This is seven years later. Thanks for posting. Exactly what I want to make for my grandchildren. Looks like a skew is the preferred tool. Good to know.
I wanted to thank you for sharing how to make the top and Launcher. It works great and made 3 just to start and have many who want them, I don't make any money really but to see everyone face when they see them is great. Thank you again. Eric
Hi Gord. I'm not a wood turner and I'm not likely to have space to do so, but I wantes to let you know that your video was very useful in showing me and my daughter how to use a spinning top like this. We were given one without instructions and we couldn't for the life of us work out how to make it work, so thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this, also have 4 grandchildren but the youngest might struggle to spin the tops I've made with his fingers so this will be a great help. He might end up as champion top spinner after our Christmas dinner 'spinning top challenge'. Best wishes from the U.K. 😇
You are so welcome, David! I hope you enjoy making them and your grandchildren enjoy spinning them. I also have 4 grandchildren but they are a bit old to enjoy these now. They did like them when I made them for them years ago, though. Have fun with the "spinning top challenge". Thanks for watching!
Better late than never, Glen. Of course, that’s not true when SWMBO wants something done. In that case late is not good! 😱😱 Glad you liked it, Glen. Thanks for watching! Happy turning, .....Gord
Love this video. Before you bring the tip to a point you can drill a shallow hole with a jacobs chuck, then after turning insert a ball bearing with a little ca. It spins for a very long time.😊
Nice job Gordon, if you turn a top by the second method you used try final parting of it using the point of your scew almost zero sanding required and you get a really good point.
Frank Fitzpatrick Hi Frank. That was my other thought but I'm less confident with the skew, although my confidence is growing because I use the skew as much as I can. It's the only way I will ever be any good with it. Just thought I had a better chance with the 1/4" spindle gouge. Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate the support. Take care, .....Gord
Being an old guy, I remember the humming metal tops . They were about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and made about a 60 Hertz sound. But when they slowed, they were silent. My guess would be to make a couple of bowls, glue together and drill flat holes along the periphery. Just a guess; not a simple build.
I think my grandpa told me about those! LOL!! I remember those too, John. We thought they were the coolest things for awhile. Can you imagine what kids today might think? I’m sure they wouldn’t be too impressed!! 😂🤣 Thanks for watching, John! Take care, .....Gord
Dear Gord. First of all, thank you for your great videos and tutorials. They´re very educational and usually also fun to watch. About the whistling spinning tops, I might suggest to not drill the hole through all material, but only in some depth - remember for example whistling the bullet or almost anything with a cavity... Obviously, there shall rise a problem with stability because of slightly dislocated centre of gravity, but it may be resolved quite simply by drilling the second hole from opposite side. Please, take this as a suggestion, I haven´t tried it by myself yet. Best regards and keep on turning.
Kamil Vrbíček Hi Kamil. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Thanks for the suggestion; I may try that one of these days. It does seem logical. Thanks for watching & commenting. I appreciate the support. .....Gord
Gordon Rock Hello, Gord. The idea of whistling spinning top didn´t allow me to sleep, so I´ve tried some pieces by myself. Untill tomorrow, I´ve tried about 10 positions, diameters and depths of the wholes, but sadly without a significant success. I have mastered the throwing, which I am happy about, but no whistle at all. My spinning tops do a very low pitch noise like hummmmmm, almost infrasound, or they just swift, but don´t whistle. If you would try it someday with success, send me a note, please. Regards, Kamil.
Just brainstorming here: As far as I know, the top needs to be hollow tfor it to be able to make a wisthling (kind of) noise. Also I believe that the holes you have to make may have to be at an angle and a recess at one side, to improve the airflow into the top. Also something like a straw (like they use in flutes and trumpets) may improve the sound.
Thanks for making this video! Is there a rule of thumb for where you drill the hole on the top shaft for the string? It seems to me that closer to the base of the top would be more stable when pulling the string but then you have more shaft to pull out of the launcher after pulling the string. Thank you
There is no rule that I am aware of, Jim. Whatever works for you is the right way to do it, I think. I had seen one like this somewhere and just decided to design one of my own. Let me know if you find a better way to do it. Thanks for watching!
If you mean the tool I used at the 3:50 mark it's called an Incra T-Rule and I got mine from Lee Valley, if I remember correctly. Thanks for watching! .....Gord
Absolutely great video Gord, thanks! Yes I subscribed. Mineral oil? Not tung, linseed, etc? What brand? I'm using Deft spray lacquer for these odd shapes where other finishes are not appropriate. Still looking for a whistling top? I'll see what I can find. I like the way you close up video the spindle gouge technique. I can use help there. Best Regards, Bill
I’m glad you liked it, Bill. I don’t have a go-to finish. I try something different quite often because I have yet to find one that does everything. Is there such a thing? I like experimenting with different methods. Thanks for watching, Bill and thanks very much for subscribing. I really appreciate the support! 😃😃😃 Take care, .....Gord
@@GordonRock1 OK, thanks. My apology in advance for the following nerd like nit-picking. My question re: mineral oil. I believe we use vegetable oil for finishing. Mineral oil and vegetable oil have different properties and uses. Vegetable oil comes from plants, whereas mineral oil is a petroleum derivative.
Thanks a lot, Mark. Glad you liked it! The length of the string depends on the length of your arms. For a child I might use a string that is only 18" long. For me I would use a string 36" long. The longer the string can be, the faster you can get it spinning. Thanks for watching. I appreciate the support! Take care, .....Gord
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yDWFhTSoVdM.html This is a video of a whistling top, he doesn't say how it's done but you can see the hole shape. From what I understand of flutes and whistles the edge of the hole needs to be sharp to cut the air stream. I'm guessing that the angle cut to sharpen the hole edge will vary with the diameter of the top, so some trial and error to get it right. It's also likely that it can only have 1 hole. Hope this helped a little. Have a merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year.
Thanks very much for looking this up for me. I've seen this and a few others this particular turner has done. Your tip re: the sharp edge sounds like a good one. I will give it another try one of these days. Thanks again and thanks for watching. Your support is appreciated. .....Gord
Josef Roesler Sorry, Josef, I haven't figured it out. To be honest, I haven't had, or taken, the time to try again. It's somewhere on the list of a lot of things I want to do. The priorities change daily!! :-)
Glenn, it's been a long time since I did that video and I have made many others. I don't really spend much time thinking about the size; I just grab a piece of wood, usually scrap, and start turning. I've made tops that were quite small and some that were 4" in diameter. I think it's just a matter of practicing to get the proportions right so it will spin. Remember to keep the weight centered low and you shouldn't have any trouble. All the best, .....Gord
The edges of the holes need to be beveled with a small file. Think of how a wooden whistle has a hole in it where one side is straight and the other side is angled.
Gordon - Re. sound generating tops, see https: //ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-stT4HNhGJZA.html Not sure how to incorporate hollow forms into this arena other than to make a couple of "bowls" or a hollow form with holes, but there's your challenge...
You are referring to a video made shortly after I started making videos. At the time I had a great deal to learn about making them, including the music I included in them. Things have changed greatly!
@@GordonRock1 No offence to you or your hard work you put into your life style,i just had to get my point across. Was not a insult & truth be told,i never noticed when the was made,i only to0k it out of m recommendations list,
