Challenge
The use of wood instills a sense of timelessness and value in products. Use this material to design a spinning top that portrays these qualities.
Solution
Playing with the properties of wood, create a top that could only be made with this material.
How I Helped
Researcher
Sketch Artist
Concept Development
Prototyping
Construction
![Wooden Spinning Top](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/9698dd68-a14e-4e1a-8a45-3b3be78f70f6_rw_1920.jpg?h=29a71015ce5d8acf03b77f1131b2b589)
Wooden Spinning Top
ProcesS
How can a product be timeless and valuable?
To enhance a typical spinning top shape and design, I looked at combining types of wood or carving shapes into the wood to create unique aspects of the product.
Exploring this idea further, I realized that I could laminate different types of wood together to create the same shapes that I was considering carving into body of the top.
![Exploring Spinning Top Shapes and Features](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/97be7b61-e04c-4d83-b974-d9cc70724817_rw_1920.jpg?h=f1081f9ab62995581869ea3df053a2ac)
Exploring Spinning Top Shapes and Features
![Understanding the Lamination Technique and the Future Shape](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/96c23167-c6e7-4528-96fc-5d915c704bb5_rw_1920.jpg?h=9e276736344330fc83ddd8a819dfdc48)
Understanding the Lamination Technique and the Future Shape
![Foam Top Prototype](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/9e2b0af2-11ef-4ce2-96c2-d6ed4d2ed319_rw_1920.jpg?h=f7d45b2c67019ad1d2c1b0dbfe4735ed)
Foam Top Prototype
Prototypes of the shape of the top were made using blue foam before I began assembling the laminated wood.
The first time I laminated the wood, the bottom shifted and glued the strips together unevenly. As I waited for a second set of wood pieces to laminate together, I used the first piece as a practice on the lathe.
![Wood Lamination and Lather Turning](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/e8349a7a-1586-4c52-8a1c-cdf2104b38b5_rw_1920.jpg?h=64804a71c2644ba2b99000473f247f0e)
Wood Lamination and Lather Turning
![From Prototype to Current Design of Spinning Top](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/89702591-a16c-4839-8b39-4ee095594ace/cc7de78a-4ea3-4227-9912-f37340037e53_rw_1920.jpg?h=f804e0534fb53565713439530f1d6cb2)
From Prototype to Current Design of Spinning Top
After practicing to better understanding the shape and size I needed, I created the current version with the second block of laminated wood.