# Tell me about these wheels



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

I missed the Ashford Traditional wheel in Albuquerque this past weekend because I couldn't get away for a whole day. It was just not meant to be.

I found this wheel on cl today

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/atq/4234832452.html

I am not in NC but I have family and friends there that I could send after it if it is worth buying.

And this one

http://hickory.craigslist.org/atq/4187178823.html


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I'd be very wary about buying an older wheel without checking how true the drive wheel spins. I'd ask the seller about that and if there are any extra bobbins available


----------



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Other than the condition of the wheel - it is fairly old, after all - it isn't likely you'd be able to get additional bobbins or any other accessories to fit. If you have woodworker friends, they could perhaps make some parts for you, but sometimes it is difficult to find wood workers who understand how spinning wheels function if it needed extensive repair.


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

such lovely wheels- but sadly,with these, you could be buying a "pig in a poke". I love reviving old wheels but unless you or someone close to you is a woodworker and understands how wheels work, you could be in over your head.  If I were you, I would keep looking.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The footman us missing on the second wheel. Easy enough to replace but there may be other things. It is also missing it's distaff.

The first wheel is in better shape but it is missing the upright arm of the distaff. Not a big deal unless you want the look but I'm sure you could replace that.

I'd hold off it I were you. I'm not surprised the Ashford went quickly. They are a good wheel and usually sell very quickly when they show up.


----------



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

Well, ya'll have convinced me to hold off. There's also an Ashford Traditional that looks like new with a bunch of roving and some other small stuff in Asheville for $500 but that's outside my price range for a couple of months. I will keep looking for something here in NM that is affordable and complete.

Hopefully, the end of January I'll make it to the spinning group and get to try out some things. Two of the spinners have Ashford Traditionals, one has a Louet and I forget what the others are, except one young lady usually brings her drop spindle.

Thanks all.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Featherbottoms, I appreciate following your quest for a wheel. I'm looking, too, and trying to learn. Tomorrow I am meeting up with some folks who will give me some tips with my drop spindle and I can try out some different wheels that they have. 

I found these in my state that I could get to. 
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/art/4229628901.html
http://rmn.craigslist.org/art/4180702383.html
http://rmn.craigslist.org/art/4223853010.html

And there is this one in the next state over:
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/art/4203819814.html


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

The 3rd link, 4223853010, is a Traveller, its like the one I have, cept mine is a double treadle. I like mine, its a good wheel.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Al of those wheels are great wheels and they are all Ashfords. The prices all seem fair too. You would do well with any of those.


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Hello, my last spinning wheel to go, need it to go ,need room for puppies, It is a Country craftsman with distaff, dropping price so someone will get the enjoyment I did from this wheel. was asking $350.00. Dropping to $300.00. It is in great condition, will ship. Comes with two bobbins. 



[email protected]
*************************************************



Don't know where this is, but maybe somebody can get it. From a Yahoo fiber list, no location or photos given. Contact the seller for those.


__._,_.___


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Very nice Lendrum wheel with 7 bobbins, Woolie Winder with one bobbin, the regular & fast flyers and lazy kate. $600. plus shipping/insurance or you can pick up if in the Charlotte/Winston-Salem area. Pictures can be seen on my blog livethreadstudio.blogspot.com livethreadstudio.blogspot.com


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Very nice Lendrum wheel with 7 bobbins, Woolie Winder with one bobbin, the regular & fast flyers and lazy kate. $600. plus shipping/insurance or you can pick up if in the Charlotte/Winston-Salem area. Pictures can be seen on my blog livethreadstudio.blogspot.com livethreadstudio.blogspot.com

*************

Our former member, Liese who has lukemia.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Kasota, All Ashfords, all good wheels. You can easily get new parts for these if needed.

Personally, I think the best deal is the 1st (Traddie) or 3rd one (Traveller) 

With the Traddie, you could probably talk seller into including hand carders (get the pair that has the more TPI (Tips Per Inch). The Traveller because you are getting both the regular and jumbo flyers & bobbins plus a boat load of fiber!!

