Lathe Ball Turning Attachment Build

G'day everyone,
In todays video I will be showing you the process that I undertook to make a ball turning attachment for the mini lathe. There are many different styles of ball turners, each with their own pros and cons. For my ball turner, I wanted to make it so that it was easy to make using the tools that I had on hand, and work with the quick change tool post.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Making The tool Post Holder
3:29 - Making The Making Body Housing
5:59 - Machining The Ball Tuner Shaft
7:58 - Making The Cutting Head
13:43 - Making The Leadscrew
15:34 - Welding...
16:29 - Cutting Head Clean Up
16:54 - First Assembly
17:43 - Modifying The Coupler Nut
18:13 - Making The Handle
19:24 - Making The Height Adjustment
20:18 - Making The Cutter
22:00 - Testing The Ball Turner
#machining #DIY #lathe
lathe ball turner
lathe radius turner

[@mike0rr]

That was so poetic to have a tool finish making itself.

[@maxtrehus602]

Someone get this man a port-a-band! Excellent videos! Im trying to watch them all

[@peter.stimpel]

What will happen to this channel once a machine saw enters the shop?

[@jasonpohl2931]

Nothing can replace the giant jack saw :(

[@OhHeyTrevorFlowers]

We’ll get twice as many videos. 😺

[@robfrancis8830]

I think its what identify this channel.

[@orion7353]

Possibly more videos because he didn't take half the week cutting a block of steel in half! 😁

[@an2thea514]

For the record, he does have an angle grinder

[@one4stevo]

Nice job. Can i suggest next project, a Bandsaw build. be alot quicker then the old hacksaw

[@daniwalmsley611]

I've never seen a ball turner mounted that way, it makes a lot more sense for a mini lathe as you don't need to worry about the tailstock getting in the way

[@travisfann2330]

What you and Quinn can do with bench top lathes and mills is quite astounding. I have very large lathes and mills at my disposal but I never have enough time to do these types of projects. I’ve been relegated to buying most of my tooling due to these time constraints. I shall machine these fun projects vicariously through channels such as yours. Great work!!!

[@MRunar007]

I guess it does not take long before you have a custom ball on all your handles :) , so inspiring to watch , thank you

[@snatchie715]

Great video as always, Here is some unsolicited advise, ignore it if you want to, would recommend placing zinc plated steels in a container with vinegar so that way the acidity of the vinegar will strip the zinc off whatever steel and save your lungs when welding, plus wire brushing the schmutz/residue that it leaves behind after the vinegar bath.

[@autumn5592]

Or wear a respirator?

[@DavidLindes]

Cool! I like how the button cutter (20:32) ends up leaving a radius in the final part, where the travel of the cut ends (see 24:10). That's not always what one would want, but it's perfect for this usage! Nice smooth transition between sphere and cylinder. Nice work!

[@jaggederest]

I have to say, I believe it's traditional to turn two brass spheres first, so as to be able to respond affirmatively to questions about your courage. Good project, doesn't just let you turn spheres, if you use the compound to angle the rotation of the tool, you can turn all kinds of conic sections, ellipses, and so forth. Say, should you ever need a doorknob or drawer pull which is not a perfect sphere. It's been a while since I did the math on those kind of things but I think a bit of trial could get you some very fine results.

[@artisanmakes]

That is a great point, that didn't occur to me.

[@TalRohan]

its been a long time since I used a metalworking lathe but you are doing a great job of reminding me how to do things..awesome videos thankyou.

[@MrBCRC]

Love it. There's some great info in there and I love the mini trolling with the hacksawing and even leaving the stalls in. I know I get lots of stalls with my lathe.

[@aguywithamustache9819]

That is so cool, I've never seen this type of radius cutter. Guess I've got a project for the next time the machine shop has down time!

[@MrNutter13]

Filler and paint make me the welder I ain’t 👍🏻😂 great job works a treat 👍🏻👍🏻

[@dougm7817]

Very nice job with the limitations of a mini lathe' you can get longer tool life and better finishes with lower speeds with high speed steel. Machining is all about speeds and feeds. I've been a machinist for over 40 yrs. Over all good job

[@larryschweitzer4904]

I am surprised he uses carbide inserts.

[@kathleenfoster9887]

Bruce here,Again a great project beautifully presented. My suggestion is make a powered hacksaw.I had one and sold it once I acquired a band saw and wish I had it back because you can use blades that are much cheaper than bandsaw blades and it seems to be a great compromise between doing it by hand and a much more expensive and complicated machine. Thanks for what you share on UTube.

[@McKildafor]

One more great video of making tools and showing skills. I could watch that flycutter cutting all day. Thanks for your time bro.

[@ronmurphy9819]

Well done. I’ve been trying to think up one in my head for a while now. Thanks Ron

[@Darren_Barclay]

Very nice man, always impressed with your builds and they always inspire. Good job man and keep at it.

