DIYbanter - View Single Post - Need ideas about using bearings for a spinning device

pyotr filipivich

on Fri, 3 Jul 2020 09:53:42 -0700 (PDT) typed
in rec.woodworking the following:
Hi!

I am a teacher and I want to make a few of these gadgets for a project this fall. I'd like to make zoetrope/phenakistoscope boxes. My students will make the actual drawings, but I want to make some interactive display cases so they can show their work off to the rest of the school.

I'm not sure how to explain what I need - sort of like a lazy susan on a kitchen table, but that will spin for longer when spun by hand. I'd like kids to be able to run their hand around the outside rim of the wooden circular platform to get it spinning the right speed, then be able to just watch for maybe ten seconds without having to continue spinning it with their hand.

Lazy susans mostly have a track and spheres which will bear the
weight and roll. (That's why 8th grade shop classes make lazy susans
using marbles for bearing. "Cheap" but works)

What you want are "regular" bearings: bicycle wheels would serve,
support the axle. Details as an exercise for the student.
After that its just about anything with an axle and a set of
bearings. Replacement bearings can be had at hardware stores, part
shops, skate board, or biycle shops.

Ooh! Now I'm thinking of a roulette wheel. Those spin for a long time. I've also thought of skateboard and fidget spinner bearings, but not really sure what would be my best choice to make this work well and be cost-effective.

Research how roulette wheels are mounted. Could be they pivot on
a post. (They've existed for centuries.)

Extra, probably unnecessary info: I plan on encasing each one in a plexiglass upper casing with just the edge of the spinning platform sticking out one side so the kids can spin it. This would all be much easier if I could just trust middle school students not to destroy things!

The Plexiglas could also serve as the upper mount for an axle.
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pyotr filipivich
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