Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 16
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oberon NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    117

    Default WIP - Spinning Wheel Repair

    Spinning wheels follow me home. I cAn't HeLp iT!
    I see a wheel, frequently hand made for a loved one, crying out for a little bit of maintenance from a knowing hand and it just slips into the car. I can't stand seeing a tool with purpose, that can take weeks of work to build, go off to the tip for the want of a piece of leather or a drive band. Bless Skew for putting up with my obsessions.

    This Saxon style, double drive, single treadle wheel appeared out of nowhere at the Kurrajong Hand Spinners. Someone dropped it off as a donation and left so we have no history for it. The design of the flywheel attachment, large brass aperture, brass fittings and heavy hide bobbin holders gave me the impression this wheel was built to work by someone who knew wheels.
    All it needed, was to have the footman reattached and a new drive band. .... You'd think I'd know better by now. If a wheel is derelict, it's derelict for a reason.

    My initial assessment still stands. Someone who knew wheels designed and built the pieces. But then, something happened. Either the builder couldn't finish it, or it was shipped and someone else assembled it. We don't know, but something happened to take this wheel from glory to sideshow.

    a) The footman wasn't attached properly. There was no spacer between the footman and the flywheel axle. This means the axle marked the footman with every turn and would have Thunk Thunk Thunked with every treadle. At a later point it was reinstalled upside down, probably to stop the thunking or they just didn't know how it went
    b) the majority of the build we think is stained cedar (it would be blackwood except it's far too light weight) but the treadle is plywood.
    c) this is the biggie, the flywheel isn't aligned with the flyer whorl or bobbin.

    The flywheel-whorl alignment is the heart of a spinning wheel. If it's not right, the band falls off and everything's useless. There's no way someone who knew details like heavy hide bobbin holders wouldn't know about the flywheel alignment. It's a mystery.

    But "Black Beauty" as I'm calling her is well on her way to how she was meant to be. Leather for the footman attachment was found. Drive bands in a house with a spinner are never a problem. Slight repairs to the footman - axle attachment need to be made still, and shifting the mother-of-all 1cm can be done with some selective/subtle re-drilling.

    I have to say though, I didn't intend to refinish her. I was just going to repair and bring the wheel back to the club. Skew insisted on sanding off the years of neglect and giving her a light coat of shellac. .... Sometimes the best blessings I receive are when my husband doesn't listen to me. I would never have guessed, never have even thought, that she could glow like that. Glorious, absolutely glorious. The pictures don't capture it .....

    I don't have a double drive wheel. Maybe, she might not make it back to the club...
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Skew's_Girl; 4th September 2016 at 04:21 PM. Reason: Images - invalid

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    ACT
    Age
    84
    Posts
    2,579

    Default

    Hi,
    The attachments seem invalid.

    Regards
    Hugh

    Enough is enough, more than enough is too much.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Towradgi
    Posts
    4,835

    Default

    Ann, try again with the pics.

    Spinning wheels follow you home . . . much like lathes follow Skew home?
    Pat
    Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oberon NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    117

    Default

    Heh yeah, he has a few. I'm not exactly a good influence on him though am i?

    I have to wait for Skew to look at the thread, the images show up for me.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Of The Boarder
    Age
    68
    Posts
    16,794

    Default

    Ann you've got it bad at least Sue sold one of her wheel since we moved. Mind you IF one we saw at an antique sale wasn't $450 with history it just may have jumped into the car.

    Great work on getting it up and running.

    Will the castles holding the flyer swap sides? this would give more are for the shaft to possibly align.

    I see your drowning in fibre LOL.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Sutherland Shire, Sydney
    Age
    71
    Posts
    1,301

    Default Inspiration

    Great work on the restoration Ann. You would love the Bendigo Sheep and wool show Home - Australian Sheep and Wool Show
    It is paradise for anyone interested in any facet of the sheep industry, from breeding, shearing, spinning, knitting and just about anything in between. It is held at the Bendigo showgrounds, and attracts visitors from all over Australia, and probably beyond.
    We spent the whole day there in 2015, and will repeat the trip in 2017. Not that it would be a problem for you, but by crikey it was cold on the day we went. Didn't crack 10 degrees all day, and there was a bit of a wind to make it feel even colder. Scraping the ice off the windscreen first thing in the morning was a bit of a novelty for me, but well worth the effort in attending a well organised and well patronised event.
    Do a bit of a search on the event, there is heaps of info on past events to give you a flavour of what to expect.
    Let me know which day you are going to go when the event gets a bit closer, we might be able to meet up.

    Now get back to playing with your new toy.

    Alan...

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
    Age
    63
    Posts
    13,354

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wheelinround View Post
    Will the castles holding the flyer swap sides? this would give more are for the shaft to possibly align.
    The maidens? Sadly, no. I carefully "unglued" the mother-of-all from it's mount, filled the old hole with an off-cut and re-drilled another to move the whole shebang over 10mm.

    It worked... Annette is running the girl in, as I type. Apart from a few early squeaks and complaints it's running in nicely.

