DIY: Embellish your next woodworking project using a homemade Spirograph
The Spirograph is one of the quintessential childhood toys. With a steady hand and a colored pen you could create hundreds of elaborate designs worthy of the refrigerator. But what if you could use your Spirograph skills for a practical purpose? One inventive woodworker has created his own Spirograph set to carve intricate patterns and shapes into his creations.
According to Timothy Dahl for Popular Mechanics: "Search for gear plans for your CNC router and cut them out in MDF or plywood. Size the pattern to fit your project as well as the capacity of the router. Drill a few holes into the inside gear and use a pencil to trace out a pattern you like.
Set up your handheld router with a 60 degree v-groove bit and a bushing for the router to sit in. Adjust the router so the bit is only sticking out a small amount and proceed to make your cuts while rotating the inner gear."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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