Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Cutting a perfect round ball…is not an easy task. Years ago I bought a generic circle cutter that chucks into the drill press. The idea is to drill halfway with one side of the bit, using the center drill bit to create a hole that helps line up the second side to finish the sphere. The problem with this is that it’s very difficult to get things lined up…so difficult, I gave up on it.
If you have a lathe…I found a trick that works much better. First we’ll chuck up a piece of stock that’s slightly larger than the ball we want to make. Turn the center round. Next, take a piece of conduit matching the final size of your ball. Chuck up a step bit and round the inside of the conduit until you get a sharp edge. We can now start it on the lathe to find our edges and we’ll use a skew chisel to rough out the ball. Then, take your sharpened conduit, rotate it, and gently push it into the stock.
When I’m done I can cut the end off, round it over and bring it back to the bench. By rolling the ball inside the conduit, I can clean the nib off…and there you have it a very round ball.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Les N.
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
Cutting a perfect round ball…is not an easy task. Years ago I bought a generic circle cutter that chucks into the drill press. The idea is to drill halfway with one side of the bit, using the center drill bit to create a hole that helps line up the second side to finish the sphere. The problem with this is that it’s very difficult to get things lined up…so difficult, I gave up on it.
If you have a lathe…I found a trick that works much better. First we’ll chuck up a piece of stock that’s slightly larger than the ball we want to make. Turn the center round. Next, take a piece of conduit matching the final size of your ball. Chuck up a step bit and round the inside of the conduit until you get a sharp edge. We can now start it on the lathe to find our edges and we’ll use a skew chisel to rough out the ball. Then, take your sharpened conduit, rotate it, and gently push it into the stock.
When I’m done I can cut the end off, round it over and bring it back to the bench. By rolling the ball inside the conduit, I can clean the nib off…and there you have it a very round ball.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Les N.
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
