Author Topic: Golfball in a cage  (Read 1665 times)

Chazz

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Golfball in a cage
« on: August 26, 2015, 10:38:44 am »

Hi Steve,

Just trying your golfball in a cage and I seem to have a discrepancy. Your details shows the plan fits exactly over the 1 3/4" basswood blank but when I print out the plan, it is only 1 5/8" overall width and the opening 1 5/32" wide. So, I'm not sure if my golfball is going to fit. Maybe the plan has shrunk during its journey across the Atlantic at the speed of light.

If I need to increase the dimensions on the plan, what width should the opening be to enable the ball to fit and roll as in the video, after being allowed to cool and shrink back after its hot water immersion?

By the way, love the blog and am steadily working my way through the dvd of patterns you sent me.

Keep up the good work

Charles Hetherington


Offline DWSudekum

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Re: Golfball in a cage
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2015, 05:09:42 pm »
Charles,
I have made several of these type of cages.  Cut your cage then soak the basswood in boiling water for 15 min or there about.  This softens the wood grain enough that you can gently press the golf ball through the middle of the cage you cut.  Once the golf ball has passed into the cage let it dry.  As for your printing problem increase your print size to 107% of the original.  This should get you your 1 3/4". 

DW
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Offline KurtP

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Re: Golfball in a cage
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2015, 07:53:55 pm »
Can you use a different type of wood for these or is Basswood the best for soaking and drying?

Kurt

Offline Rapid Roger

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Re: Golfball in a cage
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2015, 10:13:50 pm »
You can use almost any soft wood such as bass, pine and probably poplar and a few other open pore woods. I doubt that a hard wood a walnut or maple or cherry would work very well BUT, any of it is worth a try!  ;)
The idea here is to boil the wood in water to force out the air in all the pores and replace it with water. then you can squeeze (or stretch) the wood which squeezes out the water and allows the wood to hold the shape it is squeezed into for a short time. Then you re-boil it again (to refill the pores with water and take back it's original shape) and let it air dry in the "relaxed" original shape and you are done. It is a lot like steam bending that is used in building furniture.
It is fun to try a few times. I made several of these "Nail in a Tubafur" things just for fun and had two or three crack but, was successful with eight or ten of them and they are real conversation starters.   ;D 



Rog

PS If I remember right, I had to boil this white pine 2 x 4 about 15 or 20 minutes to get all the air out. But, I was squeezing one leg down in a vice to about 1/2 it's normal width so I could drill the hole and install the nail. Then re-boiled it another 15 minutes and watched it go back into more or less original shape and then after letting it air dry for a day or so you could not tell that I'd ever done anything to it at all.  ;D

Rog
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Offline KurtP

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Re: Golfball in a cage
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2015, 05:52:27 am »
Roger, Thanks for the info on the wood. I am going to try this with some wood I have on hand.

 

SMF

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