Bowling Balls

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workinforwood

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Mar 1, 2007
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Eaton Rapids, Michigan, USA.
I bought 3 bowling balls really cheap at a garage sale yesterday. This morning I decided to cut them in half. It's going fine until I get near the center, then the saw won't move forward anymore, not a cheap blade, not a cheap saw! It's like there's metal in the middle, it's just tossing sparks, so I start rotating ball until I saw all around whatever it won't cut. I grabbed a couple chisels, pounded them in and pry ball apart to reveal what is in the middle. It appears to be a ceramic ball. My blade is very nice and trashed, and cutting these balls is making so much smoke you can't breath with a mask on or off and the doors open. They don't look anything like the pictures that Bruce was showing of his balls, uh bowling balls that is! One is blue the other two this funky green pearl. Seems to be full of epoxy inside. The second ball I did not cut in half, I cut it off to one side, so I don't know if this ceramic thing is in it too. I can't seem to get that ceramic thing to come out, I've been pounding on it with a small sledge. These do not cut well at all, although my now dull blade is likely half the problem, since the piece I have that's small enough to enter the table saw cuts just fine. What is in these? Any suggestions how to get that ceramic out? Is that stuff inside any good for anything? I noticed a blank that I did cut that has a lot of the inside stuff, if I throw it on the floor, the inside breaks loose from the outside. OH...think if I make a pen that I'll need to paint the tubes?
 

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arjudy

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Feb 27, 2005
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Some bowling balls have counterweights in them to give them more action as they roll down the alley. These types of balls are usually drilled in the fingertip format so that they will hook into the pocket when thrown correctly. Watch out for the reactive type covers on the balls. My mother had one of those that cracked because of keeping it in the attic and when I made pens out of it the resin shrunk on the tubes lengthwise exposing the brass tubes. Sorry to hear about your blade.
 

bruce119

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Jul 30, 2007
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Franklin, NC, USA.
Ahhhh now you know the fun of cutting bowling balls. And everyone will be different. I swear they fill those thing with a mixture of concrete granite and metal chips. I use 3 different saws and 2 sanders. Basically it's like cutting up a water melon. A concrete mixed with iron in the center one but what you want is the rhine. There is a tutorial that gives you some tips on cutting bowling balls in the library by Alice Call here is a link it is a PDF http://content.penturners.org/articles/2005/cuttingbowlingballs.pdf

I will give you one tip. I start out now cutting them in half with a chop saw with a mason cut all blade. It goes rite though it then it's off to band saw to ruin a few blades.

Bruce
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GBusardo

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Dec 8, 2005
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Beachwood, NJ, USA.
So the moral to this story is - buy you bowling ball blanks from Bruce! lol :biggrin:


I second that! Is it worth buying specialty blades and going through all that work? Now if you can get your hands on an old hard rubber black ball. it might be worth it. I think the old cover stocks are thicker also.
 

the_benz

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Mar 26, 2008
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Amherst, Ohio, USA.
Look for lite balls

I have cut several bowling balls on the bandsaw. The one thing I have noticed is if you get the kids weight balls < 12 lbs. there is not much weighting inside. The core is a little harder then foam insulation. Also the newer the better. The old balls have all kinds a crap in the core as mentioned earlier in the thread.
Gregg
 

JohnU

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Jan 31, 2008
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Ottawa, Illinois
Now I dont feel so bad. I started cutting an old bowling ball about three months ago. I made one slice. Managed to cut it into four strips, bent 2 blades, and put one heck of a blood blister on my hand to do it. After I finally cut the center uncutable stuff off of them and baked them to flatten, I broke two, and I still havent made a pen out of it. Im still debating on if Im going to cut on it again.
 

bruce119

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Franklin, NC, USA.
Now I dont feel so bad. I started cutting an old bowling ball about three months ago. I made one slice. Managed to cut it into four strips, bent 2 blades, and put one heck of a blood blister on my hand to do it. After I finally cut the center uncutable stuff off of them and baked them to flatten, I broke two, and I still havent made a pen out of it. Im still debating on if Im going to cut on it again.


When I heated them to straighten. I would say most cracked. Maybe 2 out of 10 didn't crack. Think about this take your pieces however thick they are 5/8-3/4 then cut them 3/4" square or larger sand a flat spot top & bottom drill them to fit your tube epoxy them stack em up on the tube clamp let dry then turn Chances are if you got a good fit it will be hard to see the seams. Even better use black epoxy use a lot so you have a gap a black or white line in-between the pieces. I've done this and it looks good then you don't waist all those broken unusable small pieces.

OR you could always send them to me. :smile-big:
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workinforwood

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Eaton Rapids, Michigan, USA.
My balls have alot of meat to them, so I don't need to try any straightening or laminating. I haven't had a chance to spin any, but I did drill some and install tubes. The material drills really nice, no melting or elongating of the holes.
 

bruce119

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My balls have alot of meat to them, so I don't need to try any straightening or laminating. I haven't had a chance to spin any, but I did drill some and install tubes. The material drills really nice, no melting or elongating of the holes.

All the bowling ball material I have worked with turns great and polishes like glass. You should be very happy with it. :wink:

Oh and those with a lot of meat on them out of the 30 plus balls I cut I had one like that. I think maybe it is a newer more expensive type ball. I don't really know most of my balls are alley house balls and from the thrift stores.
 
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