The hand carders on the 2nd one are very rough looking and wouldn't do that good of a job on fine wools.

The first one is identical to a wheel I had. Very reliable, spins very true.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Lez ... you had my heart pumping with your first post ... I though YOU were selling a CC for $300. I would have jumped in my truck and made it to your house come Monday morning!


----------



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Cyndi, sorry about that! Oh that I had so many wheels that I needed to sell one of them!!! But I would never have puppies to take up valuable wheel space. I'm solely a cat person and kittehs don't take up wheel space. I tuck them in a dresser drawer!

I just posted these two ads that came into my mailbox this morning. The wheels may be able to be shipped, idk.

The next time I go to Decorah I will go see if there are any wheels for sale at the LYS. Sometimes there have been nice wheels there. If there are I will take pics and post them.

I hope people don't mind if I post ads for good wheels for sale. If it's better for me to put them in the sticky thread about trade/buy/sell, just tell me and I'll do that. I don't want to upset anyone.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you all for the feedback on those wheels. I think I have decided to stick with an Ashford because as everyone mentioned - I can get parts. That and at my level (utter totally doesn't know what she is doing beginner) I wouldn't be able to tell if the problem was with the wheel or with me! LOL! An Ashford seems like a known entity. 

The traveller seems a little more compact, which would be good for me because I live in a shoebox.  VERY tiny house. And I like the idea of getting the extra's, too! I am going to see if it is still available and whether or not they would ship it. I could drive down there but it would take up a day there and back. Or maybe my son could go...he's just in Mpls, which is a lot closer than I am up here in the frozen nordland.  

Lez, I think it's wonderful that you post links here to spinning wheels! It's helpful to see various wheels and read what people think of them.


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

A Traveller was my first wheel, and I really like it. It is good for beginners, good for saving space, and darn cute. I seem to get a sport to worsted as my default yarn when I just spin and two ply with it. Takes a LOT of treadling to get it to sock weight!

All that roving that comes with that Traveller looks like quite the value too!


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> I seem to get a sport to worsted as my default yarn when I just spin


 Me too, that's why I love that wheel!


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

What makes a wheel spin different thicknesses? 

Oh, there is so much to learn!!!


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> What makes a wheel spin different thicknesses?


 In a way Im not sure. I have a Kromski that is advertised can spin anything, yet it mostly spins thin. And I like it for that reason.

The Traveller though advertised can spin anything, seems to default spin a kind of medium weight.

I know the size of the whorl has a lot to do with it, some wheels just seem to want to spin a certain weight.


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

The size of the wheel itself has a lot to do with it. A larger wheel has more inertia, so can spin faster with less treadling. Also there is the matter of the ration between the wheel and the whorl. A larger ratio means fewer revolutions of the wheel to more revolutions of the whorl. This means a tighter twist, which means finer yarn. Thick yarns don't need a lot of twist, but fine ones do. 

I hope I made that as clear as mud.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Drafting techniques are also a big key factor in the thickness of what you spin. You can draft out so you are only spinning just a few fine fibers or you can draft out lots of fibers and get a much thicker yarn. I can spin any size yarn on any wheel but it a) has to fit through the orafice and b) be drafted to the size of finished single I want. On a wheel that has a smallerd rive wheel you can spin fine yarns it will just take you forever to fill your bobbin as you will have to treadle like mad to get enough twist to hold it all together. Back in the day people only had one wheel and they had to spin everything on that wheel or spindle.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Marchwind said:


> I can spin any size yarn on any wheel


THIS.

The different size whorls and different sized drive wheels are helpful tools to adjust the speed of the wheel so you can treadle at a consistent rhythm. By slowing or speeding your treadling, you can obtain the same thing.

I won't suggest trying to spin bulky on a wheel with a large drive wheel (unless you take one revolution of the drive wheel, stop it, then draft bulky, repeat) or trying to spin lace weight on a tiny drive wheel (unless you can treadle like a duck paddling) but it CAN be done.

