Playing with spheres

[Pierre---]

I like to make unnecessary stuff sometimes, pens are not the only thing in life after all.

So I made a Chinese ball (that is a sphere in a sphere in a sphere and so on, turned in a single piece of wood) and added some more classical (?) turning around. The idea is to make the spectator first think "How the hell did he turn that?" and then, if he gives up uninteresting questions, he may begin to dream in front of this unlikely piece...

So this is the thing, in boxwood and ebony, around 12" high :


The base shows some spiraling:


The baluster is adorned with a lattice sphere, 7/8" OD:


The ball is 2 9/16" OD with 7 spheres inside, I let you calculate the thickness of each sphere :


On top, a pig's tail and some daffodils because it is springtime and I am very romantic. They are turned in green hazelnut wood with some colours.
Comments, critics and suggestions very welcome, thanks for looking!

 

[Kardav]

WOW! Pierre, just wow!

 

[Terry Q]

My mind is officially boggled.

 

[Penpal]

The impossible while you wait miracles take a little longer, Pierre I am gobsmacked. Just when does the Frenchman cease being a turner and a very special turner, well here is the example. Craftsman Pierre
I salute you the ever diminishing shapes and encapsulations make this aq masterpiece.

In the past you have described to me your hand skills v machine skills, here you have combined the two with an object I will never forget.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[sammy]

I'm stunned, what an amazing piece of work. Absolutely inspiring.
George

 

[yorkshireman]

Pierre that's just amazing. Seeing something like makes me want to pack in as I'll never get as good as that. How long did that take?

 

[wm460]

Playing he says, bloody hell I couldn't do that in my dreams.

That is absolutely stunning.

 

[Graham_C]

The Oxford dictionary needs new words to describe this Pierre, certainly the most remarkable piece of work I have seen

 

[hawkeyefxr]

That is absolutely stunning, it's beautiful.

Ok no one else has said but i will HOW !!!????

 

[Winemaker]

Outstanding well done work of art

 

[fortress]

Well strip me naked and call me Susan, that is spectacular Pierre.

 

[Pierre---]

Hi Susan and others, thanks for the kind words!

How long did that take?

Well, a very long time to make the tools. Turning the ball itself took me around 4 hours, but it was my first one, it should go down to 2 hours with a little practise.

Ok no one else has said but i will HOW !!!????

The first thing to make is a chuck . It is a concave hemisphere with a screwed ring to hold the ball, the back can be screwed to the lathe. Then you have to make a ball, with rather tight tolerance (0.1 mm). Then you hold it in your brand new chuck, and begin to open a cone. A pic may help me to be understandable:


This is a cross-section of a similar ball, the cone is seen at the bottom. Then you use several hooked tools (I used 6 to make 7 spheres, the pic shows 4 for 5 spheres but it is the same idea) that you screw on a holder (lower right) and push into the cone. When the holder touches the ball, you may begin to cut by pushing the tool to the left, only the very tip of the hook is cutting. This is how it looks on the lathe:


You do that 12 times, and the spheres are free! Then you only need to decorate, sand and polish. Nothing is easier...
Hope I have been clear.

This is the first step in a style that have been practised in Germany as early as in the 16th century, theorized in France by Plumier and Bergeron and in UK by Holtzappfel, leading to turnings much more tricky than this one... For instance here are three stapled spheres in an egg, as usual made in a single piece of wood by Paul Texier, the Big Master :

 

[wm460]

That is the best hexclamtion I have seen on making these balls Pierre
I want to try that using metal oneday.

 

[Penpal]

Brilliant workmanship Pierre lots of tool making in this task.

Peter.

 

[Pierre---]

I want to try that using metal oneday.

Yesss! Mark, you can begin work tomorrow right after breakfast and I expect your first pics before lunch.

 

[wm460]

Yesss! Mark, you can begin work tomorrow right after breakfast and I expect your first pics before lunch.

Bugger
I wanted to install my new toy.

 

[Freck Fraser]

Pierre, you most certainly are an artist, amazing skills, a thing of beauty for sure, so delicate.

 

[Paul hd]

Stunning work.

 

[Skil Phil]

Phwarking amazing.
Great stuff.
Phil

 

[iandel]

Magnificent, totally mindblowing :bravo::bravo::bravo: