Hand turning wood balls is a fun and challenging project. It's a project that starts out as a spindle, between centers. When you're done step 1, you have a rounded shape with thin tenons. Now you have to remove the tenons, so you trim the tenons (often with a handsaw) mount the wood between custom turned wood cup chucks and turn off the tenons. Then the last step is your rotate the wood one more time into axis 3 for the final turning. Yes, it's a 3-axis project which gives it the challenge.
You can find projects on turning balls here and you can also look at "spheres" which are similar (if not the same) turnings.
If you can't imagine why you might want to do this, just picture a bowl of balls made from all kinds of different woods! It would be a wood lovers dream!!
John Tolly shows how to make a ball and then cut it in half in order to hollow out. This is a fun project and when it is done, it will really confuse your friends how you made it.
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