Orbita: A simple spinning top encircled with finely tooled concentric rings reminiscent of its orbital motion.

 

I designed this piece for my fall sophomore industrial design studio at Rochester Institute of Technology taught by Gary Molinari. The purpose of this assignment was to learn how to use the metal lathe by turning a block of aluminum into a small object which is symmetrical about its central axis.

 

I spent 1 hour on the metal lathe, shaping and tooling this spinning top by hand.