So much for the up and over ball turner.

**Anorak Bob** · 18th November 2011, 06:06 PM

I have a smallish 55mm x 55 mm C.C.Craley boring head that I thought I may be able to press into action as a ball turner. Alas every permutation I tried fell short of providing sufficient room for a cutter let alone a ball. The down side of owing a small lathe.

The first photos are of a Hercus slide and indexer supporting the boring head. Then there is a Myford milling attachment that allows for the retention of the compound slide but requires too much overhang and loses all rigidity. A final shots are of the head attached, pretend fashion, to the toolpost. Any way I look at it, this method won't work so I will have to make a vertical axis ball turner.

A fellow I know, a machinist, reckons a ball turner incorporating a worm feed is the way to go but the additional complexity is a bit off putting. There are myriad ball turner designs featured on the net. Hardinge offered a beauty for the HLV-H. Schaublin featured both gear driven and hand operated turners in their catalogues. Alan "C-47" showed me a beautiful turner that he had acquired a while back and with his permission, I would post some photos of it.

Any favourite designs or suggestions? Something that incorporates travel stops has an appeal.

BT

**new_guy90** · 18th November 2011, 07:25 PM

BT Great thread, I to have been thinking of a ball turning and only this afternoon i looked at a bit of steel and thought "I wonder what ill use that for.." NOW I know! thanks BT

I fella over on PM was building a monster ball turner but he seems to have put it on hold. I would love to make a big one that will bolt right where my compound slide is, have the max depth possible and with a worm feed mentioned above but setting the cutter height simply has me stumped

**Stustoys** · 18th November 2011, 08:05 PM

Hi BT,
I'm a little confused, all the ball turners I have seen have rotated around the vertical axis, were you trying to make one that rotated around the horizontal axis? Or am I missing something again?

Stuart

**Anorak Bob** · 18th November 2011, 08:46 PM

Along these lines Stu.

Tom's Site - Boring Head Ball Turner

**Stustoys** · 18th November 2011, 09:38 PM

Hi BT,
Thanks for the link,
Few thoughts.
Just how big a ball do you want to make?
Could you move the post for the QCTP back in the Tee slot of the compound?
Does turning the compound to 90 and winding it right back help? or if you wont be using the tail stock for support, -45 and wind the compound all the way forward.
After all that, why not move the axis of the boring head far enough from the tool post the you can set it back like this one(from your link)
http://thebloughs.net/hobbies/metalw...post_front.jpg

Or am I missing something again?

Stuart

**Anorak Bob** · 18th November 2011, 10:56 PM

No Stu,

It's me that missed something.

Looks like I was too eager to toss in the towel. 45 degrees away from the chuck offers promise. I just had a brief look at the setup and I might be able to come up with something. It would necessitate the making of a new tool holder and if I make one I may as well make half a dozen.

BT

**aametalmaster** · 19th November 2011, 11:23 AM

I built a monster ball turner and can do 6"+ balls on my 15" lathe. I just got some 6" round stock to make some really big ones. Don't know what i will do with them. I have a smaller version on my SB 10K lathe and can do 3"+ easily. Here is a 3" ball just trying it out
Plans and pics are here>>> southbend10k : SouthBendLathe10k and lathe projects. ...Bob

Thread: So much for the up and over ball turner.

Thread Tools

Search Thread

So much for the up and over ball turner.

Similar Threads

log turner

Looking for a turner to do a job for me

Ball Turner from plans.

New Turner

New turner!

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions