# Found a use for pen blank cut offs.



## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

I drill and tap billiard balls for handles on my reloaders. Saw a picture of a lidded box made from one and I figured it would be a good use for some pen blank cut offs. 

I know what a pool ball spinning at warp speed sounds like careening about the shop too!

This is the first one of these things I have ever tried. Holding the ball and centering things was a bit of a challenge. 

The design changed after it when on a walk-about, had to turn out some chips. 

As you can see the knob on top is a pen blank cut off. 









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## Mr Vic (Feb 14, 2017)

How did you mount on your lathe?


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

Mr Vic said:


> How did you mount on your lathe?





Not very well since it escaped and went berserk after bouncing off the top of my face shield. 


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## CREID (Feb 14, 2017)

2 ball in the ear pocket.


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## Mr Vic (Feb 14, 2017)

oldtoolsniper said:


> Mr Vic said:
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> 
> > How did you mount on your lathe?
> ...


 
How about an egg turning chuck. It can be modified to suit your design. Not my video but he has done some cool stuff. Warning no pens! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VHZgrkwugY


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

Mr Vic said:


> oldtoolsniper said:
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> > Mr Vic said:
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That's slick, I'll be in the plumbing section tomorrow morning. 

Here is what I ended up with. 

2" thick face plate mounted on a 1x8 nylock nut. Nylock part removed. It's recessed and epoxied. The locking nuts are tall enough that they don't bottom out. No,shimming required. 

Cap was made from 1/2" ish Baltic birch, screwed to the faceplate for drilling. 
I drilled a 2" hole though the assembly to seat the ball. 
The Baltic birch was then drilled to 2 1/8" to allow more exposure of the ball. 

Drilling this way centers the ball so you drill top dead center providing you drill with the lathe. 

This picture shows the ball getting the lid cut. The point of the live center is marking out my 1/4" drill spot after it's separated. The Baltic birch top or cap is still screwed on. 





This picture shows the ball held by the cap and some 2" screws. I would recommend highly that shorter ones are not used. Those balls are hard and run around a long time when they get loose. 





I did the bottom with a scroll chuck reversed into the hole after I finished hollowing it. 


The material turns easy if you know how to sharpen tools. You don't cut very much before you need to sharpen. 

Holding a slippery, perfectly round object is a fun challenge. Once you start you need to figure out how to dismount and remount the round ball in the same place. I found that to be very challenging. 

The numbers are right side up and upside down on the balls I have. I'm not a pool player so that might be normal. When using them as a reference it can throw you. It's round, both sides look the same but ones upside down. Mark one with a sharpie. 

I cut my lid with no thought on how to finish it. In hindsight I should have planned that out first. 

They polish up pretty easy with the white stuff and a buffer. 


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## Gin N' Tonic (Feb 14, 2017)

CREID said:


> 2 ball in the ear pocket.




Classic!


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

CREID said:


> 2 ball in the ear pocket.





This is how I learn. It's a Marine thing!


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## Gin N' Tonic (Feb 14, 2017)

I Challenge you to do it with a bowling ball!


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

Gin N' Tonic said:


> I Challenge you to do it with a bowling ball!





Hit myself in the head or make it into a lidded box? 


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## Gin N' Tonic (Feb 14, 2017)

oldtoolsniper said:


> Gin N' Tonic said:
> 
> 
> > I Challenge you to do it with a bowling ball!
> ...



Either one would due but I was thinking of the lidded box. I did one years ago and I used hollowing tools to do it. You got to be careful though, some of the newer balls may have a chunk of metal in them. I think it was to induce a curve or something.

IIRC, 
I used an old cheap urethane ball that I got from the goodwill. I think the lighter the ball the better because you will have a better chance of getting one that's built around a particleboard core. I was able to hollow it to 3/16". It finished up very nicely and I cut the finger holes from another contrasting ball to fit it as the lid. I'll have to see if I have a picture of it however I believe the pictures might have been lost to a hard drive failure some time ago (Remember to back up anything you want to keep!) I now pick up those USB thumb drives and back up onto them.... Must have about a hundred of them by now.

Note to self: You need a better plan of organization.


P.S: You're a funny guy!


