Thanks for sharing. Really makes it possible now - although we have a Mini Lathe. Well worth trying as a challenge for our Machine. Much appreciated. ATB. TC
You should have no trouble turning a sphere with your mini lathe. Remember to make some cup centers before you start. Have fun and thanks for watching!
It really is just as easy as it looks. It just takes a lathe, a caliper, a ruler, and a spindle gouge. You don't even need a chuck. You can turn a cup center with a Morse taper for your spindle
I have not yet found any where that takes you through making the wooden parts that holds the sphere to get rid of the two nubs at either end can you help or advise?
Sure! Glad to help. They are called cup centers. The one in the chuck is just a piece of scrap turned to shape with a shallow depression. The depression needs to be deep enough so the sphere sits on the rim of the depression. The one for the tailstock is mostly the same thing but with a hole drilled through it so it fits over the live center. Both are really simple shop made items, although you can find commercial cup centers at places that cater to woodturners
Hi Fifi! You definitely could if you wanted to. It's just not necessary. It's really not necessary for the cup center on the live center either for a wood sphere. The reason I have the O ring on the live center end is for the resin spheres I make.
Thanks for the question. That live center is made by Robust Lathes. I got the thread pitch from the printed documentation and then just found an appropriate tap on Amazon. The Live Center I use is threaded 3/4 - 10. I've placed a link to the tap I bought below. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMO8CO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hello there SIR SCOTTS from deep down across the pond in sunny South Africa. That Sir has got such a nice ring to it !!! Hope this finds U well. Just one more Q, if we may bother U. What Size SPINDLE GOUGE did U mostly use in Shaping the Sphere ??? Was it a 1/2" or 3/8" or another ??? Do kindly confirm as we would definitely need get one of those to make matters much easier. Although we do have a Skew, regrettably we are not that proficient with it to achieve the kind of smoothing cuts this curvature calls for. You definitely make it look so easy - yet we had a terrible time with "Catches". The Spindle Gouge will resolve much of our inadequacies - so we hope !!! Thank in advance. Much appreciate U taking time to respond so swiftly. Stay Blessed aRM
Hi, I'm using a 1/2 inch Thompson's spindle gouge. Here in the US, the gouge size is measured by the outside diameter of the bar stock used to create the gouge. In some other areas, gouge size is measured across the flute. Not sure how things work where you're from but you may want to do some research if you want to use a similar size. With that said, it really doesn't matter what size you use. I'd think it would be better to use whatever size you feel the most comfortable with. Thanks for watching!
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Hello there Scott. Thanks for the prompt response. Thought as much that U were using a 1/2". Considering the size of my Mini Lathe we reckon a 3/8" should be the wisest choice. Once again ATB. TC. aRM
I can't get billiard ball perfection when turning..... The piece never recenters perfectly. I have taken to using a pencil to mark the sphere after I rotate it. This clearly marks the high and low spots, and I can tap it a bit with a tool to get it closer.to perfectly centered. I did have an old set of cup chucks and the tailstock had an O ring, but I had a terrible time getting any piece centered on it. Guessing that comes from not being able to turn the tailstock cup chuck while it is in the tailstock and that just adds to the errors. I did put a cordless drill against my tailstock cup chuck and that helped a lot.
