Drilling into a billiard ball.

[bigjason6]

Here's a question for all you machinists out there. I'm thinking about making a new ergo handle for my press out of either stainless steel or aluminum and using a billiard ball for the hand grip. What kind of drill bit would you recommend for drilling into the ball? Thanks!

[gnoahhh]

Pretty much any bit will do. I would drill a hole by chucking it in a lathe- to get the hole perfectly on the ball's axis. Make it big enough to epoxy in a threaded bushing with threads to fit the press handle.

[Cornfused]

I agree about the drill bits.

If you don't have a lathe, I used a plastic funnel - Trimmed it a little bit to fit better, held the big end against the billiard ball and drilled thru the funnel spout into the ball. Worked fine.

[Sonnypie]

If you use a Brad Point (http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?srch=usr&filter=Brad+Point+Bits&Search.x=0&Search.y=0) bit it will be a LOT easier to do.

And if you want, Insert a threaded insert (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=363&filter=Threaded%20inserts).
That one's brass. Or here is Steel (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=362&filter=Threaded%20inserts).
You might also consider these (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=364&filter=Threaded%20inserts). But screwing it in might bust your balls. :shock:

I tried some racket ball balls.
They are really nice! Squishy in the hand.
Darn things got flat trying to drill them. :groner:

[birdadly]

This sounds like a neat idea that even someone with little knowledge of machining/woodworking/etc can do... ie: ME!!! -Brad

[dragonrider]

Drilling a billiard ball is very easy, you can do it in a drill press and be right on center without maeasuring a thing. Clamp a two by four to your drill press table so that it is centered under the spindle. Now using a flat bottom drill such as a Forstner bit about two thirds the size of the ball. Drill a hole deep enough that you can rest the ball in the hole with it touching the bottom, put the ball in the hole and it is magicaly centered under the spindle. You can hold the ball with another two by four with a similar hole and place it on top of the ball and use a couple of bar clamps to clamp the ball in place. Now drill and tap your hole.

[Reverend Recoil]

Snooker balls are a little smaller and make a better handle.

[izzyjoe]

Snooker balls are a little smaller and make a better handle.

they do, but they are usally very hard to come by.

[bigjason6]

Drilling a billiard ball is very easy, you can do it in a drill press and be right on center without maeasuring a thing. Clamp a two by four to your drill press table so that it is centered under the spindle. Now using a flat bottom drill such as a Forstner bit about two thirds the size of the ball. Drill a hole deep enough that you can rest the ball in the hole with it touching the bottom, put the ball in the hole and it is magicaly centered under the spindle. You can hold the ball with another two by four with a similar hole and place it on top of the ball and use a couple of bar clamps to clamp the ball in place. Now drill and tap your hole.

Say, that's a great idea! I think I'll be doing it like that!

[DODGEM250]

What you are doing is already available: 8 Ball Shifter Knob (http://www.thehotrodgirl.com/8ballshifter.html)

Shifter knobs come with the required 1/2" hole and a set screw.

Most billiard balls are made of Thermoset resin, which is basically a hard plastic/epoxy mixture. So, yes, most any bit will do. I used a 1/2" hole boring bit a few days ago to drill a hole in my new wooden ball for my Lee press. The press was given to me with no ball. I am still considering modifying the handle with a longer shaft and right angle, but, the wooden ball is a quick simple fix at this point. However, I would certainly make every effort to put that pool ball in a vise with wooden blocks, otherwise, it will spin off and get away from you.

Outside of the DIY project, find a local machine shop that can put it in a tube vise and bore a straight hole for you. Another great idea for handles is a Hurst shifter t handle or something aluminum made by Billet in the custom automotive accessories departments. There's a ton of ideas out there besides a wooden ball.

[Hardcast416taylor]

OR. Go to a craft store and choose any of the wood balls they have for crafts. They will drill alot easier than the resin made pool version. After you have drilled and epoxied the threaded insert then paint the ball whatever color or number you want. I have these on my 450 sizers as well as my rock chuckers for the last several years with no breakage of them.Robert

[tbird1960]

These are available on ebay only they are pool balls, I believe the 8 ball and the 2 ball last time I looked. Saves a lot of hunting and drilling. They are threaded to fit reloading presses.

[beanflip]

Heres a pic of mine

[kodiak1]

I would go to any truck stop and buy one that is already done.

Ken.

[Sonnypie]

Yes, yes, yes....
Buy, buy, buy.....

But that sure takes the fun out of doin it yourself.

Tapper handles. (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tapper+handles&id=476AB350B160F6E514AF609B75001E95D55A3A7B&FORM=IQFRBA#x0y0)

[garandsrus]

Drill a hole deep enough that you can rest the ball in the hole with it touching the bottom, put the ball in the hole and it is magicaly centered under the spindle.

I think dragon rider missed an "out" in his text. It should be:

Drill a hole deep enough that you can rest the ball in the hole without it touching the bottom, put the ball in the hole and it is magicaly centered under the spindle.

If the ball touches the bottom of the hole, it will roll around and not center itself.

John

[dragonrider]

Nice catch John, I type faster than I think. [smilie=l:

[W.R.Buchanan]

2" is the perfect size.

Randy

[yecrem]

Every 8 ball I've purchased was junk in less than 10 days. Cheep...the ink on the eight balls came right off. The acid in your skin over time. Used as a truck stick shift lever. Returned each of them. Not sure yet, but a real 8 ball with a hole drilled in it should be best. It will also depend on the quality of the ball. Got to find a good quality ball or one that's on the market better than what I've found.

[gandydancer]

this is what I use. he makes all kinds.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Confederate-States-America-Blue-Pool-Ball-Knob-Dillon-Hornady-RCBS-Press-/140958326340?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D227%26meid%3D7111274180822735897%26pid%3D10 0011%26prg%3D1121%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D140930246536%26


Here's a question for all you machinists out there. I'm thinking about making a new ergo handle for my press out of either stainless steel or aluminum and using a billiard ball for the hand grip. What kind of drill bit would you recommend for drilling into the ball? Thanks!

[Racenviper]

Wow, look at all his stuff, pretty darn kewl.

[1hole]

I've used cheap thrift shop golf balls with complete satisfaction, especially for light work like lubrasizers. Used a drill press with board and hole centering method. Forstner bits are best for the centering hole but more easily available spade bits do quite well. Really don't need to clamp the ball down, hand grip is sufficent. Brad point bits in the balls are best but normally available twist bits work fine, especially if you bore a smaller centering hole first; 3/16" seems good, go about 3/4 way thru to give lots of surface for the epoxy to grip. Any slight off-axis hole can be compensated for when epoxying it on, turn the "high" or "low" side up to suit your taste.

(Golf balls make great file handles too; I always knew those things had to be good for something! Just drill an undersize hole and drive the ball onto the file tang so friction secures it, there's no need to epoxy them on.)

[jmorris]

Drilling a billiard ball is very easy, you can do it in a drill press and be right on center without maeasuring a thing. Clamp a two by four to your drill press table so that it is centered under the spindle. Now using a flat bottom drill such as a Forstner bit about two thirds the size of the ball. Drill a hole deep enough that you can rest the ball in the hole with it touching the bottom, put the ball in the hole and it is magicaly centered under the spindle. You can hold the ball with another two by four with a similar hole and place it on top of the ball and use a couple of bar clamps to clamp the ball in place. Now drill and tap your hole.

I think we drink the same beer.

[gwpercle]

Looks like the gearshift knob on my 68 Chevelle. Hang some fuzzy dice over the press and I would be in hog heaven....just got to resist the temtation to shift thru the gears while reloading.

But I really think a gear shift knob would fit, and there are some real cool knobs out there and they are already drilled. Going to get a shift knob and see if it might work.

Gary

[hiram]

I used a Lacrosse ball. It is hard rubber and a larger size than tennis ball. When I drilled in, some rubber was pushed to the side because rubber is soft and pliable. The rersulting hole was a little undersized, but being that rubber has elasticity to it, I pushed it on the handles and it stayed there. The fit is good.

[MOcaster]

I have a baseball on my press handle. I think a softball would work even better because it will spread the force over a larger area and, in theory, reduce blisters.

[NineInchNails]

Most any drill bit will work on a real billiards ball. I've always used regular drill bits and it works just fine. I've done this for at least 3 presses that I recall. If you drill a little off center of the ball you will not even notice. Just drill as centered as you like and it will turn out just fine.

Once you've drilled your hole, you can use a thread tap to create threads inside the hole. My RCBS press had a threaded handle so I drilled the appropriate diameter hole, used the appropriate thread tap and the ball screws right on.
http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag142/boolits/50%20BMG/RCBS%20AmmoMaster%202/RCBSAmmoMaster2BilliardsBall-8Ball_zpse1b7230c.jpg
(http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/boolits/media/50%20BMG/RCBS%20AmmoMaster%202/RCBSAmmoMaster2BilliardsBall-8Ball_zpse1b7230c.jpg.html)
My Lee presses have a tapered handle so I threaded the end of the handle, drilled appropriate size hole in the ball, threaded the hole and the ball screws right on.
http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag142/boolits/Lee%20Classic%204%20Hole%20Turret%20Press/ReloadingPressBilliardsBallHandle_zpsd018c033.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/boolits/media/Lee%20Classic%204%20Hole%20Turret%20Press/ReloadingPressBilliardsBallHandle_zpsd018c033.jpg. html)


If you don't have access to thread taps then drilling & gluing it on would definite be easier.

[Janoosh]

First and foremost, those are not "Billiard balls". They're "Pool" balls. I've been in the pool/billiard industry for 42 years and this is the one thing that ticks me off. Billiard balls=no numbers, bigger. Pool balls=with numbers, smaller. Ok, anal rant over.
Drill hole in board, grind small flat on ball, drill. EeeZee
Oh.....pool/billiard balls are cast phenolic resin. If you want the ones with numbers, get the cast in numbers.

[David2011]

Nice catch John, I type faster than I think. [smilie=l:

Well, maybe I just have a good imagination (or mental disorder). :) It made sense to me the first reading and I thought it was a brilliant solution.

David

[mozeppa]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Reverend Recoil http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=1537748#post1537748)
Snooker balls are a little smaller and make a better handle.


they do, but they are usally very hard to come by.

not for me....i'm "INDY BILLIARDS SERVICE"

http://indybilliards.net

[imashooter2]

I like oiled wood. Slides smoothly in your hand, very little friction. Beats the heck out of the old bicycle grip. ;)
Terrible cell pic...

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/rchandle.jpg

[W.R.Buchanan]

The correct size to fit your hand best is 2" in dia. (actual is 1.975) This is what Hardinge Chucker handles and DSM59 cross slide handles have been for 80 years. This size fits the palm of your hand best. I have ran both of my machines extensively, and the longer you run the machine the better the knob feels in your hand. This matters when you are doing long runs of parts, as the natural aversion to work tends to push you away from the machine, and anything that feels good tends to counteract that.

I used one for my C&H 444 press and I just noticed my Dillon Pocket Swager has the same knob. I have always avoided Pool Balls for this reason they are normally 2 1/4"? and Snooker Balls are 2 3/16"? I believe.

These always feel too big in an averaged sized palm. IMHO.

The two ideas of drilling and tapping in a Lathe, or using a hole in the drill press are the easiest ways to center the hole. The funnel idea is cool.

Randy