This week in our workshop, we set ourselves a rapid design challenge: to create a series of spinning tops in just a few days and seek feedback from our community.

We sketched three concepts. One was a six-sided dice spinner (a Teetotum), another was a simple yes-or-no decision maker, and the last was a pencil-powered spinner. We turned to our community on Instagram to decide which one to bring to life. The clear winner was the Pencil Spinner, or as we like to call it: the Wormhole Drafter.

We started with 3D prints to test proportions and balance, before moving on to brass. To make it, we cut brass stock, milled it to shape on the CNC, then finished it by hand on the lathe. A sharp HB pencil was fitted through the centre. With a flick, it spun beautifully, but with a blast of compressed air, it kept turning for over ten minutes.

The conic form is what gives the Wormhole Drafter its otherworldly character. The shape follows a path that echoes the way matter bends as it falls into a wormhole, spiralling endlessly towards the centre. The pencil in the core doubles as both a functional drafting tool and the axis around which the whole piece spins.

This design also embodies Newton’s third law. Every push on one side of the spiral is matched by an equal reaction, which keeps the motion balanced. That balance is why it spins for so long, the weight and symmetry working in harmony.

Spinners themselves have a long history. From ancient clay toys found in Mesopotamia to the whirligigs of medieval Europe, they have been made and played with across cultures. They are as much a meditation on motion and time as they are toys. The Wormhole Drafter is our take on that lineage, turning a pencil into the heart of the spin.

We have made just one in brass, which is available on an eBay auction that runs until next week. You can find the link below. The auction winner can have their name engraved on the spinner.

The Wormhole Drafter began as a playful experiment but has quickly become one of our favourite workshop projects. We hope it inspires a little curiosity, a little joy, and a moment to reflect on the spiral paths that connect design, physics and play.

The tool is available to purchase via eBay auction here: https://ebay.us/m/IgiQuF 

Heres a drawing we made using a spinner:

For further reading on spinners, why not check out this article by our stockist, Art of Play