I made a Spinning Wheel!

Tia · 08-13-2009, 06:28 PM

I made a Spinning Wheel !!!

See more pics here, I couldn't get them to all load.

Lighting57 · 08-15-2009, 04:43 PM

Tia, can you explain how you made your spinning wheel?

Tia · 08-15-2009, 05:32 PM

I'm working on writing up the details with pics and drawings. I tried to keep a record as I went, the problem is, I kept changing the way I was doing it as I learned what worked and what didn't. I hope I can remember what all I did and bought, I may have lost a couple receipts.

I'm still tweaking a couple things. The drive band material I ordered is still coming, and the treadle cord (leather) keeps stretching out on me. I've already changed the whorl from what is pictured now.

Once I get it all figured out, I'll put it all up on my blog. Might take me a few weeks. I'll post the blog address when it's up there.

Shandeh · 08-18-2009, 07:22 PM

What a great thing! Way to go!

Tia · 08-19-2009, 11:29 PM

Thanks Shandeh!

On 2nd thought, I don't want my directions getting 'stolen' and sold, so if you are interested in the directions, pm me and when they are ready, I'll email them to you.

vaknitter · 10-05-2009, 03:49 PM

That's awesome !! I was looking at this forum b/c I was at a fiber festival this weekend and it was so much fun to look at all the fleeces and roving. I kept thinking...if only I had a spinning wheel. There is NO money in the budget for a wheel and the hubby said.... get me some pictures and I'll build you one. At the time I sort of blew him off, but maybe I should put his 14yrs of college to good use.....

irishknt · 10-05-2009, 07:10 PM

Tia, you win the female empowerment award, this is so cool. Economic creativity! You are truly an inspiration!

knitasha · 10-13-2009, 02:08 AM

Originally Posted by vaknitter

There is NO money in the budget for a wheel and the hubby said.... get me some pictures and I'll build you one. At the time I sort of blew him off, but maybe I should put his 14yrs of college to good use.....

Take a look on eBay under "Spinning Wheels." There are several listings of plans for making your own wheel. Here's one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Plan-Build-Class...item518cd7ad4a

Alternative: Start with a spindle. There is nothing you can spin on a wheel that you can't spin on a spindle, and for some things (extremely fine laceweight, for instance), a spindle is actually better than most wheels. I worked at becoming proficient on spindles for two years before investing in a wheel. And even though I love my wheel, my spindles are still constant companions.

MattttaM · 01-20-2010, 09:22 AM

Any new modifications to the wheel since this thread was posted up here?
Very cool project btw.

Tia · 01-20-2010, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by MattttaM

Any new modifications to the wheel since this thread was posted up here?
Very cool project btw.

Actually yes! Sorry, I haven't been on here in ages. I finished the wheel with the larger movie reel as the main drive wheel and a knitting needle as a spindle. It worked, but I didn't like just having a spindle, I wanted a flyer with bobbins. I tried making my own, but it wasn't working out so well, so I purchases an Ashford jumbo flyer set and matching bobbins.

I did create my own adjustable mother-of-all on which to attach the flyer and it all worked pretty okay, but it was somewhat hard to treadle and it was all very fiddly. So I sadly took off the movie reel and made my own wooden one using a 15" pine tabletop from Lowe's. Now it works great! It's very smooth...if may rock a tad, but as long as I keep on the rug, it doesn't 'walk' across the floor.

I'm sorry to say I don't have plans written up for it. I started to, but kept changing things and making updates, etc. that it got impossible to keep up with.

Here are some photos.