"Other" Spindles Menu
- "Fullsize" Supported Spindle
- Support Spinimal
- Russian Lace Spindles
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"Other" Spindles Menu
- "Fullsize" Supported Spindle
- Support Spinimal
- Russian Lace Spindles
The
shaft is drawn to a smooth, rounded point to facilitate spinning
off its top. Little discussed fact: A lot of confident,
half-hitching spinners use this spindle in the "drop mode"
-- not needing the security of a groove/knob.
Most supported spinning would seem to require a lot of twist and thus fast spinning spindles. But we do seem to make as many of these with "long", slower spinning whorls as we do with the fast ones. I imagine that when people really need a fast spindle they're opting for bead-whorls or something like a tahkli.
The "Support Spinimal"
is identical to the low whorl version except for its pointy shaft
tip. Honestly, it never would have occurred to me that anyone
would want a teeeny spindle for spinning supported...but they
did! I'm guessing that it's this spindle's extreme portability
that makes it a winner.
The shaft tapers from 3/8" at the whorl to an almost point at the top. Below the whorl I turn a decorative, long-spinning point. These days I'm doing laminated whorls as well as out of solid woods or granite.
It's probably more honest to call these that
I'm making Russian-style spindles. By all accounts, spindles
exactly duplicating the spindles used by the Russian ladies
featured in Spin-Off are done out of a very light
and soft wood. The U.S. made ones I've seen were turned in Poplar.
Well, Pam hates Poplar so I won't be making any of those! <G>
Pictured here are the first five Russkies I turned for a lace workshop Cher was having at Columbine Farm out in Bothell, WA. The rightmost two are Maple and use the same proportions/dimensions as those used by the Russian ladies: These are all the "singles" version of the Russian spindles (vs. the longer one for "plying")
From left to right: Hatchtown "bulbous design" in Cherry, Purpleheart and Bocote, "original shape" in Maple and Maple.
The three on the left are what I call "bulbous". I'd been thinking that a slight improvement to the design would be an increase to the diameter of the "whorl" -- providing more centrifugal mass further out away from the "spin-center" -- might help to smooth and lengthen the spin. The Cherry one (leftmost in the photo) weighs just about the same as the skinnier Maple ones, but does spin noticeably longer.
Of course, I couldn't just stop there! Maybe even heavier/denser woods would multiply the benefits of the more bulbous shape?! Well, the Purpleheart and Bocote versions pictured here weigh almost twice what the Maple and Cherry ones do -- approximately 1.15 oz. They do spin longer than the original shape in Maple, but probably not as long as the "bulbous" Cherry.
It's difficult for me to measure, but what might be happening is that the extra weight of the heavier woods is keeping me from getting as fast a spin as I do with the lighter Cherry spindle. So, while the Purpleheart and Bocote spindles with their extra mass could potentially spin longer than the Cherry -- all three having pretty much the same shape -- there's not enough spinning uuumph (yes, I know that's called torque<G>) in my fingers to take advantage of that potential. Does that make sense? (?? Is there a physicist in the house??).
One thing I'm now trying is to make the upper part of the spindle -- where you apply the finger twist -- as small a diameter as practical. That increases the speed of the spin. I'll keep fooling around at the lathe and see what turns up! <gggg -- woodturner's pun>
