Woodworker's Journal 1984-8-5, страница 46

Toy Top

Rare indeed is the child who has not professed a love, at some point in his youth, for toy tops. As any child knows, however, good tops are as hard to find as the proverbial "hen's tooth."

In an effort to design the best possible top, we incorporated a handle and pull string "starter." Our design proved so successful that some pulls resulted in spins that lasted over five minutes. In fact, the top was so popular here among the "big kids," we have a sneaking suspicion that it might just become the executive "toy of the year."

To make the top, glue up sufficient stock to form a 5 in. by 5 in. square 9 in. long. Although we used 5/4 material, any combination of stock adding up to 5 in. will be fine. Since even weight distribution is essential to the top's balance, try to use stock from the same board.

Before mounting the block in the lathe, find the center at both ends, and measure down from what will be the shank

end of the top to a point where the body begins. Saw away enough material so that a l'/a in. square remains at the center.

Mount the top in the lathe, and using a Va in. gouge, round it over. Turn the body first, using a '/a in. roundnose to undercut both the top and bottom, and create the edge profile. Next, using a skew, cut down the stem to 9/16 in. diameter. After shaping the tip to a Vi in. diameter, sand the top over and cut off both ends. The center point must be shaped by hand.

The handle is cut out with a band or saber saw, and a Vt in. wide hole is drilled into the end to fit the top's stem. A section of 1 in. dowel will serve as the end pull.

After experimenting with various pull strings, we discovered that plastic-coated speaker wire worked best. Round over the handle edges and finish the top with several coats oftungoil. \\<\j

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DIA. * ^ CHM.E.