iTopSpin

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 »   Go Down

Author Topic: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt  (Read 46301 times)

ta0

  • Administrator
  • Olympus member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14235
    • www.ta0.com
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #90 on: March 14, 2012, 12:15:06 AM »

Great to hear from you, Joe!  We all wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
That cartoon was premonitory!

Please, do post the messages from facebook. But only if you are feeling strong. We want you to be around for a sequel!  ;D
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #91 on: March 14, 2012, 04:56:30 AM »

Trevor brought over the pieces of the exploded winch gear. It seems the largest piece is the one that hit me and then landed in the crowd.
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #92 on: March 14, 2012, 04:58:31 AM »

The hat I was wearing when hit, which might have been the slight cushioning factor to protect my dura. The surgeon cleaned out several small pieces of black fabric with the skull pieces. Five minutes before being hit, the video documentation cameraman asked me to put my brim up to bring more light to my face for the interview shot. This caused me to pull down the back of the hat to exactly the point of impact.
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #93 on: March 14, 2012, 05:00:41 AM »

For those I haven't been able to talk to here is my first and second day analysis of the accident:
I had come to the conclusion the first day between when I was hit at 12 p.m. and went into surgery at 8 p.m. that the problem was failure to test the winch equipment. I had never tried anything risky before without a thorough testing of the equipment first. The whole week of final preparation I was frustrated that not much progress was being made on the winch setup so I could test it. The staff and work crew were jumping in with both feet on the multitude of tasks that needed to be completed but little or no progress on winch preparation. It was not actually available to test until the time of the actual attempt Saturday morning. We raised and dropped the weight a few feet and then raised it up for the attempt. So, though somewhat embarrassing, the conclusion was the accident was due to failure to properly test the equipment first.

The second day's analysis revealed a new insight. First, there was the fact that I had bought a faulty winch. The gear was cracked and painted over so the fault was not noticeable. So then, any time full weight would have been applied to the winch, the gear would have exploded. I had bought a 5-ton winch for a 1.5 ton weight so I thought I had a large margin of safety, but not with a cracked gear. Because no test was made until the attempt, when the winch and tower shook, I immediately turned to look at the top and was immediately hit in the back of the head. If I had tested it beforehand, there would have been no top to look at, I would have been looking at the weight or directly at the winch, not a nice scenario.
Logged

hermityo

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #94 on: March 14, 2012, 06:55:31 AM »

This is possibly the most incredible post I have read on this site and I am so glad Joe shared the story so far with us. It must be said  that to produce this top and get it to this point is really a tribute to Joe and his team of enthusiasts.   What an extraordinary series of unfortunate events. I have been amazed, amused , and shocked but quite addicted to see what else could possibly happen.
It has just left me with too many un-answered questions.
What does the top weigh, if known?
Any more information about its construction?
Is this really a top?  Was it supported at each end thus making it perhaps a gyroscope? Like Tao I would love to see this top spin free but with everyone well out of harm’s way.
 I would be disappointed if the Guinness  people recognise a top that is fixed for the record.Having said that this effort is definitely worthy of some award.
 I think a much more interesting record would be to build a top that is only powered by people( perhaps a limited number) and the top has to spin free for a time( perhaps 3 minutes ) demonstrating  stability. I would be very interested everyone’s thoughts on this aspect
Given the damage already inflicted by the exploding winch ,was it the health and safety officer standing under the top on the amazing 12 person pull, I couldn’t watch as a small child came into the danger area.
Has Joe been nominated for a Darwin award?
It is really great that Joe is OK and I am sure that we all agree with Joe’s sentiment ,
“Thanks for being so supportive all my fellow loonies!”
I certainly fit into that category of spinning loonies and have long loved the motto, ‘Don’t think ,Do!’
Once again, well done Joe and a speedy recovery.
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #95 on: March 14, 2012, 07:13:08 AM »

Okay guys, feeling hale and hearty at the moment so let me try to give you some construction details.  First though, on the free or attached situation.  The top is set top of the shaft and bottom of the shaft in a large 10-inch bearing, the shaft itself is a 2" diameter so it is designed to spin free within the space the bearings allow, thus being unattached but not hazardous. The Guinness Book requires it not to be attached or suspended, I believe this meets the qualifications but was disappointed it didn't stand more obviously independent of the top bearing, it was quite clear of the bottom bearing most of the spin.

