A spinning spindle assembly has three parts: a hardened steel spindle that carries the bobbin, a flyer that circles it and twists the yarn as it goes, and a bobbin that turns at a slightly different speed so the yarn winds on. Build the flyer version first because it needs fewer precision parts than ring spinning, and hold the spindle to a runout under 0.05 mm.
Part of Spinning Frame
The core mechanism that twists drafted fiber into yarn and winds it onto a bobbin, from the single hand-wheel flyer to the multi-spindle frame.
One Mechanism Does Twisting And Winding
On the hand wheel in Spinning Wheel, a U-shaped flyer turns around a bobbin, and the speed difference between the two twists and winds the fiber at once. A frame repeats that assembly for every spindle in a row. The overview states the principle: yarn passes through a hole in the top of the spindle, then through a hook or eye on the flyer arm; the flyer rotates and wraps yarn onto the bobbin; and the bobbin turns at a slightly different speed.
- If the flyer is faster than the bobbin, yarn winds on.
- If they turn together, twist goes in and nothing winds on.
- The twist inserted per metre depends on the flyer speed and the delivery speed, not on the bobbin (Twisting).
Because every spindle is a separate rotating machine, any variation among spindles, in speed, friction or balance, becomes variation in the yarn. That is why the loom cares about spindle quality.
Parts And What Each Must Do
| Part | Job | Detail pages |
|---|---|---|
| Spindle | Carries the bobbin, runs true | Spindle Construction |
| Flyer | Circles the spindle, twists and guides the yarn | Flyer Mechanism |
| Bobbin and whorl | Turn at a controlled speed difference | Bobbin and Whorl |
Flyer Or Ring: Start With The Flyer
The overview ranks the two: the flyer system is older and simpler to build, while ring spinning, with a traveler running round a ring, is more efficient at high speeds but needs precision rings. Its advice is to begin with the flyer system and move to rings as machining improves. The consequence for a village is that the flyer frame sets the speed limit: a flyer arm is a rotating mass, and the force on it climbs with the square of the speed (Flyer Mechanism works an example).
What You Need
- A lathe that can turn a tapered steel spindle true to the overview’s runout of under 0.05 mm (Metal Turning, Lathe Fundamentals).
- Tool steel that will harden (Tool Steel), and the means to temper it (Tempering).
- Bearings for spindle and flyer (bronze bushings are the realistic start; see Bearings and Bushings).
- A drive that spins all the spindles at the same speed (Drive System).
Method: Building The First Assembly
Step 1: Make one spindle and test it spinning in its bearing by hand before making more.
Step 2: Make the flyer from wire or sheet and balance it (Flyer Mechanism).
Step 3: Fit the bobbin and its whorl and tension device.
Step 4: Run one spindle from a belt with yarn from a hand-fed roving for several hours, and measure its twist and tension before copying it.
Worked Example
The overview gives a spindle of 8-10 mm diameter and 200-250 mm length, and spindle spacing of 60-80 mm. A frame of 8 to 20 spindles therefore needs 8 × 60 = 480 mm to 20 × 80 = 1,600 mm of rail, and the same number of separately turned, hardened, bushed and balanced assemblies. For a frame of 20, that is 20 spindles, 20 flyers, 20 bobbin sets and, at an assumed two bearings per assembly (one for spindle, one for flyer), 40 bearings.
Common Mistakes
- Making all the spindles before testing one. A fault copied twenty times is twenty faults.
- Mixed bearing metals or clearances among spindles, giving different friction and different twist.
- Starting with ring spinning without a machine that can make the ring true.
Safety
A flyer is a spinning arm at the end of a belt
It strikes whatever reaches in and keeps turning after the drive is shifted away. Guard the row, tie hair back, and stop the whole frame before any hand goes near. See Doffing and Drive System for the stop point and the coasting time.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Spindle Construction — turning the spindle itself
- Combine with: Multi-Spindle Frame Assembly — arranging the assemblies in a row