Making wooden balls sounds like an easy enough task but it isn’t. I’ve tried a few different methods. The obvious way is to turn it on the lathe and there are methods to do this accurately though they’re neither quick or easy. If you need to make many balls then this isn’t a satisfactory method.

After seeing an expensive CNC lathe setup, with a cutter like a holesaw you use on a drill. I decided to try something similar. I made a simple sled with fixed runners to hold my cordless drill. With a holesaw mounted in the chuck (the pilot drill removed) and the lathe spinning, I fed it into the lathe. The outcome is a pretty good sphere. It does leave a rough finish though and needs a bit of sanding.

This setup sounds a frightening prospect and while I took it very easy on my first attempt it wasn’t too bad. As long as the sled is secure, no play in the runners and the holesaw is fed in slowly, then everything should be fine. But you should only do this if you’re comfortable with it and you do so at your own risk.