Where can I get/buy a 50mm Wood Ball in Melbourne

[erick]

Sorry to be a newbie butting in, but I'm planning to build a "barn door" star tracker for astrophotography (see below).

Instead of an expensive ball mount, this guy had a great idea of a 2" ball in a plumbing fitting - he said:-

"The wood ball is normally used by crafters as a toy doll head. It's sold at craft stores like Michael's. I think it's actually 1 7/8" diameter. This makes it fit inside the plumbing fixture, which has a rubber compression ring inside. When tightened, it compresses against the ball and holds it quite snugly. There are no lock screws or anything else used. I coated the ball with polyurethane finish to keep moisture out. The balls I used have a slight flat spot with a hole already drilled in it. I found a 1/4 threaded screw went in with a little work, so I didn't drill for a nut. I threaded it in as tight as I could and then dunked the entire ball in the polyurethane, so that helps 'glue' it in. Hung it out to dry by the threaded rod."

Looks like a good idea to me however it seems these balls are easy to buy in USA, but I can only find CARBA-TEC in WA selling them in Australia:

www.carbatec.com.au (http://www.carbatec.com.au)

$2.60 for a ball, but $10 for postage - surely I can avoid that.

So far no craft stores seem to sell them.

Any suggestions of where to buy a 50mm dia ball in Melbourne - I'd be grateful. (Depending on the plumbing fitting, perhaps I do need the 1 7/8" = 47-48mm as the guy suggests?)

Many thanks in advance,
Eric

[masoth]

Try an email to : [email protected] ([email protected]) or visit, at
80-82 Osborne Ave., Springvale, Vic., 3171 and mention availabily in WA. I'm sure you'll get help.

[nine fingers]

erick, Doe's it have to be wood. A billard ball is 50 mm diam.
nine fingers.

[erick]

Try an email to : [email protected] ([email protected]) or visit, at
80-82 Osborne Ave., Springvale, Vic., 3171 and mention availabily in WA. I'm sure you'll get help.

Duh!! Silly of me to not dig further into their site. Sorry! :o Thanks masoth.

[erick]

erick, Doe's it have to be wood. A billard ball is 50 mm diam.
nine fingers.

Interesting, but I need to drill and fit a 1/4" steel rod as the mount for the camera. With wood I can manage that. Thanks nine fingers. :)

[RETIRED]

You could possibly use a towball. That already has a solid mount.

[erick]

You could possibly use a towball. That already has a solid mount.

Yes , I'd seriously thought about chopping the mount off a 50mm towball and drilling/tapping a hole for the 1/4" rod into it! :eek:

The ball needs to rotate in the plumbing mount, connected only to the camera which has a 1/4" mounting hole - a form of ball and socket joint. I ruled out opening out the camera mounting hole to 3/4" (is it?) :D

[masoth]

........... and I could have supplied you with the contact info (couldn't I?):

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=400 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD><TD width=307>80-82 Osborne Ave., Springvale, Vic., 3171
Phone - (03) 9558 4200 Fax - (03) 9558 5133
Email - [email protected] ([email protected])
TRADING HOURS -
8:00am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday
9:00am - 1:00pm SaturdayORDERING: 1800 558 426</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[erick]

........... and I could have supplied you with the contact info (couldn't I?):

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=400 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top></TD><TD width=307>80-82 Osborne Ave., Springvale, Vic., 3171
Phone - (03) 9558 4200 Fax - (03) 9558 5133
Email - [email protected] ([email protected])
TRADING HOURS -
8:00am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday
9:00am - 1:00pm SaturdayORDERING: 1800 558 426
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I've emailed them, thanks masoth. Cross fingers. :)

[TTIT]

Instead of an expensive ball mount, this guy had a great idea of a 2" ball in a plumbing fitting

:eek::eek::eek: The blighter's pinched my egg-chuck (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=313939&postcount=11) !!!!!! :D

[Slow6]

:eek::eek::eek: The blighter's pinched my egg-chuck (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=313939&postcount=11) !!!!!! :D

right click, save as!

thanks TTIT:)

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Eric, if you end up striking out, PM me and I'll see about turning one up. Won't guarantee exactly 50mm but close enough. ;)


:eek::eek::eek: The blighter's pinched my egg-chuck (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=313939&postcount=11) !!!!!! :D

Pinched here, too! Wonder how I missed it first time 'round? :o

[BernieP]

:eek::eek::eek: The blighter's pinched my egg-chuck (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=313939&postcount=11) !!!!!! :D
Me three, thanks TTIT
Cheers
Bernie

[OGYT]

Me four, thanks TTIT. :o)
Been making eggs for quite a while, and my Sassafrass egg chuck leaves a little bit to be desired... what with havin' to grab the nut driver to tighten the clamp. PVC Compression fitting... what a Bloke! I love this forum!
Cheers,

PS: Erick, you can drill and tap a pool ball just as easy as a wooden ball - no sweatyda!

[erick]

You guys are great! Many thanks for the suggestions (and offer of help, Skew ChiDAMN!!, I might have to take you up on that.)

No reply to my email so I'm onto the phone tomorrow - all for a $2.60 wooden ball! But with a standard camera ball head selling for $100+, I have to keep going.

