Gear Bearing Hand Spinner Toy

thingiverse

UPDATE 2017-06-02: Due to popular demand, the STL for the ninja star version seen in the video has been uploaded, so be careful of the pointy tips! You can see a video of the spinners in action here: https://youtu.be/e5lha6vckdI Recently, I've wanted to make one of those hand spinner / fidget toys that everyone seems to love. The easiest and most sensible way is to get some skate bearings and build one with those, but I'm not exactly the most practical person, so I decided to see if it was possible to make one using Thingiverse user emmett's gear bearings to make a hand spinner. (I've always loved the gear bearing - it was one of the first things I ever 3D printed.) The resulting spinners look pretty cool since you can see the gears in action, and they spin okay, but definitely don't spin as well as skate bearing ones, which is probably due to the fact that they're not designed for high-speed spinning. However, they still work well enough to use as a fidget toy. The more I spin it, the smoother its motion seems to get, so I'm now obsessed with spinning it to make it spin better! So, I have uploaded two versions - A 7 Gear version and a 6 Gear version. Each version has its own top/bottom caps (to account for differences in the spinner's thickness), and there are some subtle differences between them... For the 7 Gear version: This was my attempt to make a hand spinner that was my personal ideal size, so I made the bearing thinner/smaller using the Customizer and added the fins. This version seems to be quite difficult to "break in" (i.e., get it to move for the first time), which may be due to the fact that it's a more challenging print... but I like this version more personally. For the 6 Gear version: This version uses gear bearings very similar to one of emmett's provided defaults, and I think this one is much easier to "break in". So, I think this is an easier print, and it still feels fine to hold! With both versions... After you get them off the printer, you will need to break the gear bearing in. You will need to twist it hard using an Allen key to get the gears moving, and at this point, the bearing will still be super stiff. Once the gears are moving, I use a hand drill to spin the bearing very fast, which seems to loosen the bearing quickly and makes it spin much better. (If you're dedicated, you can hand-spin it until it's loose, but it will take a lot of spinning!) There are caps that you can print and attach - just use a dab of super glue to attach the "top cap" onto the axle from the "bottom cap". The caps make it feel nicer to hold and spin, but they're completely optional. It works fine without them! If you print one, post a picture as a Made object and let me know how yours spin! As I said, I think a skate bearing one will spin better, but it's fun to make fully 3D printed stuff, right? And printing moving parts that come assembled straight off the print bed is always exciting! Have fun! Maybe this will be a good last-minute Christmas gift for a fidgety office colleague! Print Settings Printer Brand: Up! Printer: Up Plus2 Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Yes Resolution: 0.15 Infill: Solid Notes: I print this solid, and at the slowest speed and highest resolution that my printer does, to make the gear bearing part as precise as possible. However, it will probably work okay at faster speeds!