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

Gin N' Tonic said:


> oldtoolsniper said:
> 
> 
> > Gin N' Tonic said:
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If I understand you correctly, what you are saying is, I need to buy a bigger lathe, invest in hollowing tools and start hoarding bowling balls. 

My neighbors already think I'm crazy. A truckload of bowling balls may get me committed!

How did you mount the thing.

 I had a tough time figuring out a little pool ball. There are examples of lidded boxes made from pool balls but hardly any information on how to do it. I presume those that make them are selling them and that makes them tight lipped as to how they accomplish the mission. 

Apparently the 8 balls are most desirable, they get more for them. That's odd because one comes in every set just like the 2 ball. Found a fellow on eBay making clocks out of them. $19 for everything but the 8 ball that's $29. He sells a lot of them. 

I don't make stuff to sell, I mostly gift it. 

I wonder who I would give a hollow bowling ball to?


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## jttheclockman (Feb 14, 2017)

hello Roy Nice job with the box. I have that on my to do list. I have the answer to the holding of the ball. I did a small tutorial that is in the library on how I make my clocks using billiard balls. You should check it out and if i can help let me know. 







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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 14, 2017)

jttheclockman said:


> hello Roy Nice job with the box. I have that on my to do list. I have the answer to the holding of the ball. I did a small tutorial that is in the library on how I make my clocks using billiard balls. You should check it out and if i can help let me know.
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I just went and read it, thank-you for pointing that out. You made a wooden collet. That just might be the ticket. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to re-orient it back in the same position easily. That being the first one I ever attempted and it sorta worked, I'm sure I'll figure it out. 




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## Charlie_W (Feb 14, 2017)

Super job on the pool ball lidded box!


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## Gin N' Tonic (Feb 15, 2017)

oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> If I understand you correctly, what you are saying is, I need to buy a bigger lathe, invest in hollowing tools and start hoarding bowling balls.



Yep, Then you can blame me if you get grief




			
				oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> My neighbors already think I'm crazy. A truckload of bowling balls may get me committed!



I think that Robert Plant sang it best in "Good Times, Bad times"

I don't care what the neighbors say.



			
				oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> How did you mount the thing.



Same way you did but on a larger scale




			
				oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> I had a tough time figuring out a little pool ball. There are examples of lidded boxes made from pool balls but hardly any information on how to do it. I presume those that make them are selling them and that makes them tight lipped as to how they accomplish the mission.



Ah, But you stuck to it and figured it out.




			
				oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> I don't make stuff to sell, I mostly gift it.



Okay....... But you could always try selling stuff to 



			
				oldtoolsniper; said:
			
		

> I wonder who I would give a hollow bowling ball to?




Maybe someone with a hollow head?


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 15, 2017)

Wanna do something fun? Take a billiard/pool ball and walk around the plumbing section shoving it into the fittings to see if it fits. Then when you find one it sticks in shake it vigorously to see if it will come loose. Trust me by the time you get to the other end to the aisle doing that everyone will be looking at you as will the eye and in the sky guy. 

It never occurred to me that this may be considered odd behavior. Clearly it is considered odd behavior even for Iowa. 


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## Cwalker935 (Feb 15, 2017)

That's cool.


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 15, 2017)

Here it is. It's a combined idea from both jttheclockman and Mr Vic. 

Here is a list of what I wanted for this ball gripper chuck thing. 

I needed it to grip the ball to prevent more dents in my helmet.

I needed to be able to easily adjust the ball to get the stripes parallel.

The end of the ball has to protrude far enough to part it off and form the lip. 

It needs to automatically center the ball for drilling top dead center on the lathe. 

I wanted something I could easily take off the lathe and remount. 

I wanted it to be easy for anyone to make using common materials from the hardware store. 

For about $5 and twenty minutes time here is the "JT VIC Ball Gripper" in action!








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## jttheclockman (Feb 15, 2017)

Need to stop the lathe so we can actually see it. :biggrin:


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 15, 2017)

I will do a step by step in the morning with pictures. 


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## oldtoolsniper (Feb 16, 2017)

I did a quick step by step under this title in other things we make. 

Billiard /Pool ball lidded box chuck


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