5
end and insert it into the front hole in the Scotch tension rod. Push about 1/2” of
the cord through the hole. Loosen the thumbscrew slightly to allow the Scotch ten-
sion knob to turn. Turn the Scotch tension knob clockwise until the brake spring
barely begins to stretch. Tighten the thumbscrew to secure the Scotch tension rod.
Now you can start spinning. To increase the amount of take-up of your yarn onto the
bobbin, turn the Scotch tension knob in the clockwise direction. To decrease the
amount of take-up, turn the Scotch tension knob counter-clockwise.
When using the Scotch tension mode the yarn will wind onto the bobbin in the
opposite direction than when using the double drive mode. This does not affect your
spinning, but it is good to know this in case you should change spinning modes in
the middle of a bobbin. If the Scotch tension rod becomes loose, you can tighten the
black thumbscrew under the front of the mother-of-all.
Your drive band
Your spinning wheel comes with a pre-tied drive band (tied for double drive) and
an extra length of drive band. For additional drive bands, use a soft cotton cord
which is about 1/16” thick (an eight or ten-ply butcher or package twine works fine).
A soft drive band allows you to use less tension than a harder, slicker cord, making
treadling easier. While a soft drive band will wear quicker, we believe the gain in per-
formance is worth more frequently changing the drive band.
Tying on a new drive band
Cut the old drive band to remove it.
For double drive mode, place a bobbin in the flyer with the small end facing the
whorl. Use a medium size whorl. Adjust the drive band tension knob so that the flyer
is parallel to the mother-of-all. Face the front of the wheel. Hang one end of the drive
band cord over the bobbin groove so that it hangs down about 12 inches on the right
side of the wheel. On the left side take the cord down and around the drive wheel
and up and over the larger pulley of the whorl. Go down and around the drive wheel
a second time. Bring the end of the cord up to the first end. Tie the two ends togeth-
er using a square knot. Make sure that the drive band very taut, since it will loosen
some with use. Cut off the ends of the cord as close to the knot as possible.
For Scotch tension, use the same method above, except that only a sin
gle drive band is tied around the drive wheel and the whorl. If you are using
the slow speed or extra slow speed whorls, it is best to tie a separate drive
cord following the instructions above. Several drive cords can be left on the
wheel at the same time. Just fold up the ones not in use and let them hang
from the maiden or the front leg.
Using different flyer whorls
The type of fiber you are spinning and the kind of yarn you want to produce will
determine which flyer whorl to use. Your spinning wheel comes with two flyer whorls:
a Medium Speed Whorl with 9:1 and 11:1 ratios and a Fast Speed Whorl with 13:1
and 15½:1 ratios. We offer four others (see the chart). The general rules to remem-
