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The self-taught woodworker and
cabinetmaker Luciano Molinari opened
his workshop in Milan in 1989, building
made-to-measure furniture and
objects for 12 years, until in 2001 he
decided to concentrate on gathering a
wide range of wood. Since then, he has
been crafting unique, precious sets of
sample specimens. For several years
now, he has also been making
collectible spinning tops.
This page: spinning tops made
by Luciano Molinari.
Each is different, and uses at
least three types of wood.
For the tip, he uses Argentinian
Bulnesia sarmientoi, which
contains an oil that makes it
slippery. Photos by
Dario Fumagalli
“My wood is my life. When I need to, I sometimes
even sleep in the middle of it, in my tiny workshop on
Via Padova in Milan. I have collected 450 types of
wood in this atelier, which encloses a variegated
world of scents and a huge amount of shavings of
all special colours. The heating is always off, in
order to not damage the wood. Yet this is the place
where I get the best rest in the whole world.
My decision was to live a radical life, because in
order to follow this passion of mine, I have had to
make difficult choices. But without passion, I would
not be able to continue. On a daily basis, I use at
least 200 varieties of wood to make tops and my
sample collections, which are special compilations
I make for architects, woodworkers and schools.
The most common set has the form of a book and
contains 54 types. Four volumes (216 types of
wood) can be considered an encyclopaedia of
sorts. They are used in order to multiply designers’
possibilities. Each number corresponds to one type
of wood. Number 1 is wenge, number 13 is spruce,
number 153 is the Australian acacia, and so forth.
Each has its own colour, weight and specificities.
In the beginning, I was inspired by the ancient
xylotheque of Raffaele Cormio, a collection of over
7,000 species of wood that I visited 20 years ago in
the cellars of Milan’s museum of natural history. My
main business is making collections of wood
specimens, but spinning tops are my pet project. It
takes me an entire day to make one. I follow my
instincts, glue the pieces, and only when I start
turning them do I decide which shape to give them,
what to leave and what to take away.
Sometimes, coincidences lead the way. A loss of
control might make me modify what I had in mind. I
have made a great number of tops, more than 200,
and all are different.”Luciano Molinari as told to Elena Sommariva