Issue: #44 - April 2004

In this issue we learn about Shaker swifts and German counterclockwise reels. Our information about Tilden wheels expands with the discovery of a small one and a study of the Tildens' family history.

Shaker Umbrella Swifts
by Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor of Marietta, OH, studied his collection of Shaker swifts and found that they came in five sizes. He was surprised to discover that, according to records from elders in the Hancock [MA] Shaker community, only three sizes were sold. He describes the swifts and considers the possible explanations for this mystery.

Shaker Swift Open
Collection of Michael Taylor

Five sizes of Shaker swifts
Collection of Michael Taylor

Counterclockwise Reels
by Eugene Klingshirn

Eugene Klingshirn of North Olmsted, OH, has two reels that rotate counterclockwise. Searching for more examples of counterclockwise reels, he discovered that they are common in Germany. He gives the characteristics of the two types he found and explains how they work.

Counterclockwise reel
Collection Eugene Klingshirn

Counterclockwise reel
Collection Eugene Klingshirn

A Small Tilden Wheel
by Sue Black

When asked to fix a small spindle wheel marked TILDEN, Sue Black of Sweden, ME, found that it was different from other Tilden wheels we have studied. Her information adds to what we know about the types of wheels made by this family of Vermont spinning-wheel makers, but it also raises more questions.

Small Tilden wheel
Collection Mary Jane Swanson

Captain Calvin Tilden, Spinning-Wheel Maker
by Sue Bacheller

Sue Bacheller of Plainville, MA, researched the history of the Tilden family. She followed them from eastern Connecticut to western Massachusetts, and on to Vermont. In the process she came across some other family names we know.

Double Spindle Posts on Great Wheels
by Florence Feldman-Wood

The picture of this wheel by Johann Simon Leicht and other examples complicate and contradict my theories about great wheels with double posts.

Great wheel made by Johann Simon Leicht
Courtesy Old Salem, Winston-Salem, NC

Book Review
by Grace Hatton

Grace Hatton of Hawley, PA, reviews Spinning Wheels and Accessories by David A. Pennington and Michael B. Taylor.

Koedek
by Peter Fowler

Peter Fowler of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, discovered an unusual and little-known fiber when he acquired a Dutch postcard showing a man spinning in a barn.

Dutch postcard showing man spinning in barn
Collection of Peter Fowler