I don't think I ever achieve "billiard ball perfection" when turning a sphere by hand. My goal is to just get it as close to spherical as I possibly can. What's worked best for me is making sure the cup center in the chuck is running true, and consistently identifying the x, y, and z, axis of the piece. Periodically I have to recut my cup center to be sure its running true. I tried making a headstock cup center with an "O" ring but it just wasn't accurate enough. Keeping the "O" ring in the exact proper place while the glue dried, even with a turned groove for the "O" ring, wasn't as accurate as just the wood itself. With the 3 axis issue, I had to come up with a system that made sense to me. I start with the end grain perpendicular to the bed. I try to find some feature on the wood which I can rotate into position toward the headstock. After cutting or sanding, the piece is rotated 90 degrees so the engrain is still perpendicular to the bed, wood feature facing me. Third axis is rotating it 90 degrees so the end grain runs parallel with the bed. I just keep rotating through the same 3 axis until its round. I know sometimes things are lost when trying to explain it in written form so I hope that makes sense. I agree making a perfect tailstock cup chuck would be difficult. My tailstock cup center has an 'o' ring, but it doesn't tend to knock the piece out of alignment. I hold the piece firmly in the headstock cup and tighten the tailstock. The "O" ring seems to act more as a cushion then it does as an alignment aid. Or, maybe I just got lucky when I made my tailstock cup. I'm not sure I can visualize what you mean with the cordless drill against the tailstock cup, but it sounds interesting. Do you have a link to a photo online I can see?
I like how we both hold the rough sphere against the headstock cup and then press it into place. I do the opposite when I am sanding. Loosen it up just enough for the sphere to drop out, rotate it while pushing against the tailstock, then tighten up the tailstock, and this helps avoid 'burnish' marks from the headstock drive. As for a video on my tailstock cup chuck turning, I don't have one, and may do that eventually if I do a video on sphere turning. There are a lot of them out there. Anyway, I got the tailstock center close by inserting the whole thing into my small chuck. I put it in the tailstock and needed to figure a way to spin the tailstock live center, this one the whole thing rotated and some of the newer ones, just the tip rotates. So to drive the live center, I just held the arbor on my drill against the live center, and that was enough spin to be able to take a NRS/negative rake scraper to the roughed out cup center and true it up. I could have used a third or forth arm for doing that, but it worked. Perhaps the O ring on the tailstock center might work better since it gets it close. I have taken to putting a center line on the sphere after rotating it to see how close I am to being perfectly centered. Easy to see the high spot, and if the tailstock is not really tight, then a light tap or two on the high spot will center it better. Always some thing to experiment with. I am mostly a bowl turner....
@@robohippy that drill trick is inspired! I'd have never thought of that. But reading about your drill trick got me thinking. Those live centers where only the tip spins (Oneway and clones) have a hole that locks with a pin to screw on an off accessories. I wonder what would happen if instead of a pin, it was "locked with some copper wire. Once it's locked I bet it could be put in the headstock/spindle so the cup center could be turned right on that live center. Might need to turn it from the other side of the lathe with the lathe in reverse to deal with the thread direction... Hmmm, something to play around with tomorrow.
Now you got me thinking. I do have an old Oneway live center around some where.... I will try that out. In theory, a true mount in the headstock should equal a true mount in the tailstock if they line up....
I've seen this done before, but without a lathe. They started with a cube, cut the corners off with a saw, and used a sander to make it round from there.
Hi Scott I was wondering if you would be interested in using your lathe to make a shift lever knob out of oak for my chevy g20 conversion van? It would just be the ball shaped piece on the end of the shift lever for the transmission. I would be happy to pay you. If you're interested I will send you pictures and dimensions!
It's definitely easier and faster to buy a sphere jig. The downside of the sphere jig, however, is the sphere jigs are expensive. If you'd like to see my video of turning a sphere with the Vermec Sphere Jig you can click this link ua-cam.com/video/ZE4FqjRev40/v-deo.htmlsi=dQ8kt-uwYGbDsARl
@ I found a Carter Tools sphere jig for a reasonable price. I don’t think vermec exists anymore. I found a phone number after watching your video and when i called it said that number doesn’t exist. I found on old site for them and they were, when they were around, almost twice as expensive as Carter. I’ve tried multiple times to get a sphere close and have failed miserably. I’m definitely getting a jig to speed things up.
