screw tension 1 B Lisa

Lisa's restored great wheel with screw-tension mechanism

Great wheel with plain table and nicely turned legs and drive-wheel post. Drive wheel has 10 spokes that are heavier near the flat rim. Turned spindle post goes through a board on top of the table and into the table. Screw tension mechanism fits into end of table. Spindle head, consisting of two maidens and spindle in leather bearings, fits into top of post.

screw tension 2 B Tom

Tom's great wheel with screw-tension mechanism.

Great wheel with plain table and plain legs and drive-wheel post. Drive wheel has 12 plain spokes and a flat rim. The spindle post fits into a board on top of the table with a spindle head on top of it. Screw tension mechanism fits into end of table.

screw tension 6 B Pat overall

Pat's great wheel with screw-tension mechanism

Great wheel with steeply slanted table and nicely turned legs and drive-wheel post. Drive wheel has 14 spokes that are heavier near the flat rim. Short turned spindle post goes through the table. Spindle head has two maidens. Screw tension mechanism, like on a flax wheel, fits into end of table.

screw tension 13 B Lisa spindle

Spindle head with replacement maiden.

Spindle head fitted onto spindle post. Turned mother of all has two short turned maidens, the one on the left is lighter and is the replacement. Leather bearings hold the metal spindle with wooden whorl.

Figure 1 B

Postcard of Belgian lace makers

Colored postcard shows two seated older woman. The one on the right is working on a bobbin lace pillow set on a table in front of her. The woman on the left has a spinning-wheel type device in front of her. She is pulling thread from a swift on a stand to her left, to the bobbin on the post in front of her left hand.

Figure 2 B (1)

Four styles of lace making bobbins

Four types of wooden lace making bobbins. First, Belgian, has a small bulb at bottom a shank and then ring marking where thread goes with flat end; second, French, has large bulb at the bottom, a longer area marked by rings to hold the thread; third, English is very narrow with only a small space on the top for thread, but decorated with gold bands on the shank, and a cluster of beads at the bottom.; fourth, English Honiton style is just a very thin finger-shape piece of wood that is narrower on the top to hold the thread.

Figure 5 B (1)

Belgian friction bobbin winder

Wooden base holds a table with two legs on the left and one on the right. A slanted post on the right holds a drive wheel with four spokes. On the left is a round post holding two lace bobbins. A drive band connects the bobbins to the drive wheel.

Figure 7 B (2)

French bobbin winder

Long, rectangular wooden box, not very deep, has on the right two rectangular posts that hold a solid wooden drive wheel with a wooden handle. At the middle are two turned posts with a bobbin in between them. A drive band connects them to the drive wheel. At the left end is a wooden extension with a short post with two slats that cross in the middle. Old bobbins fit into the four ends. It is used as a swift to unwind the thread.

Figure 12 B (2)

English bobbin winder

An elaborately turned post has a short turned extension that holds a matching post. A wooden pulley fits between the posts and a handle is attached to the wheel axle. Above the wheel is a small turned pieces and above that is a metal rod with a grooved piece of wood on it. The metal rod goes through the wooden upright on the right and a bobbin is attached to it. A drive cord goes from the pulley to the grooved piece of wood.

Reeling pin IL 1795 02 Tina M B

Reeling pin on table of wheel

Close up of end of spinning wheel table, showing tension screw with initials I. L on left and number 1795 on right. Above number is a reeling pin set into the corner of the table.

flax comb 2 B (1) top side

Swedish-American flax comb

Rough wooden board with handmade nails arranged in a circular arrangement with a yellow tape measure in front of it.

flax comb 3 B (1) in front of house

Flax comb in front of house.

In front is a wooden board with a circle of nails sticking out, a flax comb. Behind is a large stone building with slanted roof, the 1716 Mouns Jones house,

flax comb 20 B (1) on stand

Flax comb on stand

Two parallel wooden bases hold two turned uprights with two crosspieces, one low and one towards the top. On the top is a flat board set into the tops of the uprights. On the board is a round piece of wood containing nails. Yellow measuring tape in front.

Figure2 B

Flax break

Long wooden structure on parallel bases, rectangular uprights with a crosspiece about half way up. Top section holds two slots and handles on each end to raise and lower the blades that fit into the slots.

Figure4 B

Flax break in use

Person wearing an apron at top of image is holding flax, straw-like fibers, in left hand, lifting the wooden break handle with right hand. Lower part of image shows flax straw placed below the second set of blades.

Putnam, Porter wheel head B

Close-up of label on wheel head. Photo courtesy of Craig Evans.

Label on wheel head. Words are hard to decipher though the words wheel heads and the names Putnam, Porter, & Leonard can be seen.

