How to cut / slice a pool ball

S

SPetty

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Howdy y'all, long time, no see...

Sorry to bother you with this, but I tried searching but came up with only aiming threads...

Does anyone have any successful methods for cutting or slicing a pool ball? Let's say I wanted to cut off the number of a pool ball, to be about 1-1/4" in diameter? How might that be accomplished?

I have a bunch of ideas, but I betcha someone here has already done it...

Thanks for any help!
 
Ky Boy said:
The internet is your friend!
Click to expand...
hahaha - I thought of AZB before I ever thought about the internet!

The first response of your link makes me go "DUH!":
"some kind of jig to hold the ball stable and something to guide a hand saw"

The last most interesting response looked interesting("billiard ball chucks"), but led to a dead page...

Of course I have some ideas... Although I have no lathe experience, what I think is my best thought is: if I had a lathe, I could put a bearing on one side, some sort of a grip pad on the other, and cinch the ball in the lathe, then lower a hacksaw onto the ball.

To those with a lathe, would that work? Where can I get a cheap lathe?

But, I'm totally open to any other idea, like how to make the "some kind of jig to hold the ball stable" (some type of glue holding the ball in a styrofoam form?) and the "something to guide a hand saw" (I'm thinking some sort of swinging pivot...)

Again, I don't want to cut the balls in half (or I could if I want to sand them a LOT), but I just want to cut off the number on, let's say, a 1-1/4" diameter circle for crafting purposes. That's something like a 1/4"-3/8" thickness I think...

Any other ideas?
 
SPetty said:
hahaha - I thought of AZB before I ever thought about the internet!

The first response of your link makes me go "DUH!":
"some kind of jig to hold the ball stable and something to guide a hand saw"

The last most interesting response looked interesting("billiard ball chucks"), but led to a dead page...

Of course I have some ideas... Although I have no lathe experience, what I think is my best thought is: if I had a lathe, I could put a bearing on one side, some sort of a grip pad on the other, and cinch the ball in the lathe, then lower a hacksaw onto the ball.

To those with a lathe, would that work? Where can I get a cheap lathe?

But, I'm totally open to any other idea, like how to make the "some kind of jig to hold the ball stable" (some type of glue holding the ball in a styrofoam form?) and the "something to guide a hand saw" (I'm thinking some sort of swinging pivot...)

Again, I don't want to cut the balls in half (or I could if I want to sand them a LOT), but I just want to cut off the number on, let's say, a 1-1/4" diameter circle for crafting purposes. That's something like a 1/4"-3/8" thickness I think...

Any other ideas?
Click to expand...

The number goes deep it is not on the surface.


bill
 
Grind opposing sides of the ball so it is easily held in a toolmaker's bench vise. Lay the vise on its side next to the guide on a table saw. Slice as needed.

I haven't done it but would think that an 80 tooth blade should give a reasonable cut that can be polished as needed.

Let us all know what you did and what did or did not work.
 
SPetty said:
Howdy y'all, long time, no see...

Sorry to bother you with this, but I tried searching but came up with only aiming threads...

Does anyone have any successful methods for cutting or slicing a pool ball? Let's say I wanted to cut off the number of a pool ball, to be about 1-1/4" in diameter? How might that be accomplished?

I have a bunch of ideas, but I betcha someone here has already done it...

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

Hi stranger - Per what you're thinking... I know you're all set on turning on heavy equipment and such!!! But, if you only want to go to 1-1/4" in diameter or so and remove the number... might I suggest looking up a "small phenolic ball" company"?

http://cicball.thomasnet.com/viewitems/all-categories/phenolic-balls-2




Freddie
 
Another way to do it that would allows for multiple slices would be to drill a hole through the waste edge of the ball Place a pin in the ball and then place in a small toolmakers' bench vise.
 
Hi SPetty!

If I were cutting one in half, I'd secure it in some kind of cradle - probably a small board with a hole drilled in it - and cut it on the band saw.

Your lathe idea won't work - too hard to get the speed slow enough to allow the hack saw blade to do it's work. At least, not without spending a couple of grand on a lathe.

Brian in VA
 
Joe W is more than just a good Dr. A couple of reasonable ideas here.

Plan on fashioning some sort of holder or plan on doing things for the rest of your life with less fingers than you were born with. Pool balls spin and band saw blades go fast.

There is a lady that makes very nice rings from pool balls on the web. Her prices are a little over the top. I've been saving the odd ball and planning on trying to make a ring in the future.

You could also see if you can make a hash mark with a file to get a groove on either side of the number. Then, when you use a jig for a holder, the blade will have something to use as a guide to start the cut.
 
JoeW said:
Grind opposing sides of the ball so it is easily held in a toolmaker's bench vise.
Click to expand...
Wow, so elegant in its simplicity - makes me feel really kinda stupid for not thinking of that. I think that's the gem of info I was seeking here.

Y'all are so great. Thanks!
 
Brian in VA said:
Hi SPetty!

If I were cutting one in half, I'd secure it in some kind of cradle - probably a small board with a hole drilled in it - and cut it on the band saw.
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Hi Brian! While trying to figure this out, it seemed like it would be a little easier to cut it in half than it would be to cut off the number in its own slice. (It's the number part that I want to keep, in case that wasn't clear to other posters... like Freddie...:wink: )

Based on your avatar pic, it looks like you haven't changed in years! Great to hear back from you. Appreciate it!
 
I've never cut a pool ball, but I've been a woodworker all my life. I wouldn't go near the tablesaw with one. There is so little surface area to get a good grip, even if you ground flat spots on it to hold it with a fixture. I can easily seeing it flying out at warp speed. Plus, pool balls are way way harder than most of the materials usually cut on a table saw. I certainly wouldn't want to experiment with cutting phenolic resins for the first time if they were in the shape of a sphere. Too much uncertainty there.

The bandsaw would be a much better and safer option, imo.

Does the OP have a shop? I think if I were doing it one off, I'd use a wooden screw clamp. I'd cut a "V" shape into the inside jaws of the clamp, or I'd use two scraps of wood with a V cut into them between the ball and the jaws. The V would grip the ball with more surface area. Then I'd cut it on the bandsaw, using the screw clamps as a stable platform. After the back of the blade got through the ball, I'd put in a wedge to keep the kerf from squeezing the blade for the remainder of the cut. Lubricating the blade with oil or wd40 might help. Probably a blade meant for metal or a finer toothed wood cutting blade would work best, but that is a rough guess.

If I didn't have a bandsaw, I'd use a similar holding technique with scraps of wood cut into the shape of a V, and clamp the ball on a bench vise, and then use a hacksaw to cut.
 
Here is how I did it. That is after slicing my thumb almost to the bone before I came up with a better way to hold the ball. I got a piece of PVC pipe that was about the same outside diameter as the ball. So the ball would stick part way into the hole. I then wrapped two sided tape on the front inside of the pipe. This grabs the ball. I set the bandsaw fence up and just slice the ball in two. It was fairly easy after I came up with that method.
 
Contact Bob Dzuricky, DZ cues on this forum. He cuts up a ton of balls, and can tell you the easiest and safest way without experimenting.
Chuck
 
warp speed
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I can relate Used to be Rich. My Father was a Journeyman. There was nothing that he couldn't make if he put his mind to it. He taught me how to use the table saw and was trusted with it at any time, even when I was 8yrs of age.

I recently got a new table saw, much more powerful than my last. Myself, in all my infinite wisdom decided that it was a great idea to take the saw guard along with the kick back off of it so I could see a particular cut that I was to make better.

Well, I got to the end and that saw kicked back a short piece of board directly into my chest. It was so fast I didn't see it coming. I had a large bruise on my chest and it hurt like a SOB for a few days.

Table saws and band saws demand a great deal of respect due to how fast they can make you get 9 fingers or one eye.

There are a few companies that sell band saw blades. Like Wolf, etc. I would suggest that you be in contact with any of them and inquire as to which type of blade you should use to do what you are trying to achieve. The Cue Makers use some of the brands and swear by them. It only takes a short phone call.
 
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