# Finally finished my ball turner



## eac67gt (Mar 14, 2013)

After procrastinating I finished my ball turner. Just thought I would show it. It is a common design. I anodized it with sodium dichromate and a touch of black dye. I try to do this with most of the aluminum tools I make.

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Have a great day!

Ed


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## Old Iron (Mar 14, 2013)

Looks good Ed, I made one like that but it didn't work out for me. I hope yours works good.

Paul


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## eac67gt (Mar 14, 2013)

Thanks Old Iron!
Managed to make a perfect little bead for my wife's bracelet we got her for Christmas and anodized it for her. Now she wants me to make a bunch of them and anodize them different colors. Just something else to have fun with.
I did turn some small pieces that everyone says looks like chess pieces but that was not my intention, I was just playin. I did find there was a whole learning curve to it and have a lot of technique refinements to do. I'll have to add some pics of what parts I make.

Have a great day!

Ed


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## brasssmanget (Mar 14, 2013)

I made one very similar also some time back. It worked so-so - I thought maybe it was over kill? I did have a carbide tip in it - plan on changing out to HSS next time I use it......yours look nice compared to my weld up project. )


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## eac67gt (Mar 14, 2013)

I have a broken off carbide end mill I sharpened up but I have HSS blanks coming to make some other bits. That carbide was just to hard to shape the way I wanted it and for the soft metals I work with the HSS will be fine.
Yours looks great also. I was worried mine would be to light or weak being made of aluminum but on the mini-lathe it will be fine.

Have a great day!

Ed


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## jack3140 (Mar 14, 2013)

good job   looks very nice     keep up the good work!  jack


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## ML_Woy (Mar 15, 2013)

That is a nice tool, sure are a whole lot of different ways to make ball turners. I made one to mount to my cross slide a couple of months ago. You sure can learn a lot making simple tooling and you can always improve on the second one from what you learn on  the first.

M.L. Woy


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## Chas (Mar 15, 2013)

Great job! Hope mine will "mill" out as good.


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## kd4gij (Mar 15, 2013)

I made one like the op. I used crs and it works fine. I broched mine for 1/4" squire tools.


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## BorderSika (Mar 24, 2013)

I would like to make a similar ball turner as per the above pics. Can you tell me what size ball this will turn. I am looking at a 3" ball from Aluminium bar stock. I am only turning half the ball. Do you have any plans , drawings of how to make your ball turner, Dimensions.

Great job. Well done.


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## AGCB97 (Apr 27, 2017)

I made a similar one a few weeks ago. Used HRS.  I've since replaced the bolt pivot with a hardened steel shaft and lengthened and put the control handle on top. Also included a pic of first job, a quill stop handle for the mill


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## eac67gt (Apr 29, 2017)

Looks great AGCB97! Kind of looks like my first one I built. I finally made a bigger one with different design. Maybe one day I'll take pics. The pics of my original that were posted at beginning of post seem to be gone. I'll have to look at that one day also.

But again great job! Have fun with it!
Everyone have great weekend!
Ed


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