This is a spinning top turned from the leg of a beech wood table I found on the curb, the same one that I used for this rolling pin
Materials:
- Table leg (beech wood)
- Mineral oil
Tools:
- Lathe
- Sandpaper
- File
Process:
First I cut off the leg at a length slightly longer than the intended height of the top.
Then I marked the center of both ends of the block of wood by drawing straight lines between diagonal corners.
These I used to position the block centered on the lathe.
I wanted to make the shape interesting to touch, since it is intended for a toddler, so I tried to get as many different curves and shapes into the top as possible.
After getting a satisfactory shape, I sanded the piece while still spinning on the lathe, first with slightly coarse sandpaper and then with fine sandpaper.
After taking it off the lathe i cut the ends. I left a couple of millimeters extra on the bottom to allow for errors.
The top just needed to be sanded, but the bottom I had to adjust with a file, because it was too wide and the top was unstable when spinning. Once the diameter of bottom little bit was sufficiently small, it spun perfectly.
I finished by treating it with the food safe IKEA SKYDD mineral oil for kitchen accessories, because small kids have a tendency to put things in their mouth.
Materials:
- Table leg (beech wood)
- Mineral oil
Tools:
- Lathe
- Sandpaper
- File
Process:
First I cut off the leg at a length slightly longer than the intended height of the top.
Then I marked the center of both ends of the block of wood by drawing straight lines between diagonal corners.
These I used to position the block centered on the lathe.
I wanted to make the shape interesting to touch, since it is intended for a toddler, so I tried to get as many different curves and shapes into the top as possible.
After getting a satisfactory shape, I sanded the piece while still spinning on the lathe, first with slightly coarse sandpaper and then with fine sandpaper.
After taking it off the lathe i cut the ends. I left a couple of millimeters extra on the bottom to allow for errors.
The top just needed to be sanded, but the bottom I had to adjust with a file, because it was too wide and the top was unstable when spinning. Once the diameter of bottom little bit was sufficiently small, it spun perfectly.
I finished by treating it with the food safe IKEA SKYDD mineral oil for kitchen accessories, because small kids have a tendency to put things in their mouth.
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You would put in the photo a familiar object like a pen together the sinning top, in order to give an idea of its size.