1991.178.58 - Spinning Wheel, Vertical, Bobbin and Flyer

1991.178.58 - Spinning Wheel, Vertical, Bobbin and Flyer

Spinning equipment

1991.178.58

Spinning wheel; vertical with bobbin/flyer above wheel, treadle. The round table rests on four splayed legs, with four caps on table surface. The treadle is set into a pivoting bar between two legs. A stiff, wire footman connects the treadle to the drive wheel axle. Two wheel posts fit through the table and are secured by wooden nuts. The rear post is taller. The drive wheel axle rests in notches in the wheel posts and is secured by a cover with a peg on each post. The drive wheel has eight spokes; the rim, with one wide groove, is constructed in four sections and has a band of lead in the groove. The mother-of-all fits into a slot in the rear wheel post and is secured by a wooden nut. A tensioning screw passes through the top of the post. The mother-of-all bar is hollow and has a slot which holds a small block with a tongue. A wooden screw passes through this bar and the block. The maidens are vertical. The flyer is a U-shaped piece of metal. The bobbin whorl fits over the block. A cord from one side of the block goes around the bobbin whorl to the other side acts as bobbin brake. A single drive band connects the wheel to the flyer whorl. A horizontal bar above the wheel also has a tensioning screw which pushes the underside of the mother-of-all. Turnings on legs and posts. Ivory finial at top of rear wheel post.

overall : horizontal 17 in. x vertical 35 in. x depth
17 in.

Wood; lead; metal; ivory

Late 18th century

United Kingdom: England

Excellent

#58 in Cummer's book. Exceptional wheel. No other like it in America. Movement of the flyer and bobbin is reminiscent of a fine tool rather than a home spinning wheel.

Joan Whittaker Cummer, A Book of Spinning Wheels (Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall Publisher, 1994), p. 130-131. Photo and brief essay on spinning wheel.