Indy Cindy Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 My turning club had a fun demo and workshop making croquet balls and mallets. Then next month we will be playing croquet as one of the activities at our annual picnic. Attached are pictures of the set I made. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Super awesome! Absolutely love it! Well done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Very nice work Cindy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 That would not look out of place on any English lawn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Looks great! Did you blind wedge the handle? How do you tell your ball from everyone else's ? Did you all use different woods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Wow, thats really nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Steve, Yes, I used a fox wedge in the handle. They had a threading contraption at the workshop but I made my handle at home so didn't have use of it. I wanted to try out the wedge anyway. For the balls we had choice of 2 or 3 woods. I expect some people will personalize theirs with color or ridges or they will do the project at home with their own wood. I burned onto mine a small maker's mark. It will be fun to see what everyone choses to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 That turned out so cool... Though I have to admit, I've never played! The work you did is beautiful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Jolly good! Fish and chips, mate! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I remembered grooves and colors from the set we had as kids so I was wondering. Was getting a perfect sphere difficult? I have tried and had quite a few rejects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Steve, Making a sphere was my first attraction to this project. As with your experience I too had many rejects prior to this. The method we used was to first make something closely resembling a sphere, then rotate it (using home made wood cup holders in both head and tail to hold it) and turn away the ghost images. I am attaching a link with details. I have made several spheres since the workshop and am very pleased with the results. TurningSpheresTheEasyWay.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Awsome work ,Cindy! Thanks for sharing the sphere technique, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Thanks for the link Cindy ! I was trying to turn a batch of matching 1" walnut spheres with a 1/4" post for mounting them , kept getting a bit too oval shaped. I could have used that process and then drilled for the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 During the period they lived in VT, my Dad and his wife belonged to a croquet league that played on the lawn of the home that had been the Governor's mansion. Can't remember for sure - it was either that home or the one that Mary Todd Lincoln had lived in for some time. Both are near Bennington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Cindy, Great job. Brings back memories (playing, not turning). What wood did you use for the ball? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Coop, That ball is cottonwood, not sure it is the best choice for croquet as it is denting pretty easy as I have been whacking it around. It turned and finished easily though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 I just looked up the standards for a croquet ball. 3 5/8 dia + or - 1/32 16 ounces weight + or - 1/4 ounce and it should rebound 35-45" when dropped from 60" high onto a very hard surface. I would think ash, oak, hickory or maple might work. Seems most croquet balls are made of synthetic materials nowadays . The old wooden balls had concentric grooves cut in them, new ones have a grid of grooves. And none of this matters unless you are playing seriously by the official rules ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 I just looked up the standards for a croquet ball. 3 5/8 dia + or - 1/32 16 ounces weight + or - 1/4 ounce and it should rebound 35-45" when dropped from 60" high onto a very hard surface. I would think ash, oak, hickory or maple might work. Seems most croquet balls are made of synthetic materials nowadays . The old wooden balls had concentric grooves cut in them, new ones have a grid of grooves. And none of this matters unless you are playing seriously by the official rules ! Our only requirement is that they fit through the hoop although once I learned how to do it I am 4 for 4 at 3 5/8" diameter. My spheres are all in the 10 ounce range. I looked it up and noticed that 10 ounces is the backyard weight. That must have come from common woods. To get to 16 ounces for this size wood ball one would need a density of around 69 lb / cubic foot and use dense woods like cocobolo or coralwood or - hey hey - boxwood! I wonder if the grooves are for control or if they were originally put in to tweak the weight of the sphere to the correct weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I wonder if the grooves are for control or if they were originally put in to tweak the weight of the sphere to the correct weight. I think you hit it square on there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 The page I read mentioned grip of mallet on the ball and how the balls interact with each other as the reasons for grooves/ texture on the regulation balls. How well does your ball bounce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 The page I read mentioned grip of mallet on the ball and how the balls interact with each other as the reasons for grooves/ texture on the regulation balls. How well does your ball bounce? They fail the bounce test. The cottonwood bounces maybe 4 inches, maple around 6 inches on my concrete garage floor. I'm not going to drop the ash since it is now 'art'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Dropped from 60" high a maple ball bounced 6" ? Wow I never would have guessed that little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 i think this is awesome. next time i am at my folks i am going to find the old croquet set in the barn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 The page I read mentioned grip of mallet on the ball and how the balls interact with each other as the reasons for grooves/ texture on the regulation balls. How well does your ball bounce? I stand corrected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Nicely done, Cindy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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