If you despise the monotonous and repetitive motions needed to produce beautiful designs on a Spirograph, just do what student Robert Howsare did. For just $US50 he turned a couple of old turntables into this Drawing Apparatus that does all the work for you.
The cost of parts doesn’t include the actual record players — you’ll need to dig those up yourself. But everything else, from the vinyl to the sharpie to the wooden arms, should be cheap and easy to come by. Just make sure the turntables you’re using have variable speed options as the scribbled results will be far more interesting when each player is turning at a different speed. [Robert Howsare via Wired]