@@nitrousblast1 I'm fairly certain that Vermec is still alive and well. They're an Australian company so just shoot them an email if you're looking for their sphere jig. Here's a direct link to their sphere jig www.vermec.com/store/p27/Vermec_Sphere_Jig.html The Carter jig is very similar and definitely more available in the US. The Carter jig was made from aluminum when I purchased my Vermec jig. Not sure if it still is. The collective opinion a few years back was for larger sized lathe, the aluminum had a bit too much flex/ vibration when turning larger sized spheres. On smaller lathes the Carter was fine. The Vermec jig is solid steel so less flex/ vibration on larger sized lathes. I'm not sure what phone number you were calling. As far as I know, Vermec no longer has a retail distributor in the US
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop i didn’t say that there was a sphere jig was used, but the title says (no jig) and there was a jig also I am a Woodturner been doing it 5 years
I love the way you explain everything, it's so relaxed and I feel like a kid watching a really cool teacher 😃.
P.S. I'm over 30
Thank you very much for the kind words.
Super cool. Fun to watch the process and then see the finished product match the one at beginning. Some serious talent!
Thanks Rob. I appreciate it!
Omg so satisfying
Looking forward for new videos
Keep up the good work sir
Thanks! I added a new video today!
Very beautiful result and I love the way the lines look. It makes it look like a planet. :D - Heidi
It does! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for sharing. Really makes it possible now - although we have a Mini Lathe. Well worth trying as a challenge for our Machine. Much appreciated. ATB. TC
You should have no trouble turning a sphere with your mini lathe. Remember to make some cup centers before you start. Have fun and thanks for watching!
Great video. Thanks for sharing your process.
Thanks for the comment Joseph, and thanks for watching!
I found that gluing some leather to my diy cup centres helps grip the wood and avoid marring. Good video sir.
I should try that for the drive center. Thanks! I have a rubber o ring on cup on the live center
Great video Scott I like your jigs.
Thanks!
Great job Dude! I hope someday I'll be able to make something like this. Congrats!
It really is just as easy as it looks. It just takes a lathe, a caliper, a ruler, and a spindle gouge. You don't even need a chuck. You can turn a cup center with a Morse taper for your spindle
This is awesome!! Thank you Scott
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you liked the video
Awesome video scott
Thanks my friend!
Yes Sir. Have done that already. Should be a breeze doing it the way U showed. Thanks a Zillion. aRM
Have fun!
I have not yet found any where that takes you through making the wooden parts that holds the sphere to get rid of the two nubs at either end can you help or advise?
Sure! Glad to help. They are called cup centers. The one in the chuck is just a piece of scrap turned to shape with a shallow depression. The depression needs to be deep enough so the sphere sits on the rim of the depression. The one for the tailstock is mostly the same thing but with a hole drilled through it so it fits over the live center. Both are really simple shop made items, although you can find commercial cup centers at places that cater to woodturners
Great video Scott...question..would you also put an O-ring on the jig at head stock?
Hi Fifi! You definitely could if you wanted to. It's just not necessary. It's really not necessary for the cup center on the live center either for a wood sphere. The reason I have the O ring on the live center end is for the resin spheres I make.
So good.thank you for sharing
You're welcome!
Great job where did you buy the live center tap thanks
Thanks for the question. That live center is made by Robust Lathes. I got the thread pitch from the printed documentation and then just found an appropriate tap on Amazon. The Live Center I use is threaded 3/4 - 10. I've placed a link to the tap I bought below.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMO8CO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hello there SIR SCOTTS from deep down across the pond in sunny South Africa. That Sir has got such a nice ring to it !!! Hope this finds U well. Just one more Q, if we may bother U. What Size SPINDLE GOUGE did U mostly use in Shaping the Sphere ??? Was it a 1/2" or 3/8" or another ??? Do kindly confirm as we would definitely need get one of those to make matters much easier. Although we do have a Skew, regrettably we are not that proficient with it to achieve the kind of smoothing cuts this curvature calls for. You definitely make it look so easy - yet we had a terrible time with "Catches". The Spindle Gouge will resolve much of our inadequacies - so we hope !!!
Thank in advance.
Much appreciate U taking time to respond so swiftly.
Stay Blessed
aRM
Hi, I'm using a 1/2 inch Thompson's spindle gouge. Here in the US, the gouge size is measured by the outside diameter of the bar stock used to create the gouge. In some other areas, gouge size is measured across the flute. Not sure how things work where you're from but you may want to do some research if you want to use a similar size. With that said, it really doesn't matter what size you use. I'd think it would be better to use whatever size you feel the most comfortable with.
Thanks for watching!
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop Hello there Scott. Thanks for the prompt response. Thought as much that U were using a 1/2". Considering the size of my Mini Lathe we reckon a 3/8" should be the wisest choice. Once again ATB. TC.
aRM
Good info. Thanks.
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!
Cool! Gonna try this :)
Awesome! Its definitely not difficult but will take a bit of practice
I am came here from instagram, here is a 👍 for the video, i left the other on instagram comments
Thanks for checking out my channel!
I can't get billiard ball perfection when turning..... The piece never recenters perfectly. I have taken to using a pencil to mark the sphere after I rotate it. This clearly marks the high and low spots, and I can tap it a bit with a tool to get it closer.to perfectly centered. I did have an old set of cup chucks and the tailstock had an O ring, but I had a terrible time getting any piece centered on it. Guessing that comes from not being able to turn the tailstock cup chuck while it is in the tailstock and that just adds to the errors. I did put a cordless drill against my tailstock cup chuck and that helped a lot.
I don't think I ever achieve "billiard ball perfection" when turning a sphere by hand. My goal is to just get it as close to spherical as I possibly can. What's worked best for me is making sure the cup center in the chuck is running true, and consistently identifying the x, y, and z, axis of the piece. Periodically I have to recut my cup center to be sure its running true. I tried making a headstock cup center with an "O" ring but it just wasn't accurate enough. Keeping the "O" ring in the exact proper place while the glue dried, even with a turned groove for the "O" ring, wasn't as accurate as just the wood itself. With the 3 axis issue, I had to come up with a system that made sense to me. I start with the end grain perpendicular to the bed. I try to find some feature on the wood which I can rotate into position toward the headstock. After cutting or sanding, the piece is rotated 90 degrees so the engrain is still perpendicular to the bed, wood feature facing me. Third axis is rotating it 90 degrees so the end grain runs parallel with the bed. I just keep rotating through the same 3 axis until its round. I know sometimes things are lost when trying to explain it in written form so I hope that makes sense.
I agree making a perfect tailstock cup chuck would be difficult. My tailstock cup center has an 'o' ring, but it doesn't tend to knock the piece out of alignment. I hold the piece firmly in the headstock cup and tighten the tailstock. The "O" ring seems to act more as a cushion then it does as an alignment aid. Or, maybe I just got lucky when I made my tailstock cup.
I'm not sure I can visualize what you mean with the cordless drill against the tailstock cup, but it sounds interesting. Do you have a link to a photo online I can see?
I like how we both hold the rough sphere against the headstock cup and then press it into place. I do the opposite when I am sanding. Loosen it up just enough for the sphere to drop out, rotate it while pushing against the tailstock, then tighten up the tailstock, and this helps avoid 'burnish' marks from the headstock drive. As for a video on my tailstock cup chuck turning, I don't have one, and may do that eventually if I do a video on sphere turning. There are a lot of them out there. Anyway, I got the tailstock center close by inserting the whole thing into my small chuck. I put it in the tailstock and needed to figure a way to spin the tailstock live center, this one the whole thing rotated and some of the newer ones, just the tip rotates. So to drive the live center, I just held the arbor on my drill against the live center, and that was enough spin to be able to take a NRS/negative rake scraper to the roughed out cup center and true it up. I could have used a third or forth arm for doing that, but it worked. Perhaps the O ring on the tailstock center might work better since it gets it close. I have taken to putting a center line on the sphere after rotating it to see how close I am to being perfectly centered. Easy to see the high spot, and if the tailstock is not really tight, then a light tap or two on the high spot will center it better. Always some thing to experiment with. I am mostly a bowl turner....
