Wiffle Ball
By Jock Holmen and Tom Caspar
Purchase the complete version of this woodworking project story from AWBookstore.com.
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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2. 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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4. 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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6. 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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8. 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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10. 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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12. Turn
over
the assembly and
spread glue on
all the joints.
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14. 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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16. 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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