EDUstick® Creators Club
Spinning top with your own pattern
Build a three-dimensional spinning top with a disc featuring your own radial pattern and a short PLA shaft. Join the parts, let them cool and test the spin on a smooth tabletop.
Your outcome: Build a small toy that you can set spinning yourself.
Illustration of the finished construction. Full-size (1:1) templates are supplied on a separate sheet.
Session 1 • stage 1/7
Build the disc outline
Print the templates at 100%, with no fit-to-page option; the reference line should measure 20 mm. Cut out the paper rectangles: 90 × 90 mm for the disc and 25 × 60 mm for the shaft.
Place them under the transparent mat: the disc on the left, the shaft on the right, their top edges aligned and a 10 mm gap between them; a clear area of 130 × 100 mm is required. Do not overlap the sheets. Choose your own colours. Outline the large and small circles and join them with four spokes.
Check: The hole is open, and both outlines are closed and joined. The mat lies flat and fully on the tabletop.
If it does not work: Bridge a gap on the surface with a short strand. Correct an incorrectly printed template before drawing.
Parts and methods for this stage
1 × Disc · PLA
• template T01
This describes the entire disc made in stages 1–3; perform the actions in sequence according to the stage descriptions. First connect the outline and the small circle with four radial lines, then add eight more. Fill the sectors in opposite pairs with straight strips running from the small circle to the rim. Start shorter strips on the existing fill where the gaps widen toward the rim; do not apply them again near the hole. The approximately 1.2 mm wide strips should merge into a single flat layer. Leave the hole empty.
Two outlines joined by spokes
Disc
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 2/7
Start the radial fill
Add the remaining eight radial lines. Fill six alternating sectors, in opposite pairs. Lay straight strips from the small circle to the rim. Start shorter strips on the fill where the gaps widen; do not apply them again near the hole. Merge adjacent strips into a single flat layer.
Check: Six filled sectors and six empty sectors are visible. The fill is fused to the spokes.
If it does not work: Fill gaps with short strands on the surface, to a similar degree on both sides of the centre.
Six sectors: three opposite pairs
Disc
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 3/7
Complete your own pattern
Fill the remaining six sectors in the same way. Keep a similar thickness on opposite sides. You can change colours: repeat the colour sequence in opposite sectors. Leave the central hole open. Wait until the disc has cooled completely.
Check: The disc is flat, measures about 70 mm and is fully filled with no large gaps.
If it does not work: Build up thin areas in opposite pairs. Remake a noticeably warped disc on the template.
Complete disc with an even fill
Disc
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 4/7
Make the shaft with a grip
Lay three supported strands, middle one slightly longer. Add a supported middle layer: extend its center about half a strand thickness past the base center; end its sides at base center. At supported ends, stop PLA to leave blunt ends without pulling threads. Add a supported top layer, ending as base.
Stop all eight surrounding strands before middle center. Add crosswise ties and an upper 6 mm grip. Make axis about 40 mm. Cool both parts fully.
Check: Check the cold axis: straight, fused, with a grip. From both sides, its tip is blunt, central and farthest down; eight ends are recessed. Every layer was supported.
If it does not work: Reconnect loose strands on the surface, then cool. Remake crooked, pointed, off-center or equal-ended axes as shown.
Parts and methods for this stage
1 × Shaft with grip · PLA
• template T02
Three layers of three strands, approximately 1.1 mm each. Only the center strand of the second layer extends farthest; the other eight end slightly earlier (S04a–c). Support: first the work mat, then the preceding strands. Crosswise ties fuse the axis together, and the upper 6 mm forms the grip.
Three layers, bindings and grip
Shaft with grip
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 5/7
Fit the shaft in the centre
Once cool, remove the parts. The helper holds the cool edge of the disc and the upper grip of the shaft. Insert the tip through the hole; leave about 12 mm below the disc. With no PLA, check the centre and the right angle from two sides.
Then make four tacks above the disc, from the rim of the hole to the shaft: two opposite each other, then the remaining two. The helper holds the parts until they harden, out of the nozzle's path.
Check: The shaft went in freely and is centred and perpendicular. Each tack touches both parts.
If it does not work: Do not force the shaft in. Correct the fit or position before tacking; join a loose contact while the parts are supported.
Parts and methods for this stage
1 × Disc-to-shaft joint · PLA
• template follow the written method
This describes the entire joint made in steps 5-6; follow the step descriptions in order. Make four opposing tack welds on the supported, cooled parts, then two touching rings around the axle on each side of the disc. Build the rings from the existing disc toward the axle; let each short section cool before changing your grip. Finished cross-section [mm]: 2.3 × 1.3. Support: The helper holds the cool rim of the disc and the upper grip of the shaft; the joints remain exposed. The shaft passes through the actual hole. Do not apply force to the hot joint. Strand direction: Four tacks from the rim of the hole to the shaft, in opposite pairs. Then make two adjacent rings above the disc and two below it, using short sections on the existing parts. Cooling: Wait until fully hardened before changing sides; after making both joints, leave the model to cool completely. Tip access: Access from above and at an angle from below. The helper raises the whole model above the surface, keeping their fingers on the rim and upper grip, outside the nozzle area.
Four opposite tacks
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 6/7
Reinforce the joint
With the parts supported, join the tacks with two rings of PLA above the disc: one next to the shaft and one next to the rim of the hole. Fuse them into a continuous joint. Once it has hardened, the helper raises the model by the cool edge and grip. Make the same joint underneath, away from fingers.
Wait until the model has cooled completely.
Check: On both sides, the joints connect the shaft to the disc all the way around. The shaft does not move in the hole.
If it does not work: Fill gaps with short sections on the existing joint. Support the parts until they harden.
Continuous collar underneath
Disc-to-shaft joint
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 7/7
Spin it and see your pattern
Once fully cooled, gently check the shaft mounting by hand. Place the rounded tip on a smooth, level tabletop. Spin it by the grip and let go. Watch the colours and see whether the spinning top completes several full rotations. Try several times with similar force. At the end, put away the pen according to its instructions and tidy up.
Check: The axle stays firmly fixed, the edge of the disc does not rub against the tabletop, and the spinning top makes several full turns. Check this on your own.
If it does not work: If the joint is loose, add to the welds while supporting the parts, then let everything cool completely. If the assembly is permanently crooked or off-center, or the disc is uneven, remake the entire model from new parts by following steps 1-6.
Starting position for your own test
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Finished model
View 1
Compare your model with the illustration.
