Spinning Wheels & Spindles

A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibrous material such as wool or cotton. more...

The spinning wheel was an advancement on the concept of the drop-spindle, invented somewhere in China or India between 500 and 1000 AD; like the drop-spindle, the spinning wheel works by spinning the material, twisting the fibers into a long, continuous strand.

Rather than relying on finger-twisting or gravity, however, the spinning wheel is turned by hand or by a treadle (a foot pedal) (or other motivation, such as water or electric power) to turn a large wheel, which, by the use of a drive band, turns a smaller wheel. The motion of the wheel twists the thread, which is then wound on either a post called (after its predecessor) the spindle, or onto a bobbin.

Types of spinning wheels

Numerous types of spinning wheels exist, including the great wheel also known as "walking wheel" or wool wheel for rapid long-draw spinning of woolen-spun yarns; the flax wheel, which is a double-drive wheel used with a distaff for spinning linen; saxony and upright wheels, all-purpose treadle driven wheels used to spin worsted-spun yarns; and the charkha, a small, portable, hand-cranked wheel for spinning cotton and other fine, short-staple fibers.

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