# Another use for golf balls..



## Dan

When the knobs break on your drill press...


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## markknx

nice! this would work good on some of my old garden tractors.


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## Dan

There actually more comfortable than my original knobs.


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## Richard King

That is so COOL!  What a great idea. !


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## Bill Gruby

Yup, it's cool but I wouldn't want to try it on the older golf balls that are wound stranded rubber inside. :lmao:

 "Billy G"


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## TOOLMASTER

Bill Gruby said:


> Yup, it's cool but I wouldn't want to try it on the older golf balls that are wound stranded rubber inside. :lmao:
> 
> "Billy G"


thats what i'm thinkin..lol


i'm still ****** at my cousin.  45 years ago... he had a handball and a cut open tennis ball..he told me the handball is inside of tennis balls...so being 7 years old i go home and try to slice one open...instead i cut 1/2 way through my finger..the only thing stopping the blade was the bone...needless to say he lied...:angry:

still have the scar too.


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## stevecmo

The nice thing about using the fluorescent golf balls for that mod is if the drill press ever ends up in the rough, it'll be easy to find!  )

Nice job!


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## ch2co

I'm really amazed that you can thread the guts of a golfball. The last time that I cut one open, there was a liquid filled central ball and the rest of the guts consisted of basically a very long skinny rubber band.  But that was some 60 years or so ago.. You CAN teach an old dog new stuff after all!  Love the color!

Chuck the Grumpy One


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## Bill Gruby

ch2co said:


> I'm really amazed that you can thread the guts of a golfball. The last time that I cut one open, there was a liquid filled central ball and the rest of the guts consisted of basically a very long skinny rubber band.  But that was some 60 years or so ago.. You CAN teach an old dog new stuff after all!  Love the color!
> 
> Chuck the Grumpy One




 You will notice that it says I edited your post. I did not. Somehow this post ended up there and I then deleted it. Your post is in tact. Sorry about the mistake.


  What I said there was that the new golf balls are solid. I remember the liquid filled ones.

 "Billy G"


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## Ray C

Dan,

I love the golf ball idea.  My backyard is up against a golf course and when it rains, zillions of golf balls get washed through my yard.  I stopped collecting them years ago...  Anyhow, I just might need to make me some of those handles...

Ray

PS:  Regarding Bill's accidental edit of your post...  Just so you guys know, moderators have an edit button in case we need to take quick action about a fight, rant or something illegal...  The Edit button is right next to the reply button and it's easy to press the wrong one...


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## jgedde

shawn said:


> Someone else had posted this idea for using golf balls as a handle on a file. Works great and fits into your hand nicely.
> 
> View attachment 57088
> 
> 
> Shawn



That's a nice idea!

John


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## MadTrapper

The balls you refer to seem to be supplied in buckets when you go on the driving range, these have solid middles. There are still liquid filled ones out there, mainly in my vintage collection. Many new ones have solid but layered construction. Stick with the cheap driving range ones and you won't go wrong.


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## Calibre

Cool idea! Somehow I see golf ball knobs in my future!


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## Ray C

When my kids were little, they would put nets in the water throughway that goes through my backyard and they'd collect all the golf balls.  They'd clean them up and setup a stand in front of the golf course club house and golfers were more than happy to pay for them.  The kids made some serious coin doing that...  Fun memories...


Ray




MadTrapper said:


> The balls you refer to seem to be supplied in buckets when you go on the driving range, these have solid middles. There are still liquid filled ones out there, mainly in my vintage collection. Many new ones have solid but layered construction. Stick with the cheap driving range ones and you won't go wrong.


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## wquiles

Great ideas


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## Hawkeye

I have a few files that I put golf balls on. May even have posted it a year or two ago. One of the balls was the liquid-filled variety that MadTrapper mentions. When the drill bit hit the centre, there was a fountain of clear liquid going everywhere. :yikes:  I was using some balls I'd had since the '60s.


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## Capt Meatballs

Very smart idea. Where did you get those inserts?


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## TOOLMASTER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKGbaOT464

another use...target practice


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## Dan

Capt Meatballs said:


> Very smart idea. Where did you get those inserts?



Thanks!
I got them at a local hardware store but you can also get them at http://www.fastenal.com

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/60156?searchMode=productSearch&zipcode=&filterByStore=

Fastenal Part No. (SKU): 60156 
Manufacturer Part No.: 329-6 UNSPSC : 27112810 
Manufacturer: EZ LOK

I also use the golf balls with my small needle files, very comfortable! 

I am happy the ones I used didn't have any liquid gushing out of them


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## wrmiller

I'm a hard-core golfer and am ashamed to admit I never thought of anything like this. What a great idea.

And I just happen to have a bunch of old golf balls laying around...  