    Quote Originally Posted by Uncle Al View Post
    You would love the Bendigo Sheep and wool show Home - Australian Sheep and Wool Show
    It is paradise for anyone interested in any facet of the sheep industry, from breeding, shearing, spinning, knitting and just about anything in between. It is held at the Bendigo showgrounds, and attracts visitors from all over Australia, and probably beyond.
    Oi! You want her to take over my shed space?
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Sutherland Shire, Sydney
    Age
    71
    Posts
    1,301

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!! View Post


    Oi! You want her to take over my shed space?
    Ya know what they say - Happy wife = Happy life!

    Alan...

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oberon NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    117

    Default

    Well, a new rule shall be "Don't do woodwork if you're tired, under the weather, have a headache or are otherwise distracted. That's when mistakes are made."

    When we re-mounted the mother-of-all on it's tensioner, the maidens rolled toward the flywheel a wee bit. This means when plying at a high treadle rate, the flyer has a propensity to pop out of the holders on the maidens. To be honest, it'll only be children having a rough play that would ever go that speed so I don't consider it a real issue. ... Well, small children and me pushing the wheel to extremes to make sure it's safe. Breaking the attachment a second time to remount the mother-of-all so the maidens are vertical would be a massive headache, could possibly cause permanent damage, and may not fix the issue anyway. So while it pains Andy greatly, I've vetoed the changes. The wheel works, works well when properly handled and isn't dangerous when mishandled so unfortunately the mistake stays.

    I'm not familiar with how double drive wheels are supposed to feel, so 'Black Beauty' went in to the weekly Kurrajong handspun club meeting for a test run by professionals. I was lucky with my choice of day because a highly experienced weaver and fiber worker happened to be there for a demonstration. I apologize for not remembering her name, but she forwarded pictures of our wheel to another lady who's an expert and collector of Australian wheels.

    Our mystery wheel is an (possibly early) Ertoel. Eric and Toela Baker were spinning wheel makers in, get this, Kilsyth Victoria, with a modest factory in Croydon up to the late 1980s. Andy was born in Kilsyth and in that era, the area was mostly bush and paddocks. So, it's entirely possible the Bakers were Andy's neighbours, but he was too young to know them. I don't know the make of this wheel, possibly a Melba, or exactly when it was made, but I find it hilarious that a wheel from Andy's neighbourhood (and possibly his childhood) followed him to Sydney for a helping hand.

    The only thing now is to make a few bobbins and hand 'Black Beauty' over to the club for sale to a good home.

    Catalogue of Australian Wheels including the Ertoels:
    Australian Spinning Wheels: Makers A - E
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oberon NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    117

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wheelinround View Post
    Ann you've got it bad
    I Need A Bigger House! I've purposely avoided learning about colouring and felting because I just don't have the space. ... but they call me.

    Quote Originally Posted by wheelinround View Post
    I see your drowning in fibre LOL.
    It's mostly from Sue XD.

    Right now I'm plying a bit of that white nylon thread Sue gave me and I'm going to play with some huck and bronson lace. I have too many projects!

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    North Of The Boarder
    Age
    68
    Posts
    16,794

    Default

    Ann whats this about wee ones ? You and Andy expecting? I mean you have mentioned small children a few times in that post.

    Now thats very hysterical historical facts

    In relation to the maiden again they may have been put in the wrong spot when someone else has had it. Some castles are leading some trailing where the flyer sits to the other side that can have a dramatic effect on a lot.

    I'll pull this post up when Sue gets home so she can have a read. She is at the new spinners group this morning. Has also taken up bobbin lace with another group on Tuesdays.........now have some bobbin lace bobbins to make as soon as I assemble the Jet mini or do I just use the Nova and get em done? I have some nice Ebony coming

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oberon NSW
    Age
    40
    Posts
    117

    Default

    Oh no, no kiddies lol. As much as I love Skew more, more energetic versions of him would probably send me to the sanitarium! If it were to happen we'd definitely let you know.

    But the treadle on Black Beauty was missing a spacer between the axle and the footman. So the inside is damaged where it looks like little kids had fun treadling in the past.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Towradgi
    Posts
    4,835

    Default

    The thought of mini skews running around!
    Pat
    Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Horsham Victoria
    Posts
    5,713

    Default

    Nice job. You should bring it to my get together in Feb.

    https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...6&share_type=t
    Watcha Dooen at Dooen - 27, 28 & 29 GTG 2017

    Live to see you both there if you can make it

    Dave TTC
    Turning Wood Into Art

  16. #15
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    North of the coathanger, Sydney
    Age
    68
    Posts
    9,417

    Default

    The thought of barefooted mini skews running around!
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. a spinning wheel for raffles etc
    By brooke12 in forum WOODTURNING - GENERAL
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 25th May 2013, 12:24 PM
  2. W.I.P Spinning Wheel bobbins
    By chuck1 in forum WOODTURNING - GENERAL
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 1st March 2013, 07:42 PM
  3. Mildew on spinning wheel
    By SAISAY in forum WOODWORK - GENERAL
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 14th August 2010, 06:34 PM
  4. Spinning Wheel Restoration
    By YAKI in forum FINISHING
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 25th January 2009, 07:31 AM
  5. Spinning wheel Pattern for FIL?
    By lubbing5cherubs in forum WOODTURNING - GENERAL
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 1st January 2008, 04:55 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •