Fascinating Sam, and again very well explained and demonstrated. Your method is one we all could employ, without any high tech gizmos. Thank you take care Mike
Many thanks Sam for an excellent tutorial on making a sphere. I certainly learned several new techniques from this video. I'm very enthusiastic about wood turning and I absorb every thing I can possibly learn from expert turners such as yourself and other contributors to UA-cam. Best wishes, Alan.
It's been over 40 years since I've turned any walnut, but I can smell the sweet smell, just watching you. The mind is an amazing thing. I like your tool support. Great work. A true craftsman.
I recently built a new garage and in pursuit of something new to do (and maybe make some $ on the side) I put a room attic on top of it to make a wood shop. 34 x 12 and I love it. I bout a mill, a lathe, etc. and just watch experts like you to learn new things and then experiment with pine until I got it. I love this video - very insightful and answered some questions I had about how to improve the cosmetics of some bed posts I am making for my daughter who is about to buy her fist home. Thanks for taking the time.
Thank you. This video was really helpful. I plan to make a sphear out of wood soon for a costume. I haven't used a lathe since 7th grade and this was a great refresher. I can't wait to start my project
Hi, I'm a licenced general machinist with metals and plastics but I also like wood working. There are probably a zillion vids on UA-cam these days on anything, but this one got my attention. I never saw anything like this before and it looks real neat. Oh I wish There was UA-cam when I was a kid, there are so many things I could have learned. I also learned a lot about doing stuff on my Jeep. All the same thanks for the video! Jake
sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account? I was stupid lost the account password. I appreciate any tips you can give me!
@Lochlan Seth Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
Really interesting process! I'm new to the lathe, but hope one day to try this! Thanks for the inspiration! Wyoming is a beautiful state btw! Keep up the good work!
I sat here for 15 minutes and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't turn it off. You are a wood demon lord Sam! I was supposed to be watching metal turning but this made my day! I would like to comment on the perfect shape of the sphere! I think the perfect shape is a Dolphin! You tried that?!? Niall, pleased fan!
Dolphins are pretty cool. I will have to try that. I sometimes watch vid's on metal lathes, now that is cool. And I like pottery wheels. Now that is mesmerizing.....Sam
Thanks for the video. I just learned about wood turning maybe an hour ago - didn't even know the proper name for it until I came across your video - and I'm really interested in it. I love how it looks like the wood just melts away when you're scraping, like clay.
sam this is a keeper,,,man it helped me a lot,,,im going to to try your method,,lol,,I need all this help on turning a sphere,,and you simplified this great,,lol,,especially for me!!!!
Thank you Sam! I am about to have a go at this and SO appreciate your guidance. My grandson has requested a Wizard's Staff, this will be on the top. Wish me luck!
Good job Sam. I have been looking at different methods to accurately size wooden balls for kendamas and I believe I like the method you show with the sand paper lined arcs best.
You made a sphere. And anyone who can accomplish this by what ever means has accomplished something. I think the dreaded skew would have been a perfect tool to this project. Nice work and accomplishment all the same. Thanks for your approach to the sphere.
Very nice work as always :) that's a lot harder to do than one might think .. I liked the idea with those templates and the chalk .. great idea .. thanks for sharing this.. you have a good one :)
I've been turning spheres for a while now, using nothing but my eyes to shape them, and then explaining to questioning people that it's hand made, not by a rig, hence the not so perfect roundness, although I do come close, but seeing how you did it, I'm inspired and I'm going to try this out, I love geometric forms (there was a video of a guy turning a doughnut shaped bowl/open form from a huge piece of Oak, it's just hypnotic to watch, and a pleasure to see the result), so thanks for the really great advice... I've been thinking of making some turning videos of my own, if I'll video record my experience, I'll post it as a response to yours, with my thanks! Keep up the good work, I find your videos a pleasure to watch and most educational!
Thanks, Turning a ball is not easy and a good exercise for practicing skills. If you saw Alan Stratton's video----he really does it freehand and has such a nice cut around the sphere. Keep it up and I would love to see your first video. Some of my early ones are "really" fun to watch. It is nice to see where one has been. Sam
Hi Sam, I've recently started turning a few spheres, they came out OK. But after watching your method, my next ones will be much better. I love the diagonal measuring and the chalk/sanding method to find high spots. I have just subscribed, and sure I will learn a lot from your video's. Well done. Regards Shayne......
