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Laser Cut Spinning TopHow to design and customise a wooden spinning top to be laser cut
1Tim Hatchard
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Finished Product
• Here you can see the basic finished spinning top
• It is made from 3mm thick laser ply.
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Introduction
• To do this activity, Autodesk Fusion 360 will be
used
• We will construct 3 different parts of a basic
shape
• The spinning top can then be coloured or
painted for customisation!
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Step 1
Save Save this part inside that project as the spinning top base.
Create Create a new project called Spinning Top Activity.
Open Open Fusion 360 and click save to setup your files.
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Step 2
• Create a new sketch using the button
shown in the image.
• Choose the bottom work plane.
• Ensure that the origin is visible by
clicking the lightbulb next to it.
• The view will change to as shown in the
image
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Step 3
• We will start by creating the circular
base.
• Make a circle of diameter 50mm.
• Add construction lines across the x and
y axis through the centre of the circle
• Ensure the circle and construction lines
are constrained to the origin.
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Step 4
• Zoom into the top of the circle.
• Where the construction line meets the
edge of the circle, add a 2 point
rectangle
• Dimension this rectangle to be 3mm
across by 5mm down.
• Contrain the top edge of the rectangle
to be a tangent of the circle, and the
construction line to be the midpoint.
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Step 5
• Use the circular pattern function to
repeat this 4 times around the circle.
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Step 6
• Trim the edges of the circle and
rectangles such that the rectangles cut
out from the circle.
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Step 7
• In the centre create two 3mm by 10mm
centre corner rectangles crossing over
themselves.
• Trim the centre so it becomes a cross in the
centre.
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Step 8
• Create an extrude from this face of
3mm.
• This is unnecessary for the laser cutter,
but useful to check the pieces fit
together in fusion.
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Step 9
• Create a new design by clicking the plus
at the top next to your tab.
• Save this as “Spinning Top – T”
• This will be the top half of the cross
sectional handle.
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Step 10
• Create a new sketch and this time
choose the front work plane.
• Again ensure the origin is visible using
the light bulb.
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Step 11
• To start we will make construction lines
along the X and Y axis.
• Make the X axis line 40mm long,
centred on the origin.
• For the Y axis, make it 30mm above and
10mm below the origin.
• Ensure these lines are constrained to the
origin and their orientation.
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Step 12
• Create a 2 point rectangle to the left of
the top construction line. Ensure it is
the same length of the construction line.
• Make the closer edge 1.5mm from the
construction edge, and the further edge
5mm from the construction line.
• Ensure they are sufficiently constrained.
• Make a 1mm fillet on the outer corner
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Step 13
• Draw the following shape as shown by
the blue lines.
• Thie connect the bottom right of the
rectangle to the origin, then the bottom
left extends out to the edge of the
horizontal construction line
• Create the 5mm by 3mm rectangle, as
shown, then connect this diagonally to
the bottom of the bottom construction
line.
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Step 14
• Cut a triangle into the larger triangle.
• Make each edge parallel with the outer
triangle edges.
• Then dimension the edges to be 2mm
away from the outer edges.
• Make sure the vertical part of the
triangle is collinear with the left edge of
the rectangle you drew earlier.
• Ensure you fillet the edges, I chose
0.25mm. This will stop the edges
causing cracking.
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Step 15
• Select all shapes apart from the centre
construction line.
• Mirror everything along the centre
construction line.
• Again make this an extrude of 3mm.
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Step 16
• Create another new design, this time
calling it “Spinning Top – B”.
• Create a new sketch this time choosing
the right work plane.
• Show the origin again.
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Step 17
• Go into the sketch from the “Spinning
Top – T” design. Select all of it and
copy it into your new designs sketch.
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Step 18
• Simple connect the top of the two
rectangles.
• Next, trim the inner lines from the
rectangles, leaving the bottom line.
• Now connect the edges of the bottom
line vertically downwards to the
diagonal line.
• Lastly, trim the middle lines from the
diagonal line, creating an almost inverse
of the other sketch.
• Once done, extrude your shape.
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Step 19
• Create a new design and call it
“Spinning Top Assembly”.
• We will use this to test the fit of the
basic spinning top.
• For each part that you made, go into the
bodies folder, click “Body 1” and select
“Create components from bodies”.
• Next go back to the assembly, click the
9 squares icon in the top left and find
your project.
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Step 20
• Drag each component into the work
plane and try to line them up together.
• To make it easier to line up, when
creating the extrudes for the cross
section parts, select symmetric extruding
and whole length measurement before
defining the 3mm extrude.
• Now that the shapes line up and look
good, we can add customisations.
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Step 21
• No we must add grippers to the connecting
sections to ensure it’s a tight fit.
• Simply add 3mm by 0.5mm splines to joints as
shown on the right.
• This will ensure the spinning top fits together
snugly.
• Make sure this is done to both cross sectional
pieces.
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Laser Cutting
• Export each part (not the assembly) as a DXF file by right clicking on the sketch.
• Import the DXF into the laser cutting software.
• Resize and move to appropriate position, then cut it onto 3mm laser ply.
• Ensure that when laser cutting, the grain of the wood goes along the width of the cross sections as shown; align the grain with the orange arrows when cutting the shape. Otherwise they will become brittle and snap easily.
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Finished Product• When assembling it is recommended to
file down the grippers so the spinning
top fits together snugly without
breaking.
• Use sharpies or felt tip pens to colour
your spinner and make it your own!
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Thank you for taking part!
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