# ball turning



## kd0afk (Aug 18, 2013)

I need to make three brass balls but I don't have a ball turning jig. Is there a free software out there that will take the size of ball and calculate what my roughing steps should be. In other words, a list of distances I need my tool to travel in x and y so as to make the rough cuts. I can smooth it out with a file but I need a way to make the rough cuts accurately.


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## canadianhorsepower (Aug 18, 2013)

you can do that with CAD 
draw your ball to size then use your cutter radius
and mark your spot


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## Tin Falcon (Aug 18, 2013)

Yes go to Marv Klotz web site he has a free program to do exactly what you ask.  

Alternatively you can set your compound at 45 degrees then 22 then 67 it shroud get you close enough to file.

or draw the radius on a piece of graph paper that will give you your x and y(Z)



So we gave you 4 options .confused yet 
Tin


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## kd0afk (Aug 18, 2013)

I downloaded Marv Klotz's program but it is not for a 64 bit computer. Any programs like it for 64 bit?


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## easymike29 (Aug 18, 2013)

I have created a spreadsheet to do this. If you make your steps small enough there will be little work to get to the finished product. I'll attach it if anyone is interested.

Gene


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## kd0afk (Aug 18, 2013)

That would be swell, thanks.


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## easymike29 (Aug 18, 2013)

kd0afk said:


> That would be swell, thanks.



Here it is

Gene 

View attachment Outrad4.xls


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## kd0afk (Aug 19, 2013)

I got the file I'm very confused about the degrees part of it on the right side. I'm guessing it's a way to chamfer  the corners but can someone explain to me how that works.
Thanks, by the way for the file.


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## kvom (Aug 19, 2013)

kd0afk said:


> I downloaded Marv Klotz's program but it is not for a 64 bit computer. Any programs like it for 64 bit?



Get the DosBox program from here:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/dosbox/

Allows running 32 bit DOS programs on 64-bit windows.  Works perfectly for Marv's programs.


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## easymike29 (Aug 19, 2013)

kd0afk said:


> I got the file I'm very confused about the degrees part of it on the right side. I'm guessing it's a way to chamfer  the corners but can someone explain to me how that works.
> Thanks, by the way for the file.



Some users prefer to work in degrees rather than a constant X increment. You have your choice. It really makes no difference.

Gene


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## kd0afk (Aug 19, 2013)

kvom said:


> Get the DosBox program from here:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/dosbox/
> 
> Allows running 32 bit DOS programs on 64-bit windows.  Works perfectly for Marv's programs.



How do I install dosbox?


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## blighty (Aug 19, 2013)

or you could make a follower......... hope the pic will explain it.


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## Forestgnome (Aug 20, 2013)

You can also make a manual tracer. Just stick a wire to the top slide with a magnet to use as a pointer, and attach a 1:1 scale drawing of the curve to somewhere on the bed, and bend the wire to point to the drawing. Then you can cut to the line on the drawing.


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## kd0afk (Aug 23, 2013)

I was thinking about it today and a quicker method would be just to take the cylindrical stock and put a 45 degree chamfer on the end till the chamfer is the same width as the remaining face. Reverse the angle on the compound so its 180 degrees to the 45 that I was just at. Machine the champ for so that it starts the same distance as the width of the previous chamfer and face so basically I'm just making faces that are all the same with then file the whole thing down and make to make it roll my eyes and I just keep dividing the angles 45 degrees on the first cut and on the second cut 22.5 inches and so on


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