How Do I Get Two Identical Hemispherical Pieces?

[RockingM]

If you are having trouble marking the ball, but you have already drilled and tapped it. Screw a short all thread into it and chuck it up in a drill to spin it.

[bkingery]

One thing you might try is to cut the hole in a piece of wood and then with your leather soaking wet push the leather and the ball into the hole past the half way mark and then let the halves dry completely, once they are dry then you can trim off the leftovers a little at a time until you get them to fit on the ball, I've tried doing this with a tennis ball and it takes a lot of trimming and sanding. If you can get a flat cut then you can glue a piece of sandpaper to a board and sand it like a bowl and your cut line should stay straight. Hope this helps.

Peace

Bryan

[jim hafley]

Others have explained how to pull the hide around the ball. Here's the easiest way to get the mid line, or "equater" if you will. Measure the diameter of the ball then divide the measurment by 2. Lets say the result is an inch and a half or 1 1/2" Cut a 1 1/2" wide strip of poster board or file folder or other stiff card stock roughly three times the first measurment... and add an inch. That should give you something like 1 1/2' X 10". Have you figured it out yet? OK roll the strip of paper into a circle, lap the end by an inch and tape it together and set the ball inside the circle on a good flat surface and trace around the edge of the card stock circle!!!!

[UKRay]

If you use belly leather it will be easier to form tightly around the ball.

Ray