I always make finger tops for the kids in my kindergarten SS class at Christmas time. The little party is tomorrow and I was behind this year so I finished up tonight.
(sorry about the annoying shadows in the photo, I got in a rush)
This year I used dogwood, cherry, padauk, purpleheart, mahogany, ebony, holly, maple, olive, and yellowheart. I hold a long enough piece of wood in the chuck to make at least two in a row, sometimes three.
Someone asked me how many of these I've made over the years. Yikes, I had no idea, 500, 800? I used to make them in batches of 50.
John, I haven't made near as many as you have but I have made a few dozen, even some with the burned lines (as you once explained how you do them). I've given every one away and everyone seems to love them. Its the perfect time of year as they make great stocking stuffers but I find people like them no matter what part of the year it is.
What a great thing to do! I was curious if you let them choose their own, or are they wrapped? And wondering if given the choice at that age and not knowing the value of each wood, if that ebony one went first, or might have been passed over. The ebony would be my choice.
What I do with the kids, since many have never seen such a thing and very few can spin one: I start months ahead of time and bring in a half dozen older tops and show them how to spin and let them try. I do this ever few weeks so by the time Christmas comes they look forward to them and some are getting good at spinning. (They are great for building dexterity and coordination!)
I also demonstrate how to spin them upside down and have actually had a couple of kids learn that.
Just before Christmas I make a batch like this one and take them to the class. I let them try out all of them for a few minutes at the beginning of the class. Then I call them one at a time (sort of randomly) and let them pick their favorite and put it in the little bag/box etc along with some stickers, candy cane, a couple of trinkets, etc. then tape it up so it will make it home.
I've had both kids and parents tell me years later they still have them, sometimes the whole family plays with it. Families with more than one kid that comes through the class may have several!
I always tell them the type of wood but they probably won't remember. Most choose on the color or the shape or shininess or one that spun better for them. Good clean fun!
I don't see cocobolo or ebony chosen over maple or walnut! I have tubs of top-sized blanks so when making a batch I grab a variety and start turning.
I've had people beg me to sell them one but I've never sold a single one - either give it away or keep it (if the person is particularly obnoxious). I've had people try to steal them. I've sent 100's with a missionary friend when he worked at an orphanage in Romania. Picture a bunch of adults at a party crowded around a table spinning tops. Imagine the director at the top of the Oak Ridge National Lab sitting on the floor after a video shoot spinning tops with me. Ha!
I also carry them when I travel and give them to people I meet. I've got lots of stories but this is my favorite: Once on the train from Austria to Venice a girl and her aunt headed back home to Italy sat next to us. I got out tops and let them play and gave them some (and also gave them unusual US coins, a tip I read somewhere.) This led to us being "pen pals" for a couple of years. Last year the family invited us to their area nestled in the alps in northern Italy (Merano), took us all over the place as personal tour guides for things visitors would never find, to a woodworkers shop to get some olive wood, and even to grandmothers house where we learned some genuine down-home northern Italian country cooking! Oh, the people of Italy sure know how to eat. (and no one is overweight!) I took woodturnings as gifts and their friends started dropping by to meet us and see the turnings (apparently rare). What a trip and what a connection for a few small pieces of wood.