We started with a 14' long solid steel shaft.  We made 4 pcs 4' diameter 3/4" plywood discs that attached to 4 pcs 2' steel plates fastened to the shaft with 3"lengths of pipe with tightening screws.  One of the discs was welded to the shaft.  Before assembling all the discs we made circular foam layers of huge high-density foam blocks (similar to styrofoam) and assembled them on the shaft between the discs.  Trevor set up the makeshift lathe to do the final shaping and painting.

Has not been weighed yet, could not raise it high enough for the scale in either the assembly room or the launcher arm.  Will try tomorrow with a pulley system (no winches though!)
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #96 on: March 14, 2012, 07:21:05 AM »

Ooops, forgot, one of the steel plates was not attached to a plywood disc, we needed it to tighten up the yoyo spool disc Trevor made when we realized we needed a larger diameter for better torque for the rope wind.
Logged

ta0

  • Administrator
  • Olympus member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14235
    • www.ta0.com
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #97 on: March 14, 2012, 10:36:25 AM »

I know of a certain Hall of Fame in Ohio that would like to have that hat and those gear remains . . .  ;)

It is fascinating the mix of very bad luck and very good luck involved!
Logged

jim in paris

  • ITSA
  • Demigod member
  • **********
  • Posts: 3900
  • "oeuvre de coeur prend tout un homme
    • my vids on  youtube
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #98 on: March 14, 2012, 12:25:00 PM »

Hi Joe Hi all !

like our friend Hermityo , i have been totally transported by this story....the twists and turns were astonishing and the show-down worth a 5 star movie ...we event get the "element of crime " >:D at the end ;D

about the fact that it was a captive top or not
may be it should move a bit more at the bottom,even with the bearing


Thanx again Joe and the Team
With this splendid project
You make me dream


jim



Logged
"oeuvre de coeur prend tout un homme"

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #99 on: March 15, 2012, 05:54:11 AM »

Got Big Blue weighed this afternoon: 450 Kilos (992 pounds).  Also did another manual spin, since Ruth and I hadn't seen it Saturday, with much the same results.  Spins, it's beautiful, but would love to see it hum.  Will work on stabilizing the launching structure as there is a lot of vibration and banging that can be rectified, I believe.
Logged

poptop

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Hyperhero member
  • ********
  • Posts: 1464
  • top dropper
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #100 on: March 15, 2012, 10:47:13 AM »

...he says with a wry smile and a twinkle in his eye.   ;)
Logged
Erratic Wobbler

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #101 on: March 15, 2012, 11:19:48 AM »

FB  comments:  Don Olney: Glad you got to see it spin! For some reason I can't post a comment on the IMPACT video post. A quite remarkable video to say the least! I knew you got hit, but did not know that the top did spin! Did that spin count for the record? And more importantly, how are you feeling, and are you losing any important data through that hole?

Joe Mauk: Hi Don Olney, well, the top spun but since the cable hesitated, the speed of the top caused it to catch up with the unwinding rope and wind it the other way, if you watch you will see it then starts spinning the opposite way! It was a great test of the strength and integrity of the top construction, not to mention my head. Amazingly I feel great, rather than losing data, getting new ideas!

Oh, and a question for Hermityo:  What's a health and safety officer?
Logged

hermityo

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 45
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #102 on: March 15, 2012, 07:01:37 PM »

Hello Joe and great to hear that you have recovered so well so quickly and having more ideas for this remarkable top you have built. Thank you for posting its weight and more about its construction. I find it fascinating. Regarding the "make-shift lathe" you spoke about ,was that set up where it was held horizontally in the shed? Also I remember reading that you spun it very slowly to shape it . Did you use a motor of some sort to rotate it? With foam I imagine some of the shaping could have been done with sandpaper perhaps?
Regarding the "health and safety officer".It really was just a joke. Here in Australia on most larger building sites the workers Union have  health and safety officers to oversee everyone's H&S.They are well known for slowing down projects and even stopping things that are a bit "out there". H&S officers in Australia would never have allowed this attempt but more importantly no-one here has ever tried to spin a huge top like this.
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #103 on: March 15, 2012, 07:38:39 PM »

Thanks Hermityo, my question was a joke too!  We do try to be safe but it is a very different world here from Australia, U.S. and Europe. Trevor and I had a great laugh at one point during the documentary, they were videoing Macky, our engineer, and in the background they were getting the launch holder arm in position, they were using two chain blocks and one started lifting the platform they were standing on.  So, while the engineer is being interviewed about the project you have two guys in the background start floating in space and grabbing onto the arm to keep from falling, they quickly reversed the one chain block to solve the problem but what a scene!

