Spinning Wheel

A spinning wheel is a device for spinning fiber such as wool, cotton, and other plant or animal fiber into yarn. While most wheels can be broken down into two main types--Spindle and Flyer--the variations are as numerous as makes and models of automobiles. This page will try to cover the more common ones. If you have a question about a specific type or just want an answer that isn't covered here, please feel free to ask.

In 2009, three major manufacturers of spinning wheels are celebrating milestone anniversaries. Ashford, a New Zealand-based company, has been making wheels for 75 years. Schacht is celebrating 40 years, and Louet has been around for 35 years. http://spinoffmagazine.com/blogs/spinoff/archive/2009/11/13/spin-off-winter-2009.aspx Links to all three companies are below in the "Top Brands" section.

There are a lot of physics involved in how these wheels work. Ratios are key in understanding how and why different types of wheels developed over time. This page will not get into this aspect, but there are some fantastic books listed below that will. For a truly detailed explanation about the math behind spinning, check out the Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning.

The principle behind a spinning wheel is that it puts twist into fiber in order to turn it into a strong, usable yarn. There are several components that need to come together for this to happen:

• POWER--Hand, foot (treadle), or electricity (motor). This is what causes the wheel to operate.
• DRIVE WHEEL--The most recognizable part of a spinning wheel. This is connected to...
• A SMALLER WHEEL--Could be a flyer assembly, a spindle, or even an accelerator that causes the flyer/spindle to turn faster.
• YARN STORAGE--Usually a bobbin or a spindle. This will be described in more detail below.

In basic terms, power makes the drive wheel turn. The drive wheel makes the smaller wheel turn. The smaller wheel is usually either a flyer assembly or a spindle, which is where the actual twist is put into your fiber. Spun yarn is stored on the bobbin or spindle, and removed when the storage is full.

Spindle Wheels:

A hand-driven spindle wheel is the oldest type of spinning wheel. It is remarkably low-tech, and is the easiest type to make yourself. Spindle wheels can be very large (Great Wheels, a staple of American colonial and pioneer life) or as small as a briefcase (book charkha, a modern version of Gandhi's spinning wheel). In the simplest terms, a relatively large drive wheel turns a spindle. Fiber is spun coming off the tip of the spindle, which can be extremely sharp. This wheel often has an accelerator in order to make the spindle turn even faster than what the drive wheel can do. Spindle wheels like charkhas were designed for very short fibers like cotton, which need a lot of twist to hold together. Great Wheels put lots of twist into wool yarn very quickly, which was necessary to help the pioneer woman keep up with making fabric for her family's needs.

Flyer Wheels:

Developed during the 18th century, flyer wheels used a complex assembly of a flyer and bobbin in order to store yarn. The flyer is a somewhat U-shaped piece that has a round metal shaft between and parallel to its arms. The flyer spins independently of the bobbin, a type of spool that stores the yarn as it winds on. The vast majority of wheels on the market today are flyer wheels. Often, a row of hooks will be found on one or both flyer arms. As the bobbin fills, the strand of yarn is moved from hook to hook so the yarn builds up evenly. A more recent development is a sliding hook that allows the spinner to adjust where yarn builds up on the bobbin.

Flyer wheels can either be flyer-lead or bobbin-lead systems, meaning the band that connects them to the drive wheel will go around a whorl on the flyer or a groove in the bobbin. See "DRIVE & TENSION TYPES" below for more information.

In addition to the spindle vs. flyer difference, spinning wheels can come in many different body types. Just about any of these types can be spindle or flyer wheels; these differences are more about the shape of the body of the wheel. For simplicity's sake, when referring to the spindle or flyer, I will only say "flyer." Assume that most of these types could be either/or.

Saxony:

The image most Westerners get when the words "spinning wheel" are mentioned. The drive wheel is located usually to the right of the flyer, though some are reversed. The wheel can be powered by hand or foot (single or double treadle). Modern wheels with this shape: Ashford Traditional, Kromski Symphony, Schacht-Reeves

Castle:

An upright style where the drive wheel is located below the flyer. Many modern wheels use this design because it is compact, often taking up about the same footprint as a folding tray table. This style is powered by foot and can be single or double treadle. Modern wheels with this shape: Louet "S" series, Ashford Kiwi, Kromski Minstrel

Folding:

Another upright style of wheel, with pieces that fold down in order to make the wheel portable and storable. Often the most 'modern-looking' wheels simply because their design tends to be simple and clean. Modern wheels with this shape: Lendrum Folding Wheel, Kromski Sonata, Majacraft Suzie, Louet Julia

