spinning tops...

[robo hippy]

I did use some brass for spin top points, but switched to Delrin, which is a pretty hard plastic. You can spin your tops on a wood floor with no damage. I sharp point will spin a bit longer if you are in to that, but a rounded point is more user friendly, and will keep you out of trouble with SWMBO (she who must be obeyed). I would expect Corrian would work well also.

robo hippy

 

[Steve Tiedman]

I hit the hardware store this morning and bought a 4mm brass rod and a matching drill bit (3.99mm, it'll drive in just fine and be held with epoxy), and if that experiment doesn't thrill me, I'll try the brass pins. A $15 experiment.

My thought is when in the early rough cutting of the top, I'll drill and glue in a short piece of brass rod (1/2" or so), then turn down to the rod exposing as much as I want while making a smooth, rounded head on it so it will be gentle on surfaces. The shaped brass rod will also provide a more substantial tip than the head of the brass pin.

 

[John K Jordan]

I sharp point will spin a bit longer if you are in to that, but a rounded point is more user friendly,

I found, yes, a sharp point will spin nicely on a smooth surface like a dinner plate or glass, but might get hung up in wood grain or the edges of boards on a wood floor.

Also, since most of my tops are hardwoods, sharp points can degrade with use so I often gently round them with some fine sandpaper.

One more thing - some people make them handle first on the end of the blank then shape and cut the point. I find they spin better if I turn them with the pointed end first, then the back side, then the handle last. Any sanding or friction polish needs to be done in stages since once the handle is thinned the body of the top can't be touched.

One just before cutting it off with a skew.

 

[Anne Whitcombe]

Ah, tops! It's always nice to see an old thread, new to me.

I've made many hundreds, maybe a 1000, would send them 50 at a time with a missionary friend going to an orphanage in Romania - those kids often had nothing. And these don't need batteries!

Great to get out at group events, at breaks when I was working, parties, for visiting kids. I once had a corporate director in a suit and tie get down on the floor with me to spin tops.

I always take them on trips and give them to people I meet, old and young. I've made some lifelong friends in Italy starting with the simple action of getting a few out of my pocket on a train from Austria to Venice!

View attachment 70880

I've never read a book or watched a video on making these but that might be fun some day.

This is the method I teach, although I usually make 3 or 4 in a row from a single blank in a chuck.
Skew and spindle gouge.
View attachment 70881

Good simple fun.

JKJ

It is such good simple fun and can bring a smile to others. What a great idea to keep a few in your pocket to give away when travelling. Will take that and run.