Bring the assembled flyer to the wheel. Bring the double loop of the drive band to the flyer and position one loop on the larger groove
of the whorl and the other on the bobbin pulley. Insert the back of the flyer into the small hole in the rear leather bearing and drop the
front (the large piece of metal) down into the front bearing. The front should snap into the front bearing.
The leather bearings work great on spinning wheels but they do require oiling. New bearings absorb a good deal of oil. We suggest
you oil now and continue until the leather is saturated with oil.
Step 7
Now you will add a number of small items to your wheel. The extra whorl you have can be conveniently stored on the wheel bench;
locate short straight dowel and push into the pre drilled hole on the bench top (between flyer and wheel posts); drop extra whorl on
this peg.
The threading hook is stored on the wheel bench in a hole designed just for this. Push and twist the hook into this hole the first time to
mate the two well.
Post caps - each wheel post must be outfitted with a fancy wooden cap (rotate 180º to find best fit).
Scotch tension setup (you may ignore if you do not intend to use Scotch tension). The brake band for scotch tension is in the parts
bag with a spring attached. Attach the spring to one small eye bolt and screw the bolt into the left rear side of the mother-of-all base
(you will find a pre drilled hole on each side of the base). Screw another eyebolt on the right side of the base. Bring the band over
the bobbin’s rear pulley, thread through the right eyebolt and bring to the front. Thread the end of the brake band through the small
wooden thumb peg and tie off. The peg goes in the hole on the base. Push and twist the peg into this hole the first time to mate the two
well. If you are not using the brake (when in double drive operation), drape the band under the flyer. You may find that removing the
brake band is easier if you use a pair of pliers to open the left eyebolt a bit; now you can just slip the spring off and remove it from
around the bobbin.
Wheel adjustment
Place the drive band (two loops) around the wheel. To get the band in position it may be necessary to tighten or loosen the tension on
the band by turning the tension adjusting knob at the end of the bench. If you are a beginner, the question always is, “how much ten
-
sion?” The drive band should not slip on the wheel or flyer as you treadle, but until your begin spinning, it is impossible to know if
the band is set right. It need never be very tight. Part of spinning is adjusting the tension for the conditions you are working with.
Now you will adjust the angle of the wheel to the flyer (this is shown very well in the video). Your two wheel posts are in position
holding the wheel but you have not firmly tightened the bolts under the bench. Standing over the end of the wheel, grab both posts and
rotate them together; as you rotate, watch the rim of the wheel and the direction of the drive band to the flyer. You want the drive band
to make a straight line from the rim of the wheel to the whorl and the bobbin pulley. Test by spinning the wheel several rotations and
watch where the drive band tracks on the wheel. If needed, rotate the wheel posts more to get the best possible tracking. Now firmly
tighten the two bolts under the wheel posts.
Tensioned Lazy Kate - see picture on parts list
Assemble as you see in the picture, making sure that the two cross supports that have holes in them (one small hole for an eyescrew
and a larger hole for a thumb peg) are both on the same side of the frame - left or right, it makes no difference. Glue the cross sup
-
ports if you like. From the parts bag, locate a small eyescrew, spring and brake band. Attach the eyescrew into the small hole on the
cross support; attach the spring to the eyescrew. The brake band comes over the top of the Lazy Kate and the end should be tied to the
thumb screw. Your bobbins go on the metal rods with the brake band going over the pulleys that are at the end of each bobbin. Tighten
the thumb screw as needed to create drag on the bobbins as you ply. Push and twist the peg into this hole the first time to mate the two
well.
Maintenance
As with any new wheel, there will be a break-in period, not only for the wheel but for the spinner to get accustomed to the feel and
adjustments that need to be made during spinning. Follow the lubrication suggestions below and then treadle for a while without spin
-
ning. Make sure there is nothing on the shaft that will impede easy rotation of the bobbin. Lubricate as noted below. Make sure the
treadle/footman connection is secure.
All spinning wheels have points that require lubrication. On the Symphony, you need to regularly oil the following points:
- Treadle ends where they enter the front legs
- Leather bearings that support the flyer
- Metal spindle shaft at both ends where the bobbin bearings ride
- The footman/crank locations
- The two metal sleeve bearings that hold the axle; a small oil hole is on each for adding lubricant.