Multiple Drive Wheels:

These are wheels that use multiple drive wheels to operate. The drive wheels are smaller than a single drive wheel might be, allowing for different rates of acceleration as well as compact design. Modern wheels with this shape: Betty Roberts wheels

Compact Wheels:

The overall shape may vary greatly from wheelwright to wheelwright. These wheels sit low to the ground and are engineered for maximum use of minimal space. Drive wheels are much smaller than most full-size spinning wheels. Many of these wheels are small enough to fit into the passenger seat of a car or in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Modern wheels with this shape: Merlin Tree's Hitchhiker Wheel; Doug Dodd's Pocket Wheel

How the drive band and tensioning system are set up will also affect how the wheel operates and how your yarn will turn out.

Single Drive:

The drive band goes around the drive wheel and EITHER the bobbin or the flyer. The band makes a single loop around both pieces and does not fold or double back on itself. This setup requires an additional tensioning system to manage how lightly or strongly the wheel pulls in yarn. Drive bands can be string or an elastic material, depending on the wheel.

When the drive band goes around the flyer, it is called a flyer-lead setup and requires SCOTCH tension. A separate string goes in the groove on one end of the bobbin, creating drag that causes the bobbin to spin more slowly. The tighter the tension, the harder the wheel will pull on the yarn. The tension string may be made of cotton, wool, waxed string, or even fishing line. Different wheels may require different materials.

When the drive band goes around the bobbin, it is called a bobbin-lead setup and requires "IRISH" tension. This is not really an accurate term but it has grown in popularity among spinners. In this case, a leather or cloth strap goes over the front of the flyer, creating drag similar to that on the bobbin in Scotch tension. This tends to be harder to fine-tune than Scotch tension but is still very effective.

Double Drive:

In this case, the drive band goes around BOTH flyer AND bobbin as well as the drive wheel. The band is usually a single large loop that is crossed into a figure 8 and then folded back on itself. This system is probably the most difficult to fine-tune, since any adjustment affects three pieces instead of just one, but again, when it's done right, the entire wheel works in harmony. Drive bands for these wheels are usually cotton or wool string.

Direct or Friction Drive:

Instead of using a band or string, the drive wheel comes into direct contact with the flyer. A rubber grommet uses the friction of the wheel to turn the flyer. This is a fairly recent invention, most often seen on extremely compact wheels such as Merlin Tree's Hitchhiker Wheel.

Spindle wheels first appeared in China about a thousand years ago, possibly as an evolution of the spindle that most cultures developed as a way to spin yarn and thread. (See the Drop Spindle page for more information.) Spinning wheels began to show up in Europe roughly four hundred years later. As technology improved, wheel design also improved until the process could be mechanized. When it reached the point where a single spinner could monitor a machine spinning multiple strands at the same time, textile production boomed and aided the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.

In America, both spindle and flyer wheels were commonly used and manufactured. Despite the availability of mass-produced fabrics, women still spun for their individual households. Further improvements to the design of the spinning wheel occurred, such as the Miner's head, an accelerator for the Great Wheel, and the so-called Gossip wheel, which had two flyers and a single drive wheel. The latter was meant not for two spinners to sit together (which is where it got its name), but for one spinner to spin twice as much yarn at one time. http://www.spwhsl.com/

As the pioneers migrated across the western US plains in the 19th century, families brought their spinning wheels with them. The most common was the Great Wheel. Apart from its huge drive wheel, often 40" or more in diameter, the Great Wheel often could be taken apart and its legs, table and spindle packed in a long, narrow bag or box. Even the drive wheel could be packed flat against a wall or under a wagon.

Further mechanization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries meant that fabric became cheaper to buy than to make, and spinning began to fall out of use. World War I caused a small resurgence in spinning; the Ashford company formed about that time to respond to the need for spinning wheels. After the war, however, spinning again began to drop off in popularity.

In the late 20th century, spinning again enjoyed a renaissance, only this time spinners were mainly hobbyists rather than spinners of necessity.

1. Ashford - New Zealand's powerhouse, in business for 75 years

2. Babe's Fiber Garden - Home of the PVC spinning wheel, an affordable alternative

3. Kromski - Elegant wheels are this Polish company's hallmark

4. Lendrum - Solidly-built Canadian wheels; the folding wheel often sells out immediately

5. Louet - A well-known company with minimalist designs

6. Majacraft - Slender, compact wheels

7. Merlin Tree - Maker of the Hitchhiker Wheel, a tiny, super-portable wheel

8. Schacht - Simple yet beautiful lines and tight construction