Clayton Thigpen's Complex Armillary Sphere Featured as AAW Turning of the Week

Clayton Thigpen’s Armillary Sphere earned recognition as the American Association of Woodturners’ Turning of the Week for January 19, 2026, drawing attention for its intricate construction and historical accuracy. The piece resembles a gimballed gyroscope at first glance, but it recreates a centuries-old astronomy instrument that models the sun, moon, planets, and stars in a geocentric system.

"My selection for Turning of the Week for January 19, 2026, is Armillary Sphere by Clayton Thigpen. At first glance one might mistake it for a gimballed gyroscope, but it’s actually a very complex astronomy instrument that describes the complex motions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in a geocentric (Earth centered) universe centuries ago when it was generally accepted that the Earth was the center of the universe before the heliocentric astronomical model (Sun centered model of the solar system) became the standard."

The selection matters because it showcases a blend of precision turning, careful joinery, and assembly work that stretches beyond single-axis bowl or spindle projects. Armillary spheres require concentric rings and precise alignment to articulate motion and maintain scale, so the turning and fitting challenges are useful reference points for turners ready to advance their shop practice. Clayton Thigpen’s build attracted community comments praising the construction and appearance, and fellow members highlighted the build complexity in the thread.

A video linked in the post walks through the design and implementation, offering a practical resource for anyone studying multi-ring assemblies or complex geometric layouts. Watch the video to see how Thigpen handles ring layout, pivot points, and fitment; those sequences provide concrete examples of layout technique, safe removal of waste, and final assembly checks. The thread also provided references, including a Wikipedia entry on armillary spheres for historical context.

For the community, this recognition serves two clear purposes. First, it raises the visibility of challenging work and encourages other turners to experiment with concentric assemblies and articulated elements. Second, it supplies a learning artifact: an accessible build video plus community commentary that you can replay and analyze to adapt methods to your own shop constraints.

Clayton Thigpen’s Armillary Sphere is more than a showpiece; it’s a teaching tool. Study the video, note the sequence of turning and fitting, and consider how ring tolerances and pivots translate to your own projects. Expect this kind of complex assembly—where turning meets mechanical thinking—to surface more often as members push technical boundaries and share detailed build documentation.