That is a clever idea! Even if you didn’t invent it...if you came up with it, not having seen it before...that’s awesome! And I love the pun at the end!
great Sam. I appreciate you sharing this. Now I want to make one but hollow it for a lidded box. Oh no.. How do you do that..? I sure you can help. Thanks
I searched for wooden sphere turning because I want to make them for the ends of a vise handle. I'd been imagining all sorts of complex jigs and was resigned to having to make them, but this is so much easier. In my case the sheres will obviously be a lot smaller, and I'll be making a cylindrical hole on one side for the handle, but I might resort to using the metal lathe to chuck them up for that bit.
11:10 the technique makes sense, but I doubt that the object will not end up off-center when it's positioned in the cups. Ideally a sphere should be done without un-mounting and re-mounting the piece
Yes absolutely. There are many ways to turn a sphere. But you make a good Point. I am sure I showed this in one of my sphere videos. I just didn't show it here. Sam
Would you method be improved if your sanding jig wasn't a radius, but more like a caliper? Easier to make and would still locate high spots. Will def try when I'm a little more experience and slight less ham fisted (or my sphere may even come out square lol).
Your idea is interesting. With the radius I use, it floats on the high spots and marks those high spot. I have sandpaper glued to the inside which sands the high sports. It is like a block plane cutting the peaks and leaving the valleys until the surface is smooth. Sam
Many years ago I visited a museum in a fruit growing and wine producing area named Franchhoek, South Africa and one of the displays had a number of ball shaped wooden spheres and the curator told me that they were used to make depressions in woodwool during the off season so that the ripe fruit could be packed during the harvest. Modern packaging methods have of course gotten rid of the craftsmen who must have turned thousands of these moulds.
Nice job. I especially like the chalk and jig for exposing the high spots. You barely had any turning to do once you shifted the axis from the initial shaping.
I have made a good few of these over the years using not dissimilar techniques but none have passed the acid test! For it to be a perfect sphere it has roll along a flat surface without any wayward movement. Have you made a good sphere or a perfect sphere? Just another 15 seconds need adding to the video to show the acid test:)
Excellent job! you make it look so easy. I've tried, I know, it isn't that simple. I am having difficulty in the different steps, but it will only take some practice, and I'll get it down. I have a couple of questions though. After I get it pretty much rounded, I wanted to make those templates you used in your video, that you made on your band saw, then added sandpaper, and removed the chalk. Do I need to have a circle cutter to do that with? Talk soon, By tha way thanks for all your videos. I watch them all the time.
Thank you that was fun and i think I will try that. I only do small balls myself. once you get down to 2 inch and less try using an old hole saw with the teeth removed and the face ground flat (leaving the burr on) it is fast and accurate. you can make nice short wooden handles for them.
Back in the day, how do some of these butheads (asking why would you do that) they think they had crochet balls made. Makes them sorta dumb huh! Beautiful work. i love them. Thanks for sharing.
Well that is a very good question. It's like, why does a guy climb a mountain? I have never really thought about it other than turning a ball is cool. As far as wood turning, it is a more difficult piece to turn. They can be turned out of A green log or a fine piece of exotic hardwood. Which is a great way to show off the grain. We have a few sitting around our house and my wife likes to use them for something to display. Thanks Sam
Thanks. Your video was very good. It gave me great confidence to go out and turn a sphere on my lathe. However I had difficulty and I kept making the sphere smaller and smaller, when I was actually trying to get a 3" sphere. Oh well, I'll keep practicing, and maybe I'll start with 5" to turn it down to 3", lol
Fascinating Sam, and again very well explained and demonstrated. Your method is one we all could employ, without any high tech gizmos. Thank you
take care
Mike
Yea, I can't see going that far. I think it more of an accomplishment doing it freehand as much as possible. Have a great day. Sam
I searched for the way to make a sphere. Your way is the best I think. Very helpful. Thank you very much.
Thanks very much for watching, Sam
"Nothing to sphere, but sphere itself." Excellent work. Thanks for sharing.
+Tom Glander
Thanks, Sam
'No beginning and no end'... to infinity and beyond...great vid fella!
Many thanks Sam for an excellent tutorial on making a sphere. I certainly learned several new techniques from this video. I'm very enthusiastic about wood turning and I absorb every thing I can possibly learn from expert turners such as yourself and other contributors to UA-cam.
Best wishes,
Alan.
Thanks, Alan
Not sure about the expert part....more like longevity.
