# old yarn winder?



## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af343/neparose/2011septdownload084.jpg
http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af343/neparose/2011septdownload086.jpg

Dad gave me this yesterday. Hes says its been it in house he grew up in as long as he could remember. It was filthy but scrubbed up good and seems to work. Anyone know what it was used for? He called it a yarn winder but the gear and screw setup wouldnt be necessary for that would it? Its all pegged. No nails except for some handmade ones holding the wing thingees at the end of the arms.
rose ps. first attemt at pics. hope it works!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Yup, it's a nice homemade yarn winder. The gear and screw setup is so the arms of the winder will go round and round.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

That's really neat! What a treasure to have.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Look real good at it, some of these used to have a little device that would make a noise for each yard,one would count the knock/tick and have the yardage of the hank,when done winding.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I think the click reels made a click for each 'skein' length ... back when a skein was a specific yardage.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Use a measuring tape, I think you'll find that once around all four arms is one yard.


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## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

once around the arms is 77 1/2 inches. It also has a small piece of metal sticking out of the other side of the cog. theres cut outs in the frame to allow for the metal to pass thru without hanging up. Maybe the "clicker" part is gone, as it doesnt make any noises when it makes a revolution. This things going to make one hefty skein of yarn! Still cant get over the hand carved screw and cog! Wonder how old it is? I might be able to figure out which of my great ect.. grandmothers used it.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

That`s cool, hmmmmmm


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Pitchy said:


> That`s cool, hmmmmmm


I hear the cogs in Pitchy's head from way over here. :grin:


What a cool old machine, and a family heirloom too. Awesome.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

neparose said:


> http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af343/neparose/2011septdownload084.jpg
> http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af343/neparose/2011septdownload086.jpg
> 
> Dad gave me this yesterday. Hes says its been it in house he grew up in as long as he could remember. It was filthy but scrubbed up good and seems to work. Anyone know what it was used for? He called it a yarn winder but the gear and screw setup wouldnt be necessary for that would it? Its all pegged. No nails except for some handmade ones holding the wing thingees at the end of the arms.
> rose ps. first attemt at pics. hope it works!


 
You wouldn`t have a picture of the crank handle side.?


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

gone-a-milkin said:


> I hear the cogs in Pitchy's head from way over here. :grin:
> 
> 
> .


:happy:


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## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

Pitchy, I went to take a few more pics for you but the camera battery died. I'll post pics of the nubbin side of the cog and the underside [where its all pinned together] tomorrow night, but the other side looks exactly the same. There is no crank handle and I dont believe there ever was one. Theres no place for it to go. Apparently you gave the arms a push to send it around.?


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

Hmmm strange, ya wouldn`t think they would of gone to all the trouble to make the gears just to run a clicker. Wonder if someone sawed of the shaft where a crank would of been. I`ll have to do some research and see if i can find some other ones and see if they have cranks.
Thanks.

After looking at the picture again i don`t think it did have a crank, that lower type gear would not turn that worm type gear it will only work the other way. So it probably was made to run a counter


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## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

Same thoughts here. All that work of carving the screw and the precision work on the cog, just to wind yarn? BTW it takes 40 revolutions to make the nubbin go all the way around and back if thats any help? I am TOTALLY clueless in the yarn world. Please let me know if you find anything else like it. I would dearly love to try and put a date on it.


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

This one has a similar gear set-up and is a counter.

http://www.colinadelcarl.com/images/winder.jpg


Here we go.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/jun/30/song-made-winding-yarn-childs-play/


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

In Carol Kroll's spinning book she talks about the click reels and give the actual yardage of the of 'skein'. Yes, a 'skein' used to mean a specific number of yards and the click reels would 'click' at approximately that yardage.

I'd try it out on my click reel, but the old wood has softened on the hand carved screw has softened enough that I don't want to risk it.

Pitchy!! I need you all to come down next summer for the Homesteading Weekend so you can take a look at it. Is there anything I can use on the screw to harden the wood again??


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## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

Thank you all for your replies, especially pitchy for the info. I figure I will put my first yarn on it and get a pic. After that, it will just sit and look pretty in the house. Now for some family history digging to get a name to put to it!


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## Pitchy (Aug 25, 2011)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> In Carol Kroll's spinning book she talks about the click reels and give the actual yardage of the of 'skein'. Yes, a 'skein' used to mean a specific number of yards and the click reels would 'click' at approximately that yardage.
> 
> I'd try it out on my click reel, but the old wood has softened on the hand carved screw has softened enough that I don't want to risk it.
> 
> Pitchy!! I need you all to come down next summer for the Homesteading Weekend so you can take a look at it. Is there anything I can use on the screw to harden the wood again??


If it`s a heirloom i`d leave it alone so not to risk breaking it. If that doesn`t matter i wonder if super glue would harden it enough to turn. I wouldn`t want to recommend anything that might damage it.

I thought the story about the song pop goes the weasel was cool.

We might try making one just for the challenge of making the gears and to use.
Thanks for the neat thread.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Very cool - what a treasure!


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