tip for marking and making balls.

[tea lady]

I don't know if I'm slow, or just don't get out much, but I've come up with a way to quickly mark a ball in a turned spindle that doesn't involve fishing out the calipers.:cool: All you need is one of those finger profile thingies. (What the hell are they called.:C ) Ah ha! A proflie master.:cool:

http://www.carbatec.com.au/images/product/PCG-908.jpg

Mine is an older metal fingered one that I acquired in a timber stash. :cool: You round down the spindle blank to the diameter you want the ball. Push the profile master across the blank half way down, so you get an semicircular impression of the circumference,
136453

then turn the profile master around and hold it along the blank. Voila. Mark the ends of the circle where you want the ball,, and the middle.
136452

Quick bit of trickery with the spindle gouge or skew if you really want to show off.:rolleyes: And there you go. Perfect ball.:cool:
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[TTIT]

I've got an old metal one as well as one of the plastic jobs with the magnets on the side . . . . . . . . . and you'll never guess what I use them for :;:U:U:U ( take a look at the pomander shape )




Stick with the metal one - the plastic one is useless :2tsup:

[rsser]

Called contour gauges from memory.

[steck]

You know, I have one of those and I never thought to use it for that!:doh:

[Texian]

You know, I have one of those and I never thought to use it for that!:doh:

Me too. Thanks T.L.

[Ed Reiss]

Good tip TL :2tsup:

[orraloon]

Got one too but have not used it for that yet. Good tip.
Regards
John

[rsser]

Yeah, I had a metal one but bent a 'tooth'.

Wot TTIT said about the plakky version: there's not enough resistance to tooth movement so you can't really press it on.

Another option is a PVC or metal tube end of the right dimensions. Can't get all the way round obviously with a ball on a spindle but you can at the end of one.

[tea lady]

Yeah, I had a metal one but bent a 'tooth'.

Wot TTIT said about the plakky version: there's not enough resistance to tooth movement so you can't really press it on.

Another option is a PVC or metal tube end of the right dimensions. Can't get all the way round obviously with a ball on a spindle but you can at the end of one.Yeah! But the beauty of this way is you can do it on any sized spindle. :cool: No farting around to get the right sized tube. (Am I allowed to say farting? :C )

[joe greiner]

I have both, but I don't use them directly, because transferring measurements directly can introduce disturbance. Transfer the measurement to card stock, and cut out a template for application to the workpiece.

The wire fingers provide more precision, but they can be bent more easily, and become almost worthless.

BTW, there's also a 10-inch version of the plastic one - Grizzly H7378, for example.

Cheers,
Joe

[Texian]

Come to think of it, I have never used mine, for anything.

[tea lady]

Come to think of it, I have never used mine, for anything.Yes I've been hard pressed to find a use. That's why I was so proud of thinking up a use all by myself.

They are also good for checking to see if the inside of your foot ring lines up with the outside. As demonstrated by Ken Wraight, at the 2009 Kiewa Turn on.:cool:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f8/126796d1263427487t-kiewa-turn-get-together-2009-pics-kiewa35.jpg http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f8/126797d1263427487t-kiewa-turn-get-together-2009-pics-kiewa36.jpg

[Sawdust Maker]

good idea TL :2tsup:

haven't tried to make a ball yet
and I'm sure that when I get a round tuit I'll forget this great idea - short term memory loss stuff :doh:

[Cliff Rogers]

:2tsup:

[nalmo]

I use a set of forstener bits or hole saws to cut a hole in thin MDF. Then I cut out various lengths of the arc of the circle to use as a template.

Turn the stock to the diameter of the hole you cut in the MDF and use the templates parallel to the axis of the lathe to make sure you are turning a spherical shape.

[TTIT]

I use a set of forstener bits or hole saws to cut a hole in thin MDF. Then I cut out various lengths of the arc of the circle to use as a template.

Turn the stock to the diameter of the hole you cut in the MDF and use the templates parallel to the axis of the lathe to make sure you are turning a spherical shape....but the beauty of the profile gauge is that you don't have to aim for a specific diameter - you just set it at whatever diameter your blank happens to end up :2tsup:

[Ozkaban]

...but the beauty of the profile gauge is that you don't have to aim for a specific diameter - you just set it at whatever diameter your blank happens to end up :2tsup:

I've always used Nalmo's method with the forstner bits. Works pretty well though I think your point has a lot of.merit, TTIT. Will give it a go.

BTW, work have shipped me off to.Melbourne for a day. I've heard there are some woodworkers down here somewhere but I'm not sure :whatonearth: :D. Sightseeing limited to inside of taxi and airport :(

Cheers,
Dave