It's been over 40 years since I've turned any walnut, but I can smell the sweet smell, just watching you. The mind is an amazing thing. I like your tool support. Great work. A true craftsman.
Nice comment, it is good to find appreciation for any artist's work.
well it can be used for the stair rail ends ....i still love those ....
now you just gave me an idea how to make them...appreciate it
I recently built a new garage and in pursuit of something new to do (and maybe make some $ on the side) I put a room attic on top of it to make a wood shop. 34 x 12 and I love it. I bout a mill, a lathe, etc. and just watch experts like you to learn new things and then experiment with pine until I got it. I love this video - very insightful and answered some questions I had about how to improve the cosmetics of some bed posts I am making for my daughter who is about to buy her fist home. Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks for watching
Sam
Sam, you made the perfect story, no beginning and no end.
I’m glad I waited until the end for that amazing Roosevelt pun!!! Also, great information as always Sam! Thank you.
Beautiful technique and finished product.
Spectacular! I'm going to have to try that some time. Thank you for the post!
Great job! I love the attention to details. "Nothing to sphere but sphere itself." Might be the best part. :)
Just starting to learn sphere turning. You've given me some great tips.
Really nice work, enjoyed very much. Thanks Teacher.
Thank you. This video was really helpful. I plan to make a sphear out of wood soon for a costume. I haven't used a lathe since 7th grade and this was a great refresher. I can't wait to start my project
Great video. Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I'm a licenced general machinist with metals and plastics but I also like wood working. There are probably a zillion vids on UA-cam these days on anything, but this one got my attention. I never saw anything like this before and it looks real neat. Oh I wish There was UA-cam when I was a kid, there are so many things I could have learned. I also learned a lot about doing stuff on my Jeep. All the same thanks for the video!
Jake
***** Thanks very much. Sam
Thank you for an excellent presentation. Also, I love the "sphere blocks". Great idea.Fred
Amazing craftsmanship!
Very, very, very nice!! It's so beautiful!!
This method is much better than what I've been doing! I might have to buy a set of calipers...
sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?
I was stupid lost the account password. I appreciate any tips you can give me!
@Kenzo Finn instablaster :)
@Lochlan Seth Thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Lochlan Seth it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much, you saved my account!
@Kenzo Finn happy to help :)
Really interesting process! I'm new to the lathe, but hope one day to try this! Thanks for the inspiration! Wyoming is a beautiful state btw! Keep up the good work!
I sat here for 15 minutes and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't turn it off. You are a wood demon lord Sam! I was supposed to be watching metal turning but this made my day! I would like to comment on the perfect shape of the sphere! I think the perfect shape is a Dolphin! You tried that?!? Niall, pleased fan!
Dolphins are pretty cool. I will have to try that. I sometimes watch vid's on metal lathes, now that is cool. And I like pottery wheels. Now that is mesmerizing.....Sam
I also turn spheres. Try a jar or a tin something with a perfect round opening and place on top. This is an infinite template and works really well.
Beautiful work, master.
Turning a perfect sphere is the most difficult thing I have ever tried to do on the lathe. It is s great practice exerciseAs always, good job, Sam!.
+Dan Campbell You are correct......and it is great fun as well.
Sam
Thanks a lot Sam this video was very educating......
Awesome work. Good teaching skills
Thanks for the video. I just learned about wood turning maybe an hour ago - didn't even know the proper name for it until I came across your video - and I'm really interested in it. I love how it looks like the wood just melts away when you're scraping, like clay.
sam this is a keeper,,,man it helped me a lot,,,im going to to try your method,,lol,,I need all this help on turning a sphere,,and you simplified this great,,lol,,especially for me!!!!
Thanks
Sam
Thank you Sam! I am about to have a go at this and SO appreciate your guidance.
My grandson has requested a Wizard's Staff, this will be on the top. Wish me luck!
well.... practice makes perfect I guess. This is a lot harder than it looks!
Its a very useful guide to making a perfect sphere.
Thanks
Very good video. Thanks to you I am here today to make my first sphere. Thank you so much for sharing your great experience
Guy
My first sphere was not perfect.....I just called it an egg. It was the perfect egg.
Love the wyomingwoodturner, very clear and precise instruction. From a greatfull Brit
Alan
Thanks very much for watching.
Cheers, Sam
Exactly Sam, why not. i'm going to make one right now!!Cheers
that is a beautiful piece of work!
