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DIY Fiber Spinning Tools

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Fiber Spinning Tools You Can Make

There some beautiful and finely crafted spinning tools for fiber enthusiasts that you can purchase. Sometimes they are not in the budget or maybe you want to try your hand at building your own tools. The resources below are intended to get you started. Especially when making your own spindles, use your imagination. You will start to see lots of things that could be turned into a spindle whorl. Even a simple toy wheel spindle or a CD spindle can be beautifully decorated. Experiment!

Fiber Spinning and Prep Tools

Make your own

Handmade Fimo clay laceweight spindle and fiberThe focus here is on fiber preparation and spinning tools. Check my other Squidoo lens on How to Skein Yarn for making tools such as a niddy noddy, a nostepinne, or a yarn ball winder. Making your own spindles can be particularly fun and rewarding. An inexpensive CD or toy wooden wheel spindle can be a cheap way to learn to spin or an inexpensive tool to use in teaching children to spin. Handmade spindles can also be a place to let your creativity bloom when you decorate your spindles and find other materials for use as spindles.

How to Make a Drop Spindle

Most of the sites below give instructions for building a spindle from a wooden dowel and either a CD/DVD or a wooden toy wheel. Once you know the technique, you can build a spindle from other suitable materials. The spindle at the top of the page was made from a wooden decorative circle I bought at a hardware store. Another handmade spindle I received was made from clay. You can also use jewelry supplies such as large beads or flat round stones with a hole in the center. Use your imagination.
Drop Spindle Construction
Instructables has a step-by-step instructions with photos for constructing a drop spindle with a dowel, a rubber grommet, and CDs or DVDs. Instructions are also downloadable as a .PDF file.
Making a CD Drop Spindle
This web site gives detailed instructions for making a CD drop spindle including Home Depot part numbers for some parts.
CD Spindles
Spin Off Magazine has instructions for making CD spindles that is available as a downloadable .PDF file. Spin Off Magazine is an excellent resource for spinning information. Check their other downloadable files and their index for back issues.
How do you choose the right spindle?
Spend some time exploring this site. It has a lot of information on spinning, spinning resources, and tools you can make yourself. There are instructions for making spindles from toy wooden wheels and CDs as well as information on getting started with spinning.
The Lisard Ultralight
This site has instructions for building an ultralight spindle for spinning very thin yarn using things you can probably find around the house. The download PDF file has a template for the making the spindle whorl.

Top Whorl or Bottom Whorl?

What type of spindle do you prefer?

Spindles can come as top whorl with the typically round flat part (the whorl) near the top or as bottom whorl with the whorl near the bottom. Top whorl spindles typically have some kind of hook on the top. Which one do you prefer? I'm a top whorl girl myself, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

Do you prefer a top whorl or a bottom whorl spindle?

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Top Whorl

earthybirthymama says:

I have a Tom Forester high whorl spindle, its beautiful!

Posted January 28, 2012

bikerministry says:

I have a drops spindle from Guatemala. I have never tried spinning, but I'm hoping to add that to my retirement activities in the near future. Great Lens.

Posted January 12, 2012

CherrrieB says:

I am finding top whorl to be good for beginning. I also have a bottom whorl spinner that I purchased to get a feel for it. I want to make the CD one just because I want to see what the differences in weight and spin are. Plus its just plain fun.

Posted April 04, 2011

SydneyH says:

I have nothing against bottom whorl but I learned on a top whorl so I'm more comfortable with that type.

Posted December 28, 2009

Bottom Whorl

MakeACatTree says:

I just learned to drop spin last year! What fun and very addictive.

Posted November 27, 2011

 

Books on Spinning

Learn to spin or just learn more about spinning.
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Combing and Carding

Preparing your fiber to spin

You can purchase fiber in the form of roving or batts that is ready to spin. If you have a fleece you will need to comb and card the fleece. If you just want to try preparing your own fleece without spending a lot of money on tools, you can use dog combs and slicker brushers. They are small and labor intensive but they will do the job. You can also make your own tools.
$15 Wool Combs (Some Assembly Required)
Make your wool combs from pieces of wood and nails.
A minimalist carder
This site has detailed instructions for making your own minimalist drum carder. It doesn't look quite as easy to use as a purchased drum carder but it is probably cheaper.

Building a Spinning Wheel

It can be elaborate or simple

This is a spinning wheel built locally by a woodworker. It's beautifully built and works well.When most of think of a spinning wheel, we think of a wheel with a flyer and a treadle like the one pictured to the right. This particular spinning wheel was handmade locally. It can be a spinning wheel that requires the use of a lathe. There are also spinning wheel plans that do not require a lathe. You can also make a spindle wheel that does not have a flyer and treadle. You turn these by hand and your singles are stored on a spindle. The links below have a variety spinning wheels you can make.

Build Your Own Charkha

A charkha is a small spinning wheel that is used for spinning cotton. Traditionally they are from India. It is fairly easy to build your own with some easily obtained parts..
Cigar Box Charkha
Instructions for building a charkha from a wooden cigar box, or other wooden box, along with some other purchased items and items you might find around the house. These are popular instructions from Spin Off Magazine, available as a downloadable PDF.
Cheap cardboard charka
I love this. It is the ultimate in cheap and recyclable. This charkha is made from cardboard and it's worth checking out.

Amazon Books on Building Spinning Wheels

Make your own spinning wheel and other spinning tools

If you have woodworking skills and access to the appropriate tools, you can make your own spinning wheel and other spinning tools.
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How to Make a Spinning Wheel

It doesn't have to be difficult or expensive, but it can be. The easiest ones to make are spindle spinning wheels that do not have a flyer or a treadle. If you have some woodworking skills, then you can make get more elaborate. I have also added a book on building a no-lathe spinning wheel in the Amazon book list. This book is also available from many fiber stores.
Rosemary Knits: Bicycle Wheel Spinning wheel
This spinning wheel is constructed using a bicycle wheel. It is a spindle wheel without a treadle and flyer.
We Built A Spinning Wheel For $2.50
This is another set of instructions for a bicycle spinning wheel from Mother Earth News. Again, this is a spindle spinning wheel without a flyer or treadle.
PVC Spinning Wheel
This web site has a booklet for sale that describes how to construct a spindle spinning wheel from PVC. This spinning wheel does not have a flyer or treadle.
Small Saxon Spinning Wheel Plans
Woodcraft Plans has plans for both small saxon spinning wheel and a large saxon spinning wheel available for purchase. These are both wheels with a flyer and treadle. I have purchased these and they are large, nice quality plans.
Electric spinner instructions
You will have to scroll down the page a bit until you get to the hand drawn diagram and instructions. This electric spinner uses a sewing machine motor.
Hobby Robotics ยป Build Your Own Electric Spinning Wheel
This article goes through the design process in detail for a better, cheaper electric spinning wheel and includes detailed build instructions. He also sells kits for the new version.
Spinning wheel project
Free plans for an authentic functional castle-type spinning wheel. You'll need good woodworking skills for this project. The plans are modelled after a spinning wheel that belonged to the author's grandmother a hundred years ago.

Rather Buy a Spinning Wheel?

Would you rather buy a spinning wheel or maybe you would just like to see a few commercially-made spinning wheels before you make your own? Here's a few on Amazon..
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What's Your Favorite DIY Tool?

What's your favorite DIY spinning tool? Was it easy to make and use? What was your least favorite?

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SydneyH

I am an artist, art lover, knitter, spinner, and computer geek living in the Shoals in northwest Alabama with my ferrets and cat. I'm a lover of natur... more »

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