How to Make a Small Drilling Hole for a Bowling Ball

Before bowling balls are fitted with finger holes, the ball is a solid mass that needs to be drilled. Drilling holes into a bowling ball is completed with a bowling ball drill specially designed for burrowing finger pockets into bowling balls. Everybody has unique hands that vary in size, so use a finger-span measuring ball to find a comfortable and custom placement for finger holes. Once you decide the perfect finger placement, drill holes into the bowling ball and clean up the edges with sandpaper for a smooth finish. Wear eye protection while drilling for safety.

Things You'll Need

  • Eye protection
  • Vise grip
  • Adjustable finger-span measuring ball
  • Bowling ball drill with bits and sanding attachment
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Instructions

    • 1

      Insert the bowling ball into a vise grip and tighten the vise to secure the ball. Some bowling ball drills are fully-equipped machines, complete with a vise grip. If the bowling ball drill has a built-in vise, use its vise and not a separate one.

    • 2

      Insert the fingers on your bowling hand into the adjustable finger-span measuring ball. Adjust the placement of your fingers so the fit is comfortable when you mimic the motion of bowling the ball. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to set the finger placement and make a template. Pre-made templates are often included with adjustable finger-span measuring balls. Blank, customizable templates are also included.

    • 3

      Place the template onto the bowling ball you are going to drill.

    • 4

      Measure the circumference of the fingers you use to throw the bowling ball. Often times, bowlers use a combination of the index, middle and ring fingers, along with the thumb. Choose drill bits that match the circumference of each finger. Use the corresponding drill bit when drilling the holes for each finger.

    • 5

      Measure the length of each finger. When drilling each hole, adjust the bowling ball drill depth to correspond with the length of the finger.

    • 6

      Position the drill above the ball and align the tip of the drill bit with the first finger hole in the template.

    • 7

      Lower the drill bit and slowly insert it into the bowling ball to begin drilling the hole. Press the drill into the bowling ball until the appropriate depth has been reached. Slowly remove the drill. Replace the drill bit with the corresponding size of sand paper bit. Use the same drilling technique to insert the sand paper bit into the hole. The sand paper will smooth the surface of the drilled hole.

    • 8

      Drill and sand all finger holes. If you desire, slide finger inserts into the holes for a padded grip.