On the makeshift lathe, Trevor had the two stands made up and we had chain blocks from the roof trusses to lift both ends of the shaft.  When the stands were in position we lowered the shaft so they would bear the weight, we also bolted the stands into the floor.  For turning, a big crank handle was made and attached with pipe and tightening screws to one end of the shaft but  for a lot of the shaping it was easier just to turn it by hand.  Rough shaping was done by sawing the foam, more detailed shaping with a disc grinder using sandpaper discs, and also sandpaper on flexible rubber pads.  Trevor had also brought a couple pieces of diamond grid finishing paper from Australia for the final smoothing.
Logged

JMauk

  • ITSA Jr.
  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 246
Re: Worlds Largest Spin Top record attempt
« Reply #104 on: March 15, 2012, 08:33:55 PM »

Here is Byron Watts' summary of events of March 10, 2012


Note:  Photos from Friday and Saturday (launch day) are available on Facebook.  There is a page: The World’s Biggest Spinning Top
Friday March 9, 2012
•   Final modifications were made to The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   An attempt was made to weigh The World’s Biggest Spinning Top but the roof height was too low to mount the large scale between the chain winch and The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   The decision was made to place The World’s Biggest Spinning Top in the transport cradle and move The World’s Biggest Spinning Top to the launch pad.  It was hoped there would be enough room on the launch pad to weigh The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   After The World’s Biggest Spinning Top was placed in the cradle, 20 men lugged The World’s Biggest Spinning Top from the build site to the launch pad.
•   Moving The World’s Biggest Spinning Top went very smoothly.  We were surprised how well transport went.
•   Night fell as The World’s Biggest Spinning Top was being placed in the launch pad.
•   Lights were set up to enable workers to continue placing The World’s Biggest Spinning Top in the proper position.
•   Workers continued into the night to prepare the launch pad for launch day.
Saturday March 10, 2012 LAUNCH DAY
•   Launch day began sunny and bright.
•   Preparations continued as crews arrived to photograph and document The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   Friends and officials gathered at Rizal Re-Creation Center.
•   It began to rain lightly.
•   The winch was tested.  There seemed to be a problem getting things ready on the winch.
•   The decision was made to delay weighing The World’s Biggest Spinning Top until after the spin.
•   One media crew was delayed in arriving at the site.  Launch was delayed. 
•   Workers continued to work on the winch and launch tower.
•   When the media crew arrived, bumble bee (the “transformer” – weight) was cranked up the tower.
•   Announcements by Joe Mauk, Ruth Mauk, family members, Rizal Laguna Mayor Hon. Antonio Aurelio and designated witness Byron T Watts were made as we prepared to launch The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   A pre-launch weight drop was attempted.  The winch and launch tower seemed to perform correctly.
•   The weight (1.5 tonne) was lifted to the top of the launch tower.
•   Nearly everyone watched The World’s Biggest Spinning Top as the winch lever was released.
•   As the weight dropped from the launch tower, sparks were seen in the winch (note that I was not watching the winch). 
•   It appears that the winch jammed.
•   As the winch jammed, the top of the launch tower bent.  The weight was falling very fast and could not drop successfully because the cable was stuck.
•   Apparently the jamming winch was caused by the gear breaking up.
•   One part of the winch gear exploded forward and hit The World’s Biggest Spinning Top embedding almost two inches in The World’s Biggest Spinning Top.
•   One part of the winch gear exploded backward a hundred feet or so.
•   One of the pieces of the gear hit Pastor Joe Mauk smashing a golf ball sized chunk of his skull.
•   Pastor Joe announced that he needed to go to the hospital...it took a long time to realize he was hurt.
•   Pastor Joe was transported to the Hospital in one of the Re-Creation Center vehicles.
•   Jojo, Pastor Joe’s driver drove really fast.  Police officials were present providing escort part of the way.
•   A Doctor was present who attended Pastor Joe to the hospital.
•   Pastor Joe was stable enough that they decided to drive to the more distant and better equipped hospital.  A 2-hour drive…at least normally, achieved in 1 hour 15 minutes.
•   Initially the Neurosurgeon thought there would be an hour long surgery.  The x-ray and CAT scan seemed to indicate a less significant fracture.
•   It was discovered that an area the size of a golf ball (around 2 inches) was pulverized by the winch gear. 
•   The surgery needed to clean out bone fragments and bits of his hat took 2 ½ hours.
•   Pastor Joe is recovering and in good condition…with an extra hole in his head.
•   Thank God for protecting Pastor Joe from more serious injury.
Logged
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 »   Go Up