Choosing a Sphere Machine

The first thing to consider before choosing a sphere machine is, “What size spheres do I intend to make?” If you want to make spheres larger than 1” in size, then the Large Sphere Machine or 3-Headed Sphere Machine is your best choice. The 3-headed sphere machine is designed to cut from 3 sides and allows for slightly larger spheres to be cut than the standard 2-headed machine.

If you intend on making smaller pieces, consider the material. If it is precious material you might consider the more time-consuming Small Sphere Machine. This machine makes small, marble-sized spheres. This is a labor intensive machine designed specifically for shaping precious materials such as gemstones or restoring old marbles.

If time is a factor and you need to make several small beads at a time you might consider the faster, more aggressive, Bead Mill. This machine, much like the Small Sphere Machine, makes small marble sized spheres using a weighted milling head and tank. The Bead Mill is only designed for use with hard stones. Stones that are a 5 on the Mohs scale or less will be crushed in this unit. We do not recommend using the Bead Mill for shaping precious materials because of the aggressive nature of the unit.