I have never cut wood on a lathe before, I am a retired Machinist so I do know how to cut. The first four tops were made out of poplar, the last two big ones are mahogany. I made these tops in my advance lathe class. First I started with delrin and then tried wood. The biggest poplar I could find was 31/2in. X 31/2in. X 5.0in. piece of wood. The big top is poplar with delrin sleeve, delrin bushing, flange bearing, and home made tip. All the rest are straight tips.
Poplar you have to pre-stain first, then stain, then a coat of Varathane. With the big mahogany I just used Varathane. I also mixed in Zar stain on the top of the tops. I used old cans around the house and just had fun.
The big mahogany tops would wobble everywhere so I had to balance them. I taped a penny on one side at a time to find out where the heavy side was, then I drilled a hole in the top and put rope lead in, 3/16in. X 3/4 in. = about 3 grams. Now they will spin on your finger tip. They trick great, and work like the Colombian tops. You can see them on You Tube under Spin tops with grandson.
I buy my rope at Home Depo. I use 1/8in. X 112in. I throw under hand like a bowling ball. If I throw at a 45 degree angle underhand I can make tip catches.