Bill


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## barrydc1

ch2co said:


> I'm really amazed that you can thread the guts of a golfball. The last time that I cut one open, there was a liquid filled central ball and the rest of the guts consisted of basically a very long skinny rubber band.  But that was some 60 years or so ago.. You CAN teach an old dog new stuff after all!  Love the color!
> 
> Chuck the Grumpy One



Ha, so good to know that some other 10 year-old tried that. I too have the scar to show for mine, though I was trying to get into a golf ball that I knew had a bunch of rubber band wrapped around a hard bouncy rubber core, which was precisely what I was after with my pocket knife.  The funny part was that I blatantly ignored the very distinct voice in my head saying, "You're going to cut yourself!"
FWiIIP  aaaaaaah!:yikes:


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## pheti76

Dan said:


> When the knobs break on your drill press...



Great idea!


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## wawoodman

barrydc1 said:


> Ha, so good to know that some other 10 year-old tried that. I too have the scar to show for mine, though I was trying to get into a golf ball that I knew had a bunch of rubber band wrapped around a hard bouncy rubber core, which was precisely what I was after with my pocket knife.  The funny part was that I blatantly ignored the very distinct voice in my head saying, "You're going to cut yourself!"
> FWiIIP  aaaaaaah!:yikes:



My guess is that every guy (and gal) on this forum has at least one of those scars. Mine was cutting a kaiser roll, while my father was standing there saying "you're going to cut yourself..."

A possible way to spot budding machinists, early?


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## FWest

Just added some golf balls to my old Walker Turner drill press. Much better than the nuts that were added at some point in it's life. Also at a local flea market I found a set of mini billiard balls thought they would make nice handles but could not barter the guy down to a low enough price for me.


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## jpfabricator

wawoodman said:


> My guess is that every guy (and gal) on this forum has at least one of those scars. Mine was cutting a kaiser roll, while my father was standing there saying "you're going to cut yourself..."
> 
> A possible way to spot budding machinists, early?



My moment involved a rubber hammer, I was bouncing it off a tire, letting the weight of my arm and hammer provide the down force. The combined give of the tire and hammer kept the rythem going. My dad walked by and said "Your going to hit yourself in the head with that hammer!" As I slightly turned to tell him I wouldent, the hammer struck the edge of the tread (because I turned my upper body) and in a split second the hammer meet my forehead. Not enough inertia do do any lasting damage, but enoigh to bust my pride up pretty good.:jester:


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## TOOLMASTER

pool balls machine nice too..had a cue ball for a gearshift for years


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## road

great idea ! 
I just added golf balls to my drill press. Inserts where at Home Depot @ almost $4 ea. 
I had to re thread my handles to fit the inserts. 
I made two test balls, ( I driiled the first ones on an off angle  )
I had a tough time getting the inserts to start threading in. 
overall fun project 


feels better than the crap knobs that were on it.


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## barrydc1

wawoodman said:


> My guess is that every guy (and gal) on this forum has at least one of those scars. Mine was cutting a kaiser roll, while my father was standing there saying "you're going to cut yourself..."
> 
> A possible way to spot budding machinists, early?



I think you might be right on the budding machinists!  I'll keep and I on my youngest 2 as the older ones haven't drawn much blood that way, though one son says he's thinking mechanical or electrical engineer.

At any rate, I wish everyone would stop posting the cool pictures of golf balls on their presses.  I sure now that I need to get some of those threaded inserts and do both the drillpress and the mill.


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## road

a piece of advice, know the thread size on your arms before you buy the inserts... 
I didint  and I had to rethread mine ...


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## MOTOXFAMILY

Great way to bring two hobbies together


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## Alan Douglas

Fifty years ago my younger brother wanted the bouncy center that he knew was inside a golf ball.  However he picked one of the liquid center balls and got a shot of something white in his eye.  I guess it didn't do any lasting damage as he never mentions it, but it was pretty scary at the time.


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## kd4gij

road said:


> a piece of advice, know the thread size on your arms before you buy the inserts...
> I didint  and I had to rethread mine ...





 Or you can get some all-thread and make your own inserts.


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## dogbed

Nice look too!


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## papermaker

What a great idea! The knob on the handle of my Chinese milling vise broke the first time I dropped it. Imagine that! I'm pretty sure that the thread is metric so a rethread is probably going to have to happen.


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## Rbeckett

Golf balls also make an excellent target for a rifle.  If you can consistently hit it three times in a row, the rifle is sighted in.  No more guess work or Kentucky wind age.  

Bob


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## railfancwb

Another use for golf balls in the shooting sports - turn a black powder style mortar or cannon with an easy slide fit for the ball, with a smaller pocket in the back for a Pyrodex or other pelletized black powder substitute, and a touch hole for a segment of "cherry bomb" style fuse. 

Black powder itself could be used, but it is difficult to obtain compared to Pyrodex, which is available at many Walmarts during muzzle loading deer seasons.


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