YouTuber Latheman fired up his lathe and made these tops with the weight at the top. It’s remarkable how long they can spin on a surface like glass or tile.
Quoth Latheman:
I made them on my Chinese mini lathe and mini mill out of round and hex brass and copper stock, balls from ball bearings, threaded rods from the hardware store and 3mm rods from old CD-ROM drives and of course golf balls, a 2 € coin, a tungsten ring (ebay jewelry), ball bearings, etc. I didn’t draw any plans, but the dimensions are not critical, so it’s enough to eyeball the dimensions if you want to make them by yourself.
• Insane 12000 RPM Spinning Tops. (YouTube / Latheman’s crazy machines)