Hartford Courant 1813 B Putnam Porter Leonard

Newspaper announcement from Hartford Currant from September 1813.

Old fashioned newspaper print. It reads in part:
Merchants, Farmers and Mechnicks
TAKE NOTICE
All persons are strictly cautioned not to make, use, or vend to be used Miner’s Patent Accelerating Wheel-Head or any part of this improvements of same unless by permission of Putnam, Porter & Leonard….
Hartford Current, September 14, 1813.

CA – Figure 12 B

Accelerating wheel head without a spindle

Accelerating wheel head without a spindle has two uprights or maidens, with the accelerating wheel or pulley between them, and a thin rod between the maidens above the pulley.

CA – Figure 8 B

Accelerating wheel head with extension to the maidens

Accelerating wheel head with a spindle attached to base. Turned maidens have the accelerating wheel or pulley between them but the maidens have extensions that form a hoop over the accelerating wheel.

CA – Fig. 1 B

Diagram of standard accelerating head

Standard Miner’s head with parts labeled so that one can see how the parts were measured. Diameter of large pulley, diameter of small pulley, length of spindle, length and diameter of mother-of-all, height of maidens.

Figure 2a B

Study wheels showing the single leg, table end, spindle post and on some the maidens to hold the spindle.

Row of six images of great wheels from the end of the table showing the turnings on the single leg, the spindle post and wheel heads on one, two, four and five. The turnings on the components of the three on the left are fairly simple, the three on the right are more ornate. 

EVA Figure 11 B (1) spindle posts

Study wheels showing table and spindle posts.

Two rows of images showing the end of a table with the spindle post. The top three have a tension screw that goes through the post to a receiver. The first one is missing the tension screw. The lower row have very ornately turned spindle posts but no tensioning device.

EVA Figure 3 B back legs

Study wheels showing two legs and the end of the table.

Two rows of images showing the end of a table with two legs. Top row the turnings on the legs are fairly simple, on the bottom the legs have more turnings and the legs are thinner on the ends.

EVA 2 B wheels overall

Six great wheels in study

Six great wheels in two rows, Wheels on top row have slanted table, a drive wheel with fourteen spokes except the third, on the second and third there is a brace between the drive wheel post and the table, the single leg is at the left end of the table, then the spindle post and wheel head, with a tension screw through the spindle post.

The lower row all the wheels have a slanted table with ornately turned legs, a drive wheel with fourteen spokes, a brace between the drive wheel post and the table, the ornately turned spindle post is at the far end of the table, and the top of the single leg comes through the table to the right of it.

ThomsJamieson_SpinningWheel_1 B wiithdistaff_Photo1v1

Double-flyer wheel, restored

Low spinning wheel with treadle. Rectangular table with three simply turned legs with treadle between front legs: two slanted uprights hold drive wheel with sixteen spokes at right end. Footman visible behind drive wheel. Tension screw set into left end of table. Mother-of-all holds two short posts, two parallel turned rods are attached to the posts, the two bobbin/flyer units fit between the rods. Two separate drive cords connect each bobbin/flyer unit to the drive wheel. All three parts of the distaff are present, set into the upper left corner of the table.

THmasJamieson 3 B_DoubleFlyerDetail_3v1

Detail of two bobbin/flyer units

Two U-shaped bobbin/flyer units attached next to each other on spinning-wheel table. Orifice ends fit into bearings on turned rod in front, back end of shafts fits into another turned rod that is parallel to the first. Drive cords can be seen. Right hand bobbin-flyer unit set back slightly, so drive cords don’t tangle.

metal 2 B both 45 degrees

Two Swedish upright metal wheels

Metal wheel on left has trapezoidal bottom frame on small feet. Back upright is elliptical with reinforcing piece at top. Front part of frame is sloping A-shape with the treadle between the bottom parts. At top of frames is mother-of-all that holds wooden bobbin/flyer unit. Drive wheel resembles bicycle wheel. Drive-wheel axle with footman fits between back upright and crosspiece of front frame.

Metal wheel on right has triangular bottom frame on small feet and treadle. Back upright is straight with reinforcing piece at top. Front frame is in two parts, lower art is trapezoidal, upper part is triangular. At top of frames is mother-of-all that holds metal flyer with wooden bobbin. Drive wheel has six spokes. Drive-wheel axle with footman fits between back upright and crosspiece of front frame. Distaff attached to side of mother-of-all.

Platt 10 B bobbin winder IMG_1207

Bobbin winder marked J. PLATT

Bobbin winder has a rectangular table with three turned legs. On right hand side a single, tall, turned post holds a drive wheel with ten spokes and a flat rim. On the left side a rectangular wooden box, taller on the short sides, is attached to the table.