Making a gyro watch winder

In the first year of my study I wanted to do a nice summer project and I decided to make a gyroscopic watch winder. For that version I used the laser cutter on campus to cut out all the parts, and the rest was done with basic hand tools. It was a nice project but it didn’t work very reliable. Thats why I decided to make an improved version.

The watch winder I’m making in todays video is made primarily of plywood that I cut on the bandsaw and scrollsaw using some templates I designed in fusion 360. Stacking those layers it makes a nice watch winder that doesn’t require a lot of measuring etc. to make. The rings rotate with very little friction in some flanged ball bearings.

If you are interested in building it yourself check out the build plan I have available for it. This build plan includes clear instructions with images of the parts and assembly methods as well as scale 1 to 1 drawings that can be used to cut out the parts.

The watch winder gives a nice random movement to the watch but is not too aggressive on it. Check out the video below to see it in action.

The plan has two configurations for the rings, the one shown below and one that is expected to turn a bit wilder.

Material list

Wood

  • 120 x 60 cm sheet 18 mm plywood 
  • 120 x 60 cm sheet 9 mm plywood
  • Wood rods 5 mm outside diameter

Other

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Tools used

  • Saw (Scrollsaw, bandsaw or jigsaw)
  • Japanese hand saw
  • Cordless drill
  • Router
  • Drill press

Other stuff

  • Drill bits: 2, 3, 5, 6 mm
  • Forstner drill bits 10, 12, 30 mm
  • Countersink bit
  • Copying ring (router)
  • 5 mm router bit
  • Sandpaper
  • (Spray) Paint

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