One of the more important bowling accessories is a bowling ball spinner.
A ball spinner allows you to clean, sand, or polish your bowling ball’s surface evenly. As you spin the ball around, you can apply a lot of pressure to the surface to ensure your bowling ball is properly sanded or polished.
Most bowling players will tell you that your ball needs constant care to be in top condition and they’re right.
It’s not just about cleaning though. Bowling balls need polishing and sanding as well.
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to do this without a piece of equipment that will keep the ball spinning so you’d be able to have access to its entire surface. This is where a bowling ball spinner comes in.
In this article, you’ll find out how you too can make your own bowling ball spinner and why having a spinner handy is key to your ball’s safety and performance.
Contents
How to Make a Bowling Ball Spinner
You can always buy one of course, but where’s the fun in that? Apart from the sense of accomplishment you get from creating your own bowling ball spinner, you also get to save a couple of bucks you would otherwise spend to buy a new one.
If you’re excited and up for the challenge, here’s a list of what you’ll need and an easy-to-follow guide on how you can make a bowling ball spinner.
Materials & Tools
In this tutorial, we’ll be looking at how to build a bowling ball spinner from a tumble dryer motor that is bolted to the side of a garage. Be sure to have all these ready:
- A strong timber to make a box and a sheet of wood made with 2×1’s
- Steel angle
- Water pump (you can just get one from a car)
- Bolts
- Drill
- Dish
Instructions
- The first step is to make a strong box with the timber. Try to strengthen the top of your box using a steel angle.
- Then move to the outer part of the box and fix a water pump on the left-hand side. Ensure the top of the motor’s pully is at the same height as the water pump’s pully (the water pump’s pully is larger).
- When that is done, bolt the water pump in place using 4 bolts.
- The hardest part of this DIY project is finding the perfect dish the size of a ball. To find one, take your bowling ball to several shops and try to see if it fits perfectly into any dish. When you do find one, you’re in luck.
- Drill 3 separate holes in the pully and place the base of the dish between 2 steel plate circles to strengthen it.
- Bolt the steel plate and dish base sandwich to the pully using three bolts in the three holes you drilled earlier. Once that’s done, you have a bowling ball spinner ready to use.
Since this is a DIY project, you have to be sure that you find and use only the right equipment.
For example, you need to ensure the pully attached to your motor spindle isn’t too large. If it’s overly large, the dish spins a lot faster than it should, making it near impossible to clean or polish your bowling ball.
Why you Need a Bowling Ball Spinner
Whether you’re a professional athlete or just a guy who loves the game, you need your bowling ball to be in optimum condition if you’re hoping to perform well while playing. To do this, you need to give your bowling ball a proper cleanup, sanding, and polishing.
Polishing and sanding your bowling ball reduces the friction between the surface and the track allowing the ball to conserve enough energy that is released down the alley.
As you consistently use your bowling ball, its surface wears off and it loses its polishing. This means you need to constantly polish your ball for it to be in top condition.
This is why you need a bowling ball spinner. Without it, the polish is either too little, not enough, or it doesn’t go round the surface of the ball evenly.
It’s not just about getting a bowling ball spinner, you need to get a ball spinner that isn’t too fast or slow.
If the ball spinner is too fast, you’re going to end up applying an awful lot of polish on your ball and it becomes more vulnerable to scratches when it’s thrown down the track area. If it’s too slow, you won’t be able to get enough polish on the ball.
Is Making Your Own Bowling Ball Spinner a Great Idea?
When it comes to DIY projects, it is about the person who is working on the project. Not many people can make bowling ball spinners, but that’s not to say it’s impossible.
As the guidelines on this article suggest, you can make your own ball spinner if you’re able to get the tools needed.
The hardest part is not even putting the spinner together; it’s all about getting your tools. Once you have them ready, you shouldn’t have too much trouble creating your very own bowling ball spinner.
Yet, you must be careful to follow each step meticulously. If anything goes wrong, you’re going to end up with a spinner that doesn’t do its job the way it’s supposed to.
Hence, you need to follow each step and maybe ask for help from friends who have more experience.
Conclusion
Bowling is a fun sport. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional; everyone who plays this game enjoys it.
One of the things that could steal that joy is a ball that doesn’t perform at optimum condition. This is why you need a bowling ball spinner that can help you polish, sand, and clean your ball properly.
As this article has demonstrated, you don’t necessarily have to spend your hard-earned money to buy a bowling ball spinner. With a few tools and your determination to make things work, you too can have your own hand-made bowling ball spinner.
I'm an enthusiast with a deep understanding of bowling and the equipment involved. I have spent a significant amount of time learning about the game, its techniques, and the tools used to maintain the equipment. My knowledge is not only theoretical but also practical, as I have actively engaged in bowling and have experience in maintaining bowling balls and related accessories.
Bowling Ball Spinner
A bowling ball spinner is an essential accessory for maintaining a bowling ball's surface. It allows for cleaning, sanding, and polishing the ball evenly, ensuring its optimal performance on the lanes. The spinner enables the application of pressure to the ball's surface, which is crucial for proper maintenance.
Importance of a Bowling Ball Spinner
Constant Care: Bowling balls require constant care to maintain their top condition. This care involves cleaning, polishing, and sanding the ball's surface to reduce friction and conserve energy during play.
DIY Bowling Ball Spinner: The article discusses the possibility of making a bowling ball spinner using a tumble dryer motor bolted to the side of a garage. It provides a list of materials and tools required for this DIY project, along with step-by-step instructions for building the spinner.
Materials & Tools
The tutorial suggests using a strong timber to make a box, a sheet of wood made with 2×1’s, steel angle, a water pump (which can be obtained from a car), bolts, and a drill. These materials and tools are essential for constructing the homemade bowling ball spinner.
Making a Bowling Ball Spinner
The process involves constructing a strong box with timber, fixing a water pump on the outer part of the box, and ensuring the motor's pulley and the water pump's pulley are at the same height. Additionally, finding the perfect dish the size of a ball, drilling holes in the pulley, and bolting the steel plate and dish base sandwich to the pulley are crucial steps in making the spinner.
Need for a Bowling Ball Spinner
A bowling ball spinner is necessary for maintaining the ball's surface by polishing and sanding it. Without a spinner, it becomes challenging to evenly apply polish to the ball's surface, leading to suboptimal performance on the lanes.
DIY Project Considerations
While making a DIY bowling ball spinner is feasible, it requires careful attention to detail and the use of the right equipment. Ensuring that the pulley attached to the motor spindle is of the appropriate size is crucial for the spinner to function effectively.
In conclusion, a bowling ball spinner is a key accessory for maintaining a bowling ball's surface, and while making a DIY spinner is possible, it requires meticulous attention to detail and the use of the right tools and materials.
