Repurposed Billiard Balls to Make Pool Ball Rings

I had extra pool ball sets laying around and was able to make a few rings. It is cool because one of the sets are from my grandpas table that I played on growing up. It took some trial and error but I will do my best to show you the way I was able get the ball down to a ring.

Tools used:

1. Rotary tool with reinforced cutting disc, sanding disc, sanding drums and polishing tips ( I switched between my dremel and craftsman).

2. Bench Grinder. (I think a sander with some low grit sandpaper would work here too.)

3 Drill. ( I sure wish I had a drill press.)

Step 1: Cutting the Ball Down to a Workable Size.

This took some trial and error. I used a jig I made with a jigsaw but that only worked for the first ball and it didn't stay in place very well. I decided to go with the rotary tool with a reinforced cutting bit holding the ball with a clamp. I was able to get through a couple balls with that. I used regular cutting bits but they were breaking too fast.

First I cut the balls in half. That was great because I was able to get 2 rings out of most of the balls. (The second attempt with the jigsaw ended up pretty crooked so I ended up with 1 ring out of that.) I didn't realize how hard it was to cut a sphere with the tools I had.

Next it was much easier to cut the sides off each half when one side of the ball was flat. Now I have the ball down to a little square ready to drill a hole and shape the ring.

Step 2: Drill and Shape the Ring.

Now we have something to work with. I started a little pilot hole with the rotary tool and then used a drill to put a hole in the ring. I used a bench grinder and sanding discs on the rotary tool to shape the rings and get them down to a wearable size. I didn't think about getting pictures shaping the rings on the grinder because I didn't plan on doing this instructable.

Once the rings were shaped I was able to size them with the sanding drum on the rotary tool. Finally, I used some 400 grit and 800 grit sandpaper to remove the tool marks. I used some wax and the polishing tools to put a smooth finish on the ring. I am really happy with the way the first attempts turned out.