Thread: Ball Turning Tool

I'll wait till you make it over here. I'm sure I can find something to occupy myself with in the meantime.

Go to bed.

BT

[QUOTE=Anorak Bob;1595427

Go to bed.

BT[/QUOTE]

Can't. At this time last night we were climbing put of Shanghai, heading east towards Japan before the turn towards Guam. So now I am on the night shift for a few days.

Plus, I am giddy from the fumes of turps. I have been cleaning Twoey tonight. So far got about three litres of swarf and two rolls of blue towels gone. I might be almost halfway there. Once the gross cleaning is done I need to peel back all the bellows...I'm sure theres another kilo of chips and swarf under them.

I had no appreciation of how big a six inch Vertex vise on a swivel base is. Must be 60 kgs all by itself.

GQ

Originally Posted by Greg Q

Can't. At this time last night we were climbing put of Shanghai, heading east towards Japan before the turn towards Guam. So now I am on the night shift for a few days.

Plus, I am giddy from the fumes of turps. I have been cleaning Twoey tonight. So far got about three litres of swarf and two rolls of blue towels gone. I might be almost halfway there. Once the gross cleaning is done I need to peel back all the bellows...I'm sure theres another kilo of chips and swarf under them.

I had no appreciation of how big a six inch Vertex vise on a swivel base is. Must be 60 kgs all by itself.

GQ

Ah ha. Vertex is Taiwanese for Kurt.

Forget the Melbourne. Want me to post over the Coolpix?

BT

Well that ball turner has caused me to come out lurking to say that it looks absolutely fantastic.
I think it's going to take me a few years to get a ball turner looking as nice. Thanks for sharing Anorak Bob

Mike.

Originally Posted by minimike

Well that ball turner has caused me to come out lurking to say that it looks absolutely fantastic.
I think it's going to take me a few years to get a ball turner looking as nice. Thanks for sharing Anorak Bob

Mike.

Glad it did the trick. Welcome to the Forum Mike.

Bob.

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Ah ha. Vertex is Taiwanese for Kurt.

Forget the Melbourne. Want me to post over the Coolpix?

BT

I am amazed at the quality of the Vertex vise. It looks like everything you could hope for: solid, no jaw lift, chunky. I have a 4" Glacern vise for the FP-1, and this Vertex looks to be as accurate. The Glacern is reputed to be as good as a Kurt; this Vertex is that good too. No lift on the jaws, dead nuts parallel. I have a six inch Rohm for Twoey, so the Vertex will be sold off to fund more repair parts.

Greg

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Thanks Stu.

I was thinking of giving the steel bits a dunk. The knurled collar started off as a non descript scrap. Chipped nicely when turned. I don't know if it's 1214, I was hoping it wasn't. The black might keep the rust at bay if it is that gumby stuff.

BT

Well the dunking wasn't flash so I cleaned its effects off and coloured the tool post with the Mapp torch. Nicer bluey purple result. I'm thinking the Blackfast is better suited to cast iron. BobL's acid fuming technique is something else I need to pursue.

BT

You win BT, looks great!

Stuart

Looks good Bob Now isn't that better than painting one window???

Did you use linseed or similar to blacken, or is it just heated until bluey purple?

As I seem to be one of the few without a ball turning device, I finally got around to making one (oh, and the need to make up a handle for the shaper)
The design was inspired by a picture in a NEME-S newsletter (NEMES site - NEMES Home Page) where a member had made a turner that fitted the QCTP on his lathe - neater I think than removing the tool post. I did think about a side to end type but the up and over style appealed to me because it can have fine adjustment more easily incorporated.
The version I eventually made can sweep a radius close to 75mm, so I could do a 6 inch ball if I wanted to (why?), and the knurled knob on top gives me around 30mm of adjustment so I can adjust DOC. The dovetail is secured using a gib. Some parts (such as the handle) are still in development and the more observant may notice that I haven't yet cleaned all the blue off but I wanted to try it out. I'm still debating whether a worm drive is needed. For small balls no, but larger ones may perhaps benefit. Pictured is a nylon ball around 35mm in diameter and on the lathe is a steel ball around 1/2" diameter. The cutter is just a piece of broken off tap - I know none of you guys ever break them but I being impatient and kacky handed have a couple around...

P1010573 (Medium).JPG

Michael

Neat Michael,

Your turner has the advantage of a controllable slide. I also like the facility in yours for additional cutter placement. I had fooled around, spurred on by laziness, with the idea of an up and over setup based on existing parts but discovered that I didn't have enough room (sounds like a theme). https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/so...9/#post1403079

Previously I had said I'd post some Schaublin ball turner images. I'll get onto it. What's interesting, for me anyway, is that the turner for the 150 is an up an over.

BT


I got onto it. First two photos are from a 1943 SV70 catalogue. Next is the beautiful turner featured in the 102 catalogue from 1966. Then the more rationalised design from 1984 for the 70 lathe followed by the '76 150.
Finally a 102 turner belonging to Tien Nguyen Binh "Deckelite", a regular poster on PM and the French forum Usinages and the owner of some of the most wondrous machines I've seen.

ps. I just realised I hadn't answered Ewan's question about the colouring of the steel. I've never tried linseed. I've found that carbonised sump oil rubs off. Is linseed any better? The blue purple is torched and quenched in the same filthy sump oil. It doesn't carbonise because the steel is not as hot. I guess I could use clean oil, it wouldn't make such a mess on the concrete shed floor.

Nice work Michael,
I too like the adjustment, much better than on my factory one, where the only adjustment is how far out the cutter is hanging......
Picture saved for yet another future project.....

Bob, what you can't see from that picture is that the tool holder has a large step cut into it (around 25mm) to provide more room - I figured that the shaft had to be rock solid in the rotating dovetail so the interface is long. When I started putting things together I decided I'd better step the tool holder or I'd have a similar problem. The back surface of that part clears the tool post by 1 to 2mm. I also trimmed down both the dove tail parts so that I managed maximum clearance to the spindle centreline.

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

Bob, what you can't see from that picture is that the tool holder has a large step cut into it (around 25mm) to provide more room - I figured that the shaft had to be rock solid in the rotating dovetail so the interface is long. When I started putting things together I decided I'd better step the tool holder or I'd have a similar problem. The back surface of that part clears the tool post by 1 to 2mm. I also trimmed down both the dove tail parts so that I managed maximum clearance to the spindle centreline.

Michael

I'm not trying to be a pain Michael but is there any chance of a few more photos?