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Translated
Satang Coin Spinning Top
In the past, elders made spinning tops for children from satang coins with a hole. Today wood or sa-ba seeds (the large seeds of the Entada climber) are used instead. The name may change with the material. Children compete to see whose top spins longest, or spin them into each other; the one that falls first loses.
This blueprint makes a wooden satang spinning top to the sizes in the source.
Beginner
Approximately 1-2 hours
Instructions
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Actual size
Actual size
Loading Jupyter Notebook...
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Previous spinning top
Previous spinning top
The humming top (luk khang wo) is launched with a launching stick and makes a sound. The satang top is smaller: hold the peg and pull the string.
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Read from source
Read from source
"In the past, old people used satang coins with a hole to make spinning tops for children to play with, but today wood or sa-ba seeds are used instead." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not stated, CC BY 4.0)
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Top body
Top body
Whittle a hardwood disc about 0.5 cm thick and 3.5-4 cm in diameter, and drill a 0.5 cm hole through the centre (a sa-ba seed or a flat round wooden bead can be used instead).
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Block1 pieceTools needed:
Knife5
5
Axle and post
Axle and post
Use a small bamboo section as wide as the hole and 3 cm long. Put it in the hole and glue it firmly. Whittle an arrow-shaped wooden post about 5 cm long that fits in the axle hole and turns freely. Push the post in from the bottom up, then fix a small wooden peg on the top end so it cannot slip out.
Materials for this step:
Bamboo Poles1 piece
Wood Glue1 piece6
6
String
String
Cut a thin string about 20 cm long.
Materials for this step:
Thread1 piece7
7
Real photo
Real photo
Photo of a real wooden satang spinning top (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not stated, CC BY 4.0)
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How to play
How to play
Wind the string around the axle, leaving enough end to grip comfortably. With your other hand hold the peg, pull the string out, then let the top drop onto the ground. The top will spin. Compete to see whose top spins longest, or spin them into each other; the one that falls first loses.
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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Satang spinning top troubleshooting
Flow
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History and limitations
History and limitations
The name satang spinning top (ลูกข่างสตางค์) comes from the holed satang coins used to make it in the past. Take care with the knife while whittling the wood.
Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, folk tools database, "ลูกข่างสตางค์", author not stated (CC BY 4.0 licence)
**Limitation** The source does not say how to make the holed-coin version.
Materials
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