Sliding Vacuum Eccentric Chuck

[David Delo]

I've previously posted pictures of a couple jigs used for offsetting incise lines on spheres. I made one sliding style jig using tape for holding the sphere just to prove out the concept. Having passed the test that this was a viable way to embellish these pieces, decided to add vacuum to the jig to make it quicker to change entry points on the piece. All of this effort follows for the most part the instructions of David Reed Smith. Mine is a little different dimension wise because I started out with a left over from a different project glue-up. That presented a problem having a drill bit long enough to made it through the entire piece from one size. Had to drill from each end of the piece and make the hole for the plastic tubing a touch larger than desired. To prevent vacuum leakage I put a couple "O" rings and glued them in place to seal everything up. Jig works very well with the addition of the vacuum. Used my Hold Fast vacuum set-up without any alterations to it. Boiled the plastic tube for 15 seconds to get it perfectly straight before gluing it in place. Works pretty well, gets 17.5" on this 3 1/8" sphere and 22" on a 3 1/2" sphere.
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[Steve Schlumpf]

David - I don't turn spheres but I really like your setup! Makes sense and would give you turning access to over 1/2 the sphere - unlike a jam chuck! Thanks for sharing!

[David Delo]

David - I don't turn spheres but I really like your setup! Makes sense and would give you turning access to over 1/2 the sphere - unlike a jam chuck! Thanks for sharing!

That's exactly what I'm trying to accomplish. Where I'm headed eventually is to create a bobble headed face-ball along the lines of what David Reed Smith has done. Like this pic.
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In the meantime as I continue experimenting with different incise lines angles, depth, width and length, I've finished the first set of spheres with a couple different colors of Artisan inlay epoxy. Still need to buff them out in a few days after the walnut oil cures but sort of satisfied with the results.
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