@@robohippy that drill trick is inspired! I'd have never thought of that. But reading about your drill trick got me thinking. Those live centers where only the tip spins (Oneway and clones) have a hole that locks with a pin to screw on an off accessories. I wonder what would happen if instead of a pin, it was "locked with some copper wire. Once it's locked I bet it could be put in the headstock/spindle so the cup center could be turned right on that live center. Might need to turn it from the other side of the lathe with the lathe in reverse to deal with the thread direction... Hmmm, something to play around with tomorrow.
Now you got me thinking. I do have an old Oneway live center around some where.... I will try that out. In theory, a true mount in the headstock should equal a true mount in the tailstock if they line up....
@@robohippy that's exactly what I was thinking. Great minds my friend 😁
Parabéns pelo trabalho 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you very much! and Thanks for watching!
Is it possible to turn lawn bowls on a lathe ?
yes, but the wood should be kiln dried or it will crack while drying
I've seen this done before, but without a lathe. They started with a cube, cut the corners off with a saw, and used a sander to make it round from there.
Sounds interesting
wow that's nuts!!!!!!
Walnuts😄
Hahaha.. thanks for watching!
Hi Scott I was wondering if you would be interested in using your lathe to make a shift lever knob out of oak for my chevy g20 conversion van? It would just be the ball shaped piece on the end of the shift lever for the transmission. I would be happy to pay you. If you're interested I will send you pictures and dimensions!
Send me an email at smw3747@gmail.com we can chat
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop gotcha . Email sent.
Seems like a long, tedious process. Wouldn’t it be faster and easier to buy a sphere jig?
It's definitely easier and faster to buy a sphere jig. The downside of the sphere jig, however, is the sphere jigs are expensive. If you'd like to see my video of turning a sphere with the Vermec Sphere Jig you can click this link ua-cam.com/video/ZE4FqjRev40/v-deo.htmlsi=dQ8kt-uwYGbDsARl
@ I found a Carter Tools sphere jig for a reasonable price. I don’t think vermec exists anymore. I found a phone number after watching your video and when i called it said that number doesn’t exist. I found on old site for them and they were, when they were around, almost twice as expensive as Carter. I’ve tried multiple times to get a sphere close and have failed miserably. I’m definitely getting a jig to speed things up.
@@nitrousblast1 I'm fairly certain that Vermec is still alive and well. They're an Australian company so just shoot them an email if you're looking for their sphere jig. Here's a direct link to their sphere jig
www.vermec.com/store/p27/Vermec_Sphere_Jig.html
The Carter jig is very similar and definitely more available in the US. The Carter jig was made from aluminum when I purchased my Vermec jig. Not sure if it still is. The collective opinion a few years back was for larger sized lathe, the aluminum had a bit too much flex/ vibration when turning larger sized spheres. On smaller lathes the Carter was fine. The Vermec jig is solid steel so less flex/ vibration on larger sized lathes.
I'm not sure what phone number you were calling. As far as I know, Vermec no longer has a retail distributor in the US
Looks like you've done that before!
Once or twice 😁
Thank you so much.
I'm glad you found the info useful. Thanks for watching!!
7:34 it's a Poke Ball!
Soon I'll be casting and turning a poke ball 😁
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop definitely looking forward to it!
Yeah, no need for the comments to get you to laugh about this.
😂😂
You said without a jig
The video is for woodturners. No sphere jig was used while turning this sphere
@@ScottsMiniWoodshop i didn’t say that there was a sphere jig was used, but the title says (no jig) and there was a jig also I am a Woodturner been doing it 5 years