Good job Sam. I have been looking at different methods to accurately size wooden balls for kendamas and I believe I like the method you show with the sand paper lined arcs best.
Great tutorial Sam
Sam, I am just getting around to viewing this video. It is an excellent video for those who have not turned spheres.
thanks for watching, Sam
You made a sphere. And anyone who can accomplish this by what ever means has accomplished something. I think the dreaded skew would have been a perfect tool to this project. Nice work and accomplishment all the same. Thanks for your approach to the sphere.
Awesome - loved watching this video and have taken away some great tips. Thanks
Very enjoyable and informative video.
Thank You for taking the time to film and share this.
Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.
The project demonstrates great innovative skills for turning. Thanks
Thx for the video, its nice piece of decoration, I like your simple techniques....worth it to watch n learn
Thanks for watching
Sam
Really nice work and some great lessons. Thank you.
Amazing work!
well done sir, thanks for sharing your knowledge
Very cool video. Thank you for sharing your talent!
vanessa ray Thanks very much for watchingSam
+WYOMINGWOODTURNER very interesting concept
That's quite the clever method. Thanks for sharing!
awesome vid. thanks for taking the time to do this.
Kapok6 You are welcome
Sam
Very nice work as always :) that's a lot harder to do than one might think .. I liked the idea with those templates and the chalk .. great idea .. thanks for sharing this.. you have a good one :)
Thanks
Sam
I've been turning spheres for a while now, using nothing but my eyes to shape them, and then explaining to questioning people that it's hand made, not by a rig, hence the not so perfect roundness, although I do come close, but seeing how you did it, I'm inspired and I'm going to try this out, I love geometric forms (there was a video of a guy turning a doughnut shaped bowl/open form from a huge piece of Oak, it's just hypnotic to watch, and a pleasure to see the result), so thanks for the really great advice... I've been thinking of making some turning videos of my own, if I'll video record my experience, I'll post it as a response to yours, with my thanks!
Keep up the good work, I find your videos a pleasure to watch and most educational!
Thanks, Turning a ball is not easy and a good exercise for practicing skills. If you saw Alan Stratton's video----he really does it freehand and has such a nice cut around the sphere. Keep it up and I would love to see your first video. Some of my early ones are "really" fun to watch. It is nice to see where one has been. Sam
Skittles, Croquette, lots of uses, very skilled machining work
Hi Sam, I've recently started turning a few spheres, they came out OK. But after watching your method, my next ones will be much better.
I love the diagonal measuring and the chalk/sanding method to find high spots.
I have just subscribed, and sure I will learn a lot from your video's.
Well done. Regards Shayne......
That is a clever idea! Even if you didn’t invent it...if you came up with it, not having seen it before...that’s awesome! And I love the pun at the end!
It´s such satisfying to watch this.... Thanks!
keep up the good work Sam
great Sam. I appreciate you sharing this. Now I want to make one but hollow it for a lidded box. Oh no.. How do you do that..? I sure you can help. Thanks
something bout a sphere is just so satisfying
Perfect for Christmas tree ornaments if you ask me. Say you turned different types of wood/colours to make one sphere that would be neat
I searched for wooden sphere turning because I want to make them for the ends of a vise handle. I'd been imagining all sorts of complex jigs and was resigned to having to make them, but this is so much easier. In my case the sheres will obviously be a lot smaller, and I'll be making a cylindrical hole on one side for the handle, but I might resort to using the metal lathe to chuck them up for that bit.
I watched a video where the woodworker said "the best part of a bowl is the part you remove". This ball is like bowl guts, looks great.
spreading knowledge excelent it was a verry good seminar have a good day
Felicitaciones por su trabajo, hermoso!! saludos desde Chile
Castor Cordero Thanks
Sam
thank u for the chalk method sam!
nice work, I enjoyed that
Wow that's amazing. Great work.
Awesome and loved the Franklin Roosevelt quote, keep up the great work
gMUNDO Vargas Thanks
Sam
Nice job on the sphere!
"-Why would you want to do that?"
"-Why not?"
Big like. Nice content and very cool work, sir.
I LOVE puns! And awesome sphere! Subscribed!
Thanks for watching, Sam
Awesome video. Thank you.
11:10 the technique makes sense, but I doubt that the object will not end up off-center when it's positioned in the cups. Ideally a sphere should be done without un-mounting and re-mounting the piece
I want one of these... This was so neat.
