Turntable

In this instructable i will be giving you my instructions to build a working turntable. This machine can be found in science mueseums and are used for demonstrations. Its main use is for its top to spin aroung so that when another circular object is placed on it just right it will also spin with the table.

Wood
Electrical wires
Plastic sheets
Dowel
Screws
Dounle pull double throw switch
6 volt battery
Motor
Spraypaint (optional)
Hot glue
Soldering iron

Firts you we will need to assemble the wiring that will connect the battery to our motor while also allowing it to be controlled by a switch
First you will need to solder the wires to the battery, then the wires to the motor, then take the two sets of wires and connect them to the double pull double throw switch. Once they are connected take two small wires and criss cross them on the switch. Once soldered use electrical tape the hide the exposed wires to prevent a short circuit.

Once the electrical components of the turntable are finished we have to make its main support. Create a shell around the electrical components, then drill a hole in one of the four sides so that you can poke the switch through it. Glue the switch down with hot glue. Add two smaller pieces of wood to the top of the shell and place the motor in between them and glue it in place

Once the main piece of our turtable is complete we need to create the actual table. Take a large square piece of wood and screw it onto the bottom of the "motor box". Find four equal pieces of wood that can be use as the tables legs, then place a small sheet of wood on top of the table legs and make sure that two of the legs jut out from the table. Drill a hole that lines up with the motor into the center of the table top, leaving lots of space for the motor to poke through. If your wood is too thick you can glue a dowel onto the motor to extend its reach. Once dry add a circular piece of wood to the table and drill a hole through its center and glue it on. If assembled correctly the table should now function, but we are not done yet.

Now that we have our turntable functioning we need to make it safe to use. Snad down the dowel to make the surface smooth. Add four thin strips of plastic to the sides of the table top to act as barriers and four strips of plastic under the circular table top to keep it level. These two features should keep our circular object from flying off the table. Now add a strip of plastic across the two legs that are half connected to the table. This will be used as a shelf to store the circular objects.

This step is optional, but it makes this project look unique. Add paint to any of the parts you want to as long as they dont touch the motor because we dont want to get any paint in the motor. I recomend using spray paints since they can cover a larger area and look cleaner than brush paints.