Mr. Potato head as the body! Ingenious!

Yes  Shawn, stellar link to the Fred Project. I must make  some of those eyes. As a result of reading through the project, I got inspired to figure out a way to make the  wooden balls for the eyes, by hand, without a lathe... I feel a youtube tutorial  coming  on....

oh , I have a youtube tutorial brewing on a cable controlled mouth, which might help Ladythorne, but it will take time to put it together. Are you still needing  something? Just shout and I will wip a video together ASP.

 Hi , I did a tutorial on  making  wooden balls it is :

Another great tutorial Phillip!

Wow that is really amazing! How do you come up with these ideas?

Shawn- Coming up with solutions to problems ...sounds a bit preachy, but this is what I live by...first recognise there is a God. That immediately means there is order in the universe, which can be understood. All knowledge comes from God, then understanding of that knowlege comes also from God, and finally wisdom, which is application of that knowlege  ... comes from God (proverbs). Then in the practice: identify your problem, like in this case, I need some eyeballs, I have no fancy lathe, except the one I built. It is hard to get even lathed balls spherical. Understand the concepts which are producing the problem. In this case wood rotates in one direction spinning around an axis on a lathe, the cutter moves in 2 directions only in reference to the axis (in-out and sideways) but the connection to the axis is not coordinated strongly enough to make a good sphere unless it were mechanical, which in a wood lathe it is not.  Think of other concepts ... a sphere is a circle in all directions. Then look around for what interesting things God is going to show you... I watched a bunch of tutorials, none with what I eventually made... many confirmed concepts. But one test for sphericalness of a ball by a japanese guy caught my attention...a jar. The mouth of a jar is a circle, and anywhere on a sphere a circle of any size will sit flat, as a sphere is made up of infinite circles of infinite sizes, in all directions, so you put the ball in the mouth of the jar, rotate it around and it will show how spherical things are.  This japanese guy put some mesh in the mouth of the jar to grind the high spots off a lathed ball... concept...'grind'+ 'circle'. then concept...'teeth' on a saw, or a rasp.. but they must now go on a circle...can  you put teeth on a jar? yes, but not easily... so what is like a jar that can take teeth  easier.. a pipe. and so I made the tool, and the sandpaper is the same concept. circle + grind + all directions. Do some trials, refine the process to correct any deficiencies.. and hey presto you have it.  I also discovered a way to make the  eyelids.. that  tutorial is yet to come... blessings.philip

Okay, Philip after watching that tutorial and reading your post I have to say that God gave some people more knowledge than others.   I'm so glad you share it with us!

Your'e entirely welcome , I am glad we have internet and the ability to share what we have learned. It's cool.

Thanks for sharing the thought processes as well as the mechanical ones. I know inventors who can't explain their process or teach others. You do both well. So cool.