Newbie Ball Turner

[ozzie46]

Hi All

Just thought I would post a pic of my attempt at Steve Bedairs' Ball Turner.

Guess where the ball is going? ;D The 5/16 bolt worked til I can make a proper lever.

 

[Divided He ad]

Nice work Ozzie... [edit] Ah haa! Just a bit of reading later and I can now say..... Hi Ron


You don't seem to be having any issues with using it ;D

I've been using mine for over 2 years now... Awesome piece of tooling.... I'm so glad I found all those free plans on Steve's site.

It looks like your lathe is of the 7x12 size? I made one for a machine of that size not long ago... Made the lever 4.5" long before the ball was screwed on and it seemed to work well for the new owner. (thought it might help?)



Happy turning



Ralph.

 

[ozzie46]

Thanks Ralph

The lathe is a Cummins 7 x 12. I wish it was bigger but you have go with what you can afford .

I may have to tighten up the tool holder to the plate some, I was getting a lot of chatter. I may make a separate holder for concave turning. With the holder I have now, it forces me to put ball blank farther from the chuck. It could be just the play the ball turner it self.

I'm really new at this so I will be asking a lot of questions on some of my projects.

I have been reading the posts on this site for several weeks now and it is the best site of its kind I've seen. SWSMBO says I spend to much time on the computer. : Oh well so what!

Ron

 

[Bernd]

Hey Ron,

Nice ball turner. Ralph twisted my arm until I made one. Right Ralph? :big:

I'll have to give you a Karma point for this post.

Bernd

 

[Brass_Machine]

Hey Ron,

Nice ball turner. Ralph twisted my arm until I made one. Right Ralph? :big:

I'll have to give you a Karma point for this post.

Bernd

Make that 2 karma points

Still working on my ball turner... one day I will get it done!

Eric

 

[rleete]

Note to self: make ball turner to get karma points from old guys...

 

[Divided He ad]

Roger... It's not all about Karma points... They are meant to be a way of showing respect for a persons build, attitude, help and generally good things he does selflessly or well in the eyes of the person giving the karma....

From Wikipedia.The philosophical explanation of karma can differ slightly between traditions, but the general concept is basically the same. Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences, thus making one responsible for ones own life, and the pain and joy it brings to him/her and others. The results or 'fruits' of actions are called karma-phala. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through ones present life and all past and future lives as well.

You should never ask for them... Else what's the point??!

It's like asking for a pat on the back from everyone at work... Eventually it'll become the norm and it means nothing.... Except to those glory hunters who would convince themselves that others think they are better because of their score!


My personal opinion stated!

You know I'm not being rude, don't you Roger? ;D



Ralph.

 

[rleete]

You do know I was being facetious, right?

When reading my posts, always keep in mind I'm a consumate smart-ass.

 

[kvom]

I just awared a karma point, not for ball turning, but for consumate smart-a$$edness :bow:

 

[Divided He ad]

Now... Back to something sensible!

I may have to tighten up the tool holder to the plate some, I was getting a lot of chatter. I may make a separate holder for concave turning. With the holder I have now, it forces me to put ball blank farther from the chuck. It could be just the play the ball turner it self.

Ron,

The chatter issue can be from a few things... I can't see too clearly in the photo but it looks like there is a gap between the base plate and the turret?
Tell me, does the screw holding your turret on come through into the channel that the tool post sits in?
If this is the case you mas have problems getting the correct clearance.
The design (http://www.bedair.org/Ball/BALL_TURNING_ROTATING_BODY.pdf) clearly shows that the screw does not come through. this allows micro adjustments to be made to the end of the screw so that it bottoms out (tops out!) when screwed in tight just allowing smooth rotation of the turret and very minimal play between the base and the turret. But remains tight!!! (Very important as it will unscrew itself creating play and therefore chatter)

If you have gone all the way through all is not lost.... Solution to that can be provided if that is the case ;D


There is nothing we can't solve some how , there's hundreds of brillant minds around here somewhere! ;D


I'll see what you come back with... Then see where it all goes from there




Ralph.

 

[ozzie46]

Ralph

There is a screw that does join base plate and tool post. It has a hole drilled thru the screw to hold a piece of weed eater line to provide a sort of friction so the screw wont tighten up too much or unscrew itself in use. I didnt have it tight enough when making the ball. Also there is a slight protrusion on the bottom of the tool post to sit in a recess on the plate. Here are the plans , they were drawn up by a guy named Ralph also.

View attachment Ball Tool.pdf

 

[rleete]

kvom,

Thanks. You may live to regret encouraging me!

Actually, I was saying to the other guys that I'd reward a karma point if they'd just get something made. As a newbie, I realize just how hard it is to jump in instead of worrying about the "correct" method. That first step is daunting, until you go ahead and take it. Then, you wonder what the big deal was, and why you waited so long.

If it takes a little "reward" to get them started, it'll be worth it. I know that if I'd found this forum a couple of years ago (and the support/advice), I'd be much further along. I'm just trying to give a little push to others in the same spot I was a while back.