Wiffle Ball
By Jock Holmen and Tom Caspar
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People ask, “How in the world did you make that weird wiffle thing?”
The truth is, it’s really quite simple: it’s just a hollow cube
with the corners cut off. Can you figure it out?
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Fasten two
pieces of
1/4" tempered
hardboard to the
sled’s bottom,
centered over its
slot. Butt the pieces
together, then
raise the blade
and saw through
the joint.
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Click any image to view a larger version.
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Remove the
sled and tilt
the blade to 45
degrees. For the
best results, use a
60-tooth crosscut
blade for every cut
on this project.
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On many contractor’s
saws,
the blade moves
out of square
when it’s tilted.
Hold a wiffle piece
against the blade
and fence. Tape a
shim to the fence
if there’s a gap at
one corner. Ideally,
you’d re-align your
saw to make it cut
square, but this
quick fix works well
for this project.
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After the miter
cuts, your
piece must still be
perfectly square.
Adjust the shim
if your piece isn’t
square, then cut four
more test pieces.
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Drill a
2-1/8"
dia. hole in the
center of each
piece using a
Forstner bit. This
jig locks in the
piece on three
sides to ensure
that it doesn’t
shift. Toggles
keep your fingers
out of the way.
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Turn
over
the assembly and
spread glue on
all the joints.
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Add
the
right-hand hardboard
piece and
two support
boards to the
sled. Support
piece A is
1-1/8" thick by
2-1/8" wide; piece
B is 1-3/4" thick
by 2-3/8" wide.
Cut 45-degree
miters on both
pieces.
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Cut all
eight
corners to transform
the cube
into a wiffle ball.
Set the blade
3/8" above the
sled, then rotate
the cube three
times, making
three cuts, to
remove each
corner. Finish
the ball by dunking
it in Danish
oil and spraying
it with lacquer.
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