Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This project started at the lathe and ended up as a game. The idea was a double-sided arena — a rimmed platform that works on either face and functions as a battle arena for spinning tops. The finished piece is more satisfying than I expected, and genuinely playable.
Everything is turned on the lathe, from the arena itself to the spinning tops. Colouring gives each top its own identity, and the whole set comes together as a complete, usable object rather than just a turning exercise.
In this video I cover:
- Designing the double-sided arena form
- Turning the arena from a flat blank
- Making the spinning tops to match
- Colouring and finishing with Hampshire Sheen
- The finished game — and how the tops perform
🎓 Want to learn in person? I run woodturning courses at my school in Hampshire for all levels — from complete beginners through to more advanced techniques. Details at www.thewoodturning.school
🛢️ My Finishes: yandles.co.uk/shop/?manufacturer=martin-saban-smith-woodturning
📘 Design and proportion in woodturning — I wrote the book: msabansmith.com/shop
📍 Based at Garthowen Garden Centre, Four Marks, Hampshire — next to the South Downs National Park.
🌐 msabansmith.com
Facebook — Me: facebook.com/msabansmith
Facebook — Woodturning School: facebook.com/thewoodturningschool
Instagram — Me: instagram.com/msabansmith
Instagram — School: instagram.com/thewoodturningschool
The visual video content (including my voice), any text and any graphics in the video are Copyright © Woodturning Online Ltd 2015–2025. All rights reserved.
#Woodturning #SpinningTop #WoodturningProjects #LatheProject #WoodturningColour
This project started at the lathe and ended up as a game. The idea was a double-sided arena — a rimmed platform that works on either face and functions as a battle arena for spinning tops. The finished piece is more satisfying than I expected, and genuinely playable.
Everything is turned on the lathe, from the arena itself to the spinning tops. Colouring gives each top its own identity, and the whole set comes together as a complete, usable object rather than just a turning exercise.
In this video I cover:
- Designing the double-sided arena form
- Turning the arena from a flat blank
- Making the spinning tops to match
- Colouring and finishing with Hampshire Sheen
- The finished game — and how the tops perform
🎓 Want to learn in person? I run woodturning courses at my school in Hampshire for all levels — from complete beginners through to more advanced techniques. Details at www.thewoodturning.school
🛢️ My Finishes: yandles.co.uk/shop/?manufacturer=martin-saban-smith-woodturning
📘 Design and proportion in woodturning — I wrote the book: msabansmith.com/shop
📍 Based at Garthowen Garden Centre, Four Marks, Hampshire — next to the South Downs National Park.
🌐 msabansmith.com
Facebook — Me: facebook.com/msabansmith
Facebook — Woodturning School: facebook.com/thewoodturningschool
Instagram — Me: instagram.com/msabansmith
Instagram — School: instagram.com/thewoodturningschool
The visual video content (including my voice), any text and any graphics in the video are Copyright © Woodturning Online Ltd 2015–2025. All rights reserved.
#Woodturning #SpinningTop #WoodturningProjects #LatheProject #WoodturningColour