Hmmm... Where can I knock off a pool ball and get it under my drill press?

I'll let you know how I go.

When I get sick of photographing the night sky, I'll have to come into a nice warm shed and develop the interest in woodworking I've had for years but never had time to explore. And it looks like this forum is the place to start! :)

[tashammer]

i would have thought that Spotlight Stores might have been able to help, though if you are anything like me, "Sorry sir, we normally stock them but we just sold the last one and won't be getting any new stock until 2050".

[erick]

....... Many thanks for the suggestions (and offer of help, Skew ChiDAMN!!, I might have to take you up on that.........

Well, I did take Skew up on his offer today and am now the proud owner of a wooden ball which, we reckon, will do the job. We had to design as we went. I'll post a photo or two some time when I get it all together. Thanks Skew! :)

[scooter]

Just what I'd expect - well done Skew :)


Cheers.............Sean

[masoth]

erick, I've read your first post a couple of times and haven't figured the purpose of the camera mount as the description suggests the ball is glued in place. Is that right?
I've used ball-mounts for rotational positioning and don't understand the use in the picture if the ball is permanently still.
I'm easily :confused: .

soth

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Masoth, it's not fixed... it's a home-made ball & socket. Should work nicely with a few tweaks to the socket. :)

I was a wee tad embarassed when Eric turned up to be honest... no work recently means that not only are my on-site tools cluttering things up but I've grown lax and the shed is... well... messy would be a compliment. :o

But the job got job done, that's the important thing.

[SawDustSniffer]

masoth , it's a star tracker , the base moves at 1 revolution per 24hour's ,and you point the base at the polar axis , then you use the " Skew ,Super delux timber ball" to point your camera in the direction you would like to photograph and fix it in place , the base of the unit moves in time with the stars , takes some gess work to find the perfect south polar axis ( ive tryed ) i had to set up 2 more sights , top star southern cross and one of the pointers , then it took about 10 attempts to get them lined up
well done Skew , once again you saved the day

i think work shops are suposed to be used , not kept spot less and abandoned , as long as it's not knee deep in off cuts like my dads work shop . thats just dangerous ,

erick , did he post the stepper motor and 555 timer/ decade counter set up if so could you pease post the wiring diagrams , looks as if the original was on proto board , will you make your own boards , i normaly glue the chips upside down on Perspex sheet and solder wires direcly to the legs , it works well ,

[tashammer]

...i normaly glue the chips upside down on Perspex sheet and solder wires direcly to the legs , it works well ,

Now that is is an idea well worth remembering. Thanks for that SDS.

[hughie]

Now that is is an idea well worth remembering. Thanks for that SDS


Not a bad idea, how do you go with maint? chip replacement?...bit of a challenge? :D But an idea worth looking into, Top End ingenuity;) :D

[erick]

erick, I've read your first post a couple of times and haven't figured the purpose of the camera mount as the description suggests the ball is glued in place. Is that right?
I've used ball-mounts for rotational positioning and don't understand the use in the picture if the ball is permanently still.
I'm easily :confused: .

soth

Yes, as Skew described, this is just a really cheap (if we don't count Skew's and my time?) ball mount.

SDS, thanks for your tip on south celestial pole alignment - I had been thinking on some sort of sight using the Southern Cross. I still reckon it will be a challenge. I'll look for the stepper motor circuit etc. and PM you. One of the designs I saw had it. I'm going to stay manual until I get good photos and get sick of turning that wheel a 1/4 turn every 15 sec.

Drifting a bit far from wood turning, so I'd better keep quiet now. :)

[tashammer]

i wonder if it would be easier to adapt and use a clockwork mechanism?

[Hickory]

You guys got a Michael's too? How about a Hobby Lobby? that is where I get several gggoies for projects. Or you could turn one on a lathe. Turning orbs is not a big deal... Pretty simple when you come to think of it.... Try one.

[DenisB]

Erick,

Wooden balls are readily available as craft supplies for Macrame - String hanging thingies. They usually have a hole drilled through them for the string to threadle through.

I used them heaps about 20 years ago to make patterns to cast ball-end handles for a little metal lathe I was making.

Try Spotlight's craft section, or larger haberdashery shops. Sometimes Myers or David Jones have a craft section.

Or you could Google on "macrame balls"

Cheers,

DenisB
www.bayviewguesthouse.com

[Rance]

Eric,

Sorry, but it seems so obvious that you could make it yourself. You do have a lathe, right? Sounds like a fairly simple project :) Yes, I know this is a little late, and you've already found one.

Rance

[Frank&Earnest]

Six months "a little" late? You are one of those who believe the Earth is only 4000 years old, are you?:U

[tashammer]

Erick,

Wooden balls are readily available as craft supplies for Macrame - String hanging thingies. They usually have a hole drilled through them for the string to threadle through.

I used them heaps about 20 years ago to make patterns to cast ball-end handles for a little metal lathe I was making.

Try Spotlight's craft section, or larger haberdashery shops. Sometimes Myers or David Jones have a craft section.

Or you could Google on "macrame balls"

Cheers,

DenisB
www.bayviewguesthouse.com
did you get the lathe finished then DenisB ? Pictures?