Woodchipper
Member
Saw some examples of Christmas ornaments where one sphere was a golf ball. OK, how do I drill a hole in the exact center for the top and finial?
Drilling a sphere?
- Thread starter Woodchipper
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Two thoughts on this, one much easier than the other....
Option 1 - Use your pen jaws to hold the ball and a jacobs chuck with a drill bit to drill the hole all the way through the ball
Option 2 - Grab a scrap piece of lumber and mount it on your faceplate, drill through it, turn a small depression that will fit the golf ball. Once you take the lumber off the face plate you'll have a hole that is centered on the depression. You can set the lumber on your drill press and use it to line up the drill bit on your drill press. The ball sits in the depression and everything is lined up.
I have used Option 2 to drill through a softball to make a pitching aid for my daughter. Option 1 is much easier if you can use a through hole.
Someone else may have a better solution but these are the first two that come to mind for me.
Option 1 - Use your pen jaws to hold the ball and a jacobs chuck with a drill bit to drill the hole all the way through the ball
Option 2 - Grab a scrap piece of lumber and mount it on your faceplate, drill through it, turn a small depression that will fit the golf ball. Once you take the lumber off the face plate you'll have a hole that is centered on the depression. You can set the lumber on your drill press and use it to line up the drill bit on your drill press. The ball sits in the depression and everything is lined up.
I have used Option 2 to drill through a softball to make a pitching aid for my daughter. Option 1 is much easier if you can use a through hole.
Someone else may have a better solution but these are the first two that come to mind for me.
Drewby108
Member
Depending on your swing, you could epoxy a drillbit to a club and try hitting a few
Woodchipper
Member
Brad point or regular bit? Solid core balls, obviously. Back in the olden days, my friend and I dissected a golf ball. Wound rubber strands and a core of something filled with some liquid that smelled terrible.
bugradx2, have pen jaws as that will work to center the bit. Thanks.
jttheclockman
Member
The biggest challenge is to keep the ball with the writing level if you are going for that look. Over the years I have done many billiardball drillings and in fact this winter I will be taking this idea to new levels and have had to make new jigs to accomplish this. I have not really tried them for my applications because I ran out of time and spring arrived and had so many other home projects to do. I do all my hobby stuff during the winter months. But really not that hard. Kent above this gave you good ideas and work well especially golf balls because they will not slip in a chuck because of the texture of the ball. A billiard ball would be very difficult using either those methods because of the smooth polished surface and it will spin.
If drilling all the way through then a chuck as what he mentioned should work well. You can line it with some rubber foam to keep from marring the ball.
The second way is to make a jig and use the drill press if yours runs true. Take a flat board long enough so you can clamp to the drill press table. The board may have to be 2 or 3 layers high because it needs to be at least half the thickness of the ball. Lock in place. Now using a forstner bit drill a hole the size of the golfball so that it just about falls through but not all the way. The diameter of hole needs to be able to support the side of the golfball. Now take any size drill bit without moving the jig and drill a hole all the way through the board. This will become your centering bit and it is dead center of the forstner bit hole. Now change the bit to whatever size you need for your finials or whatever. Place the ball in the jig with the writing the way you want it. The plastic material will drill easily and the inside of the ball can be various materials so beaware of that. Hold ball with your hand and drill slowly.
I will show examples of some. also another jig I made to drill billiardballs. You could actually make this same jig for any sphere.
Woodchipper
Member
John T., going with the pen jaws. Need to check on solid core balls. Like the clock and ball combo.
FWIW, research shows Topflight are no longer made. It was my favorite ball. It made Lee Trevino a millionaire.
FWIW, research shows Topflight are no longer made. It was my favorite ball. It made Lee Trevino a millionaire.
Humongous
Member
The TopFlite brand was sold to Dick's Sporting Goods in 2012. It's now their house brand sold exclusivly by them.
I was just about to say I thought I bought some this summer!
That is a super cool desk set!
Oh man.... I honestly can't remember if I used a brad point or a twist bit. If you hit a dimple just right it probably wouldn't matter.
You raise a good point about knowing what is in the center of the ball. Cut one open with a knife and see what's in that candy center. I wouldn't recommend the owl's approach though.