Spinner


I made this spinner with a 12-inch turntable bearing, a couple pieces of 1" white pine and some self-tapping wood screws. Tools needed for assembly are a saw for the wood, a drill, and screwdriver.

If I were to do it over again, I would use a smaller bearing size (this one is 12-inches in diameter). While it turns freely once in motion, it has a little more "stiction" than I'd like to initiate rotation. A smaller bearing diameter would reduce friction.

The next size down is a 9 inch bearing rated at 750 lbs. capacity. McMaster-Carr sold these for $5.52 (in 2002). Their part number is 6031K21 (Turntable Zinc-Plated, 9" Round, 750 Pound Load Capacity). I'd make the next spinner using the 9 inch bearing.

Even the 6 inch square (500 lb.) turntable bearings would probably work and require even less force to rotate. Photos of the 9-inch and the 6-inch bearings can be found here.

McMaster Carr can be found on the web at http://www.mcmaster.com

The following photos show the bottom of the spinner that has a hole to allow you to attach the top and bottom together. Rotate the top to align it with a punched hole in the turntable bearing and screw in three or four self-tapping screws.

The screw shown above is tapped into the underside of the top half of the spinner.  There are several like this around the rim of the turntable bearing to hold the top on. Rotate the top half into position to attach these screws.

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