Spinning Tops

[Duff Bement]

Well here it is, the first one right off of the lathe.

Is there a good way to finish the top of Top without a vacuum chuck? The only problem I had was sanding the top and getting the pip down small enough. I was afraid to do to much to sanding and getting it out of balance.

Be honest - this is the first one so what needs to be improved?

Oh yeah the wood is hard maple and the finish is two coats of friction polish.

Duff

 

[Jerry Rhoads]

That looks pretty sweet Duff
Looks like the ones I recall
What is the tip (metal?)
Did it spin well

Jerry

 

[Matt Owen]

Looks a lot better than the first one I made. Nice Job.

I would recommend making the lip on the point a little larger. The string will stay put a little better if it has a little more to ride on.

As far as the top goes, I usually just pare off the top with my skew, and then a little sanding takes away the tool marks.

You also might try making the largest diameter of the top a little higher up. It should flip over better and be a little more stable when thrown. Just my two cents.

Again, it looks pretty good.

Matt

 

[GeorgeH]

Hope I didn't misinterpret your questions, but here goes:

I turn these with the larger end away from the lathe chuck. That way I can finish the "top" of the top before working down to the tip; which is where I make my cut off. I always put the finish on before parting it off the lathe so all the sanding is done on the lathe and there's no threat of affecting the balance of the finished piece.
I agree that you need a bit more of a purchase surface for the string to hold firmly just above the tip. It doesn't take much but there needs to be a well defined edge so the string doesn't slip.
And don't worry too much about the finish. These are "throw" tops and when they are thrown they're gonna get dinged up. It's just part of the game.

 

[Max Taylor]

[Hi Duff, I wish all my holding problems were this simple. Turn a tenon on a scrap piece that is laying around. Hollow out a hole to fit the top point into and a little more. Insert the point in it and bring up the tail stock with the live center and grip the top and finish the top like you like it. Hopefully helpful, MaxSIZE="3"][/SIZE]