1080248.JPG P1080249.JPG P1080250.JPG
 
Making a Ball Turning tool post helps if you have a milling machine which not everyone has at this time. I saw a thread, posted in the last couple of months, which showed a Ball turning attachment made from a boring head, mounted in a AXA tool post, using the boring bar attachment. The builder took an inexpensive boring head, attached it to a shaft, inserted it through the boring bar tool post attachment and put a handle on the other end of the shaft. This allowed the boring head to rotate. Once set to the radius of the ball it worked to move the cutting tool.

I thought it was really cleaver and plan to build one for my lathe. He used the same head, mounted on a morris #2 taper in the tailstock as an offset tailstock attachment to turn tapers.

Look around on the forums and you can probably find the post.

This might be the easiest way to get the attachment you want.
 
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