Wooden soccer ball

Having built a 60 sided geodesic, the question was, what to do with it?
A logical challenge was to try to make it rounder.

I experimented with cutting bevels on the corners of each triangle before assembly, which would make for an effectively 160 sided shape. But I only did this with a few triangles that I had left over. I didn't want to make the whole geodesic again.

So I had the idea of truncating all the corners off the one I had made. It was easiest to just cut them freehand on the bandsaw. I marked circles around the corners to guide me with how far I'd want to cut.

I thought about making some sort of jig, but then ended up just cutting it all freehand. There is a risk that the blade might bind. I lowered the blade guide so it just clears the ball, so that if it does catch, hopefully the ball would hit the guide. But I was able to cut all 32 corners without mishap.

Next I rounded the remaining edges with a small hand plane. Resting the ball on a bucket made this easier.

Then lots of sanding with a coarse belt on the belt sander. I have no patience for orbital sanders.

It's about the right size for a soccer ball. So long as everyone wears steel toed safety boots and hard hats! But then again, if they can hold the World Cup in Quatar, a wooden ball might not be that outrageous by comparison.

Just for the heck of it, I varnished it. The gloss actually makes it look more spherical.

See also:

Turning a sphere
on the lathe

60-sided geodesic

Domes: So cool but so impractical

Asymmetric cove cutting

Making a bevel gauge

Router copy carver

Wooden ball bearing