[@WheatMillington]

Man your videos are fantastic. Another awesome project. I'm constantly amazed at the great work you're able to do on such small equipment.

[@robertbutler8004]

Chris Doms that is exactly what my sister-in-law said to me the other night the bit about small equipment.

[@seansysig]

Kudos, I wish my little lathe had such tooling as you make.

[@philmenzies2477]

Nice work. Making a tool to finish off a tool.. I remember doing my apprenticeship, and all we had for a ball turner was co-ordinated left and and right hands on the saddle and cross slide! Many a tulip or mushroom where shaped....

[@ego73]

Your hacksaw is beginning to be your brand. Splendid presentation. Looking forward to your next.

[@larrypalmer7136]

Very well done video with impressive and creative machine work. One thing I'd like to see in the mill work is how you do the setups, I'm new to the mill and I think it would be helpful. Thanks for your outside the box ideas and projects.

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

Interesting. It took all the way to the end until i could understand how this setup would work, but then it was very impressive how well it worked in that (unintuitive) way. Kudos.

[@axa.axa.]

Somebody get this bloke a portaband already

[@dondawson7409]

Fantastic job, will be putting it on my to do list

[@matthewsimmons6831]

Nice design and resulting tool. I love the integration to the quick change tool post.

[@KallePihlajasaari]

This was my fav point too. Lots of special tools gather dust because setup is a pain, this is no fuss to fit.

[@homemadetools]

Nicely designed ball turner. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@roberttownshend3050]

I really like the idea of using a round insert. It gives a good looking junction of the turned ball to the shaft.

[@roberttownshend3050]

I tried to add a dropbox reference to pictures of my 3D printed ball turner (design model and guide to making the real one), but youtube didn't let me.

[@robertharper8776]

very well done and i enjoyed your take on tool thank you !

[@rexmyers991]

EXCELLENT presentation! Thank you for sharing.

[@Convolutedtubules]

Great idea and wonderful end results.

[@bluejayfabrications2216]

I like the end result the surface finish looks great

[@vivigarr]

This is what I got a lathe for really, was to turn ball shaped objects among other things - but my main project was to make a shifter ball for my car lol I've seen a lot of different ways of doing this. From just a simple turn table to a tool post holder for a boring head. Always interesting to see how people tackle this type of tool. You should make a handwheel to attach to your powerfeed gear since you don't use power threading often. Seems like that hex key has to get annoying / painful to use after a while.

[@angelramos-2005]

Great project,man.Thank you.

[@chopper3lw]

Super nice job. I learned something new today, thanks.

[@abuelitojuke8595]

Excelente idea y muy buen resultado, gracias por compartir tus ideas maestro , un saludo y muy respeto !!!!! .

[@gagasmancave8859]

Nice one chap I might have to add this to my project list

[@the4thj]

Best style I have seen.

[@tdck2978]

I've got to make me one of these. I've seen other designs and I think yours is way better built. thanks for sharing.

[@daveharriman2756]

Just fabulous!

[@jeromegutierrez4149]

As always great video well design ball turner

[@jalechavez6042]

Genial...!!...Excelente la presión y belleza de trabajar los metales...Gracias por Compartir.... Saludosss..

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Looks great , works great !

[@grahameblankley3813]

I really look forward to watching your videos, this one very interesting thank you👍🇬🇧.

[@JETHO321]

Dude that's dope as hell!

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday, this is the same configuration as I made and it works quite well, good simple design, great job, Cheers

[@fredford7642]

Very good video, with excellent description of various procedures.

[@VladiFx]

Tool making itself. :D Great project!

[@paulthomas3782]

Well done excellent piece of work. Cheers.

[@Self_Evident]

A note about thrust bearings: the two races may not be identical. One will have a precise I.D., and a slightly _under_-size O.D. The other will have a precise O.D., and a slightly _OVER_-size I.D. The first is meant to turn/spin with whatever passes thru the bore, with clearance for the "outer" object. The second is meant to turn/spin with the outer object, with clearance for whatever passes thru the bore. This is because the two races always turn in opposite directions, relative to each other. I discovered this when adding thrust bearings to the compound of my mini-lathe. In this case, one race turns with the cross-feed screw, but must have O.D. clearance so it doesn't bind against the compound. The other race contacts the compound and does not turn, so it must have clearance for the cross-feed screw to turn freely. Now depending on the application, it may not make a difference in practice. But, it's something to be aware of.

[@saramelian8867]

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfr

[@BROCKWOOD64]

Very nice! I like the round cutter. Looks like my boring head will get a 2nd purpose.

[@rayfalcone6897]

thanks for sharing,enjoyed your video

[@stanjarmolowicz]

well done! ..thank you for sharing , i'll build one as well

[@trollforge]

Awesome job!

[@ferrumignis]

Really nice design and well executed (as always). I have a ball turner like the 0:25 design and whilst it does the job it's hard to adjust the radius accurately and it's not very rigid when there is a lot of tool stick out.

[@HairyNumbNuts]

It's not his design. It's a well known technique. He doesn't like to admit that he copies most of his stuff from KZbin videos, in this case from kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3K4gXWgbch1h5o&ab_channel=AdeSwash

[@ngauge22]

I've commented before on this project and I'm back considering the task myself, without the lighting and camera setup. I must say that I really appreciate the way you break your videos into chapters for ease of reviewing. Not many, if any others I'm subscribed to, do this. It's just one long video usually. You never mention plans and I was wondering if you work your projects as you go or do you actually have plans or drawing that you follow? After all, we all know that sometimes the finished item is not the fist attempt but the 3rd, 4th or Nth and drawing or plans would surely cut down that trial and error. Thanks again for your time and responses.

[@melgross]

I have to admire your ability to do all of these projects from scratch. These days, I tend to buy as much of it as I can. So I would have bought a cheap boring head to use for it and made the rest. The only thing I find that makes me somewhat cringy is that there is no way I would hacksaw everything the way you do. That’s just too much for me even though I’ve got three hacksaws.

[@stijndepuydt5644]

Thats so nice! Very intresting project

[@brandontscheschlog]

Nice work! Love your channel!

[@obe726]

That was awesome dude.

[@bertjankosters]

Well done!

[@rescobar8572]

EXCELLENT JOB AND VIDEO!!

[@robgoodsight6216]

👍👍👍 well done!

[@larryschweitzer4904]

Nicely done. Maybe you like the exercise but a power saw (as others have suggested!) You could cheat and show using your trusty hacksaw and finish the cut with power. Hand held bandsaws are relatively cheap & can be converted to vertical if desired.

[@colvinator1611]

Excellent video. Very interesting. Thanks a lot.

[@bryansenulis7242]

Wow that smart...I never thought about that way or style. Impressive brother 👍

[@tornerongkamayvlog1009]

Like nice tools thank you for sharing

[@daveys]

Nice job, well done!

[@leec2106]

I like it a lot, I may look into making one for myself. Lee

[@dermotkelly2289]

Very good stuff. I have never seen your channel before. I hope to get a workshop built soon and buy myself a lathe. I live in Thailand so I think it will have to be an Asian lathe because of the cost of shipping from the U.K or Europe

[@liampollard2908]

Impressive!

[@aceseights1739]

Hi from Australia, great chanell. We have a saw in Australia called a band saw and they work great for cutting through steel etc. Ha Ha. Great I like watching your videos. Regards Merv

[@Sherwin657]

Very cool design

[@brauliovilleda1342]

Buenos días gracias por compartir tus conocimientos es una buena herramientas

[@fenchelteefee]

Great vid

[@rlabiche]

awesome he is doing great for the tools he has

[@sjberden]

That was awesome Thanks.

[@michaelbabatunde3915]

Very interesting and encouraging innovation Thanks so much 🙏

[@onepairofhands]

nicely done

[@christopherbrown6152]

Have you ever thought about taking the blade from the hack saw, streching it out and welding the ends together? You could then place a couple of wheels one over the other and place the blade over them? Just spin one of the wheels and blade would recirculate itself?

[@artisanmakes]

We may never know

[@shipsofscale]

Really amazing work

[@scottyjordan9023]

Awesome video

[@Lwimmermastermetalart]

I wish I was your hack saw blade salesperson. I’d probably make enough to buy a power saw 😂

[@sparkiekosten5902]

That's Schmicko! With all the moving parts which could cause chatter it really came together well. By the way did ya know bees are allergic to honey? They break out in hives....I'll see myself out!

[@texasermd1]

Kule project!

[@JohnDoe-yq9ml]

Absolutely no idea what this is or what it’s used for but I enjoy watching people make things with precision.

[@adriankohli4870]

Top Job, Sir👌

[@kurtkrause7151]

Ditto that!! (a bandsaw would save you enough energy for more vid's). Great job!!

[@cattleNhay]

Now you can turn some awsome spinner tops..also good for subscriber welcome gifts

[@donotwantahandle1111]

Nice job!

[@TheAlfieobanz]

Love you vids AM. You just roll with it.

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou, glad you enjoy them

[@flocksbyknight]

Well done 🙏

[@garygruber1452]

well done!

[@LANless]

Very nice, looks a bit like the Radford design which I hear is great.

[@scottshankoff8145]

Nice build, handy tool! I do like the fact that you used a round cutting tool, this will make set ups much easier. I will be making this for my machine, just a tad bit larger though, thanks for the inspiration!

[@ludditetechnologies]

Fantastic

[@doylerabjohn3435]

Nice job

[@juanignaciocaino]

brilliant