Another nice thing about Ashfords is they have different flyers available. The standard, the Bulky and the Lace. My first wheel was also the Traveller. It was my main workhorse for 6 or 7 years. It is now equipped with a Bulky flyer is my main plying wheel.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

All the Ashford wheels sold before the people could even reply to my email. Swoooosh and they were gone! There is still the Ashford someone posted on another thread that I believe is in Illinois and needs to be put together, but she doesn't want to ship it. 

I will see what comes of the woman I know from work who has an uncle looking to find homes for his wife's wheels now that she is no longer with him. She thinks his wife would want them to be enjoyed. 

At least I have all this time to get better with my drop spindle. Maybe heaven is trying to get a point across. "Patience, Grasshopper...." 

When I was little I had a jar with a label written in blue crayon. "Pony Money." Never got the pony when I was little but I made up for it later on. I still tend to have a similar saving plan for items that are "wants" and not "needs." I think I will look for a blue crayon and an old index card and some scotch tape that will not go on an old pickle jar as smoothly as I would like. "Spinning Wheel Money" It will be good for the heart.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Yea those Ashfords go very quickly, always. I wonder if you could get someone from here to pick that wheel up for you and ship it if she won't. Or, we could work on a transport train or something. Where there is a will there is a way.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Whilst wheel-sleuthing I came across this ad and there is something I don't understand. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASHFORD-TRA...048?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1917c5f0

What does this mean? 
"Small and beautiful with both double drive and scotch tension systems"

I thought a wheel had one system or the other for tension. 

He also sells this version:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASHFORD-TRA...661?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af2b9c1b5

This ad says, "The separate drive band and bobbin brake adjustment is easy to understand and simple to operate."

Can anyone explain this to me? 

I also wonder about the single vs double treadle. If you have a double treadle can you use just one foot or do you HAVE to use two feet? I have seen kits where you can add a second treadle to a wheel that has one.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

And then I found this on Ebay. The seller has just 22 sales. This wheel is supposedly new and still in the box. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ashford-Tra..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417ab82420#payCntId

It is a traveler and has a 300.00 buy it now price and free shipping. What do you think? Can wheels just go bad (warp or something) if it was sitting around in a box for a long time? 

I have to admit I am tempted to go for it. 

I wish the person who has this one for sale would reply to my email and tell me she still has it and would be willing to ship it. I am afraid the price is a typo, though. 
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/art/4254088658.html


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

There are a few wheels out there that can be either double drive or single with scotch tension. The Traveller is one of them I believe, Cyndi could answer that one better than me. That one for $300 is a good deal at the buy it now price. I hope the person who has that Traddy listed replies soon that is an unbelievably great price. Those other wheels are nothing special, that's about what you would pay anywhere for a new wheel.


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

:sing: Well down the garden path I go!!!! :sing:

I was (of course) talking with my mom about wheels and she decided to bless me with a little extra in my Christmas stocking to help make it happen so I bought the new Traveller for 300.00. 

I am so excited I honestly feel a tiny bit quezzzzy in my tummy. It seems like forever since I have treated myself to something expensive that is a "want" and not a "need." Inside I'm 5 years old and it's Christmas Eve. 

I found a nice (although short) vid on The Woolery that explained about the different kinds of tension systems that was very helpful to my newbie brain. 
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDecQOjCqR8[/ame]


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Hopefully the seller took the pictures from the assembly guide (it looks like it).

The reason it can be used as a double drive or single drive (both Scotch & Irish tension) is because the flyer whorls and bobbin whorls are on the same side. I keep my Traveller set up as a double drive and use pony bead lacing for the drive band. When I want to use it as a single drive, I put both bands on the flyer whorl & brake band on bobbin (flyer led or Scotch tension) OR both bands on the bobbin & brake band on flyer whorl (bobbin led or Irish tension).

The type of set up you have is important to know if you want to get the jumbo or lace flyer set ups. Make sure you get the correct one!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Congratulations!!


----------