+Shelby Mason Thanks for watching....Sam
I was wondering wouldn't a hole saw use on the part on the lathe achieve the same thing
Yes absolutely. There are many ways to turn a sphere. But you make a good Point. I am sure I showed this in one of my sphere videos. I just didn't show it here. Sam
lovely work.
this guy was my guidance counselor in middle school. really good guy.
Ben, thanks for watching the video. It's nice to hear from you. And thanks for the nice comment later Sam
felicitaciones por todos los trucos usados para la construccion de una bola perfecta jorge de argentina
Thanks Again
Gracias
Sam
Thanks so much!
Would you method be improved if your sanding jig wasn't a radius, but more like a caliper? Easier to make and would still locate high spots. Will def try when I'm a little more experience and slight less ham fisted (or my sphere may even come out square lol).
Your idea is interesting. With the radius I use, it floats on the high spots and marks those high spot. I have sandpaper glued to the inside which sands the high sports. It is like a block plane cutting the peaks and leaving the valleys until the surface is smooth.
Sam
buen trabajo cual seria el soporte de las bolas para que no se rueden puestas en una superficie planas saludos desde colombia gracias
I got sawdust in my eyes just watching this video! Great turning sir, keep it up.
Teno Bal Thanks for watching
Sam
Fantastic. Loved it
The cross-grain circumference of the sphere midway between the centers is accurately referred to as the equator. FYI
Many years ago I visited a museum in a fruit growing and wine producing area named Franchhoek, South Africa and one of the displays had a number of ball shaped wooden spheres and the curator told me that they were used to make depressions in woodwool during the off season so that the ripe fruit could be packed during the harvest. Modern packaging methods have of course gotten rid of the craftsmen who must have turned thousands of these moulds.
Thanks, an amazing story from the past. Back in the day, they got things done and usually better than how we do it now.
Sam
very good skill, nice video
Very good I think I
will have a go myself thanks. Mark
Thanks for watching, Sam
Nice job. I especially like the chalk and jig for exposing the high spots. You barely had any turning to do once you shifted the axis from the initial shaping.
I have made a good few of these over the years using not dissimilar techniques but none have passed the acid test! For it to be a perfect sphere it has roll along a flat surface without any wayward movement. Have you made a good sphere or a perfect sphere? Just another 15 seconds need adding to the video to show the acid test:)
Excellent job! you make it look so easy. I've tried, I know, it isn't that simple. I am having difficulty in the different steps, but it will only take some practice, and I'll get it
down. I have a couple of questions though. After I get it pretty much rounded, I wanted to make those templates you used in your video, that you made on your band saw, then added sandpaper, and removed the chalk. Do I need to have a circle cutter to do that with?
Talk soon,
By tha way thanks for all your videos. I watch them all the time.
Tommy Schutz To get the jig perfect, yes. But I think if you draw a circle with a compass, you could get it just as good.
Sam
very talented sam...
we do that sand paper diameter on the block thing at my colleges shop too. maybe thats a trick that has been around a long time?
Thanks to you Sam
Thanks Sam
Thank you that was fun and i think I will try that. I only do small balls myself. once you get down to 2 inch and less try using an old hole saw with the teeth removed and the face ground flat (leaving the burr on) it is fast and accurate. you can make nice short wooden handles for them.
Back in the day, how do some of these butheads (asking why would you do that) they think they had crochet balls made. Makes them sorta dumb huh! Beautiful work. i love them. Thanks for sharing.
ok, interesting. What do you do with them....Just asking.
Well that is a very good question. It's like, why does a guy climb a mountain? I have never really thought about it other than turning a ball is cool. As far as wood turning, it is a more difficult piece to turn. They can be turned out of A green log or a fine piece of exotic hardwood. Which is a great way to show off the grain. We have a few sitting around our house and my wife likes to use them for something to display. Thanks Sam
I was thinking of applications for wooden spheres. Is there anything practical or does it just go as far as bedpost toppers?
Max B ;)
‘)m
Thanks. Your video was very good. It gave me great confidence to go out and turn a sphere on my lathe. However I had difficulty and I kept making the sphere smaller and smaller, when I was actually trying to get a 3" sphere. Oh well, I'll keep practicing, and maybe I'll start with 5" to turn it down to 3", lol
+Tommy Schutz Yes we all have that problem from time to time. I still turn too much wood off a project so I end up with a smaller item
Sam