# Ball turner, with a boring head



## 8ntsane (Feb 23, 2012)

I may of posted this here on this site before.
This Ball turner/ radious tool is a import boring head I had laying around, and also a AXA QCTP boring bar holder to mount it in. The Boring head is a 2-inch model. The arbour it came with was a MT-3. I machined the MT down to 3/4 OD and fit it to boring bar holder. The boring bar holder was for 5/8 bars, but remove the sleeve, and you have a QCTP boring bar holder with a 3/4 ID through hole.

A look in the scap bin, and found enough material for the handle, and the end piece for the shaft. These were quick and easy to machine up. Two parts, and easy to make. The last part was the piece to fit the boring head. Another quick job, and I have the tool to insert in the boring head, and attach a carbide insert.

Cost of this ball turner was cheaper than buying raw materials for a total build.
2 inch boring head  55.00
AXA boring bar block  23.00
#3 MT arbour 18.00
1- carbide insert
3 pcs out of the scrap bin

Time to build the handle, and holder for the cutter, about 2 hrs
Quick/easy, and not much cash involved. If I need to use the boring head on my mill, no problem. Just swap over the screw on arbour for the R-8 version.  

Might be of use to some guys that have these items laying around anyway, as I did. Ive used this one for several ball turning jobs over the last yr or so, its proved to work quite well doing radious work too.




Paul


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## Lone Watie (Feb 23, 2012)

Looks nice and gives me an idea for my own. So, to use it you just keep the carriage locked and keep the QCTP loose so you can rotate around the stock as needed?


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## 8ntsane (Feb 23, 2012)

Lone Watie said:


> Looks nice and gives me an idea for my own. So, to use it you just keep the carriage locked and keep the QCTP loose so you can rotate around the stock as needed?



The carriage and crosslide stay parked, the tool post too. The handle that you see rotates the boring head. The only ajustments you make , are done on the boring head its self.

This type of all cutter dosnt swing left and right , as most do. These swing up and over your stock. The boring head ball turner is a handy little tool. I have even slapped it into the chuck of my rotary table and cut balls, on my milling machine.

If you look in Antique Machinery,, There is a current post , show us your old iron
I posted a few pics of my lathe. The handle on the top of my QCTP was machined on the mill, using the same tool,. The shaft was turned, and tapered, then the ball cut.all on the mill. The handle was removed, chucked in the lathe to cut the threads last. I had to do it that way, at the time the lathe had a unfinished job set up in it.

Paul


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## bcall2043 (Feb 23, 2012)

8ntsane said:


> If you look in Antique Machinery,, There is a current post
> 
> I posted a few pics of my lathe. The handle on the top of my QCTP was machined on the mill, using the same tool,. The shaft was turned, and tapered, then the ball cut.all on the mill.
> Paul




Paul,

That’s a great tool and effective use of materials on hand.

I like new tools and the shiny parts they can make so I had to go over and check out your post about using your new ball turning tool to make a handle for your lathe. I like the way you painted all the old handles but left the new one shiny. The handle that caught my eye other than the new shiney one is the one at the left end of the machine that looks like a gas pump. Is that the “go faster” handle?


Benny


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## 8ntsane (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks Benny

If you check out my post ( useing the mill as a lathe) it shows the setup I used to make that handle.
The thing that looks like a gas pump? lol, thats my hi-tech pencil holder. I cant just have one! I put them down all over the shop, and lose them. I gather them all up, and put them back after each work session  

Paul


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