>>I particularly loathe double treadle wheels :) I don't like the rigidity with >>which I have to sit, and in spite of manufacturers' claims, none that I have >>tried have been stable enough when used as a single treadle to spin well.<<
Uh oh! I'm going to make a guess that it was a Lendrum wheel. As some of you may know, I loathe Lendrum wheels. I don't care how many bells and whistles that things have. If they're used as a double treadle, and you attempt to really treadle to get some speed, you can wind up with a dizzy attack, watching the flyer/orifice bob from left to right, or right to left. Lendrums are made with a lightweight wood, as opposed to say, hhhmmmm, red oak, walnut, etc. I borrowed a Lendrum from a dealer once upon a time. I sat down to use this paragon of wheels, spun on it for 10 minutes, 6 minutes of which was chasing it down as it 'walked' away from me. I really don't like Lendrum wheels. :) My all time favorite wheel to recommend to newbies, is Ashford's Saxony wheel. Or, maybe even the Elizabeth. I like the Ashford Saxony because it can grow right along with you. It has a 22" diameter drive wheel. Much larger than some of the more expensive wheels. Ashford provided a whole mess of bells and whistles for their Saxony. You can convert it to a double treadle, if you want double treadle. There are flyers and whorls that can be added, so that as you spinning ability grows, the wheel, with its add ons, can grow along with you. I acquired an Ashford Saxony a few years ago. It had been sitting out in a falling down barn, for over 20 years. The cobwebs on it were spider works of art. There was no rust on it. The drive wheel still spun true. It still had a drive cord on it. I sat down to spin on it, and it spun just as nicely as it would have, if it had been brand new. Yes, it needed some oiling, but I was impressed with the fact that it had been neglected for over 20 years and, other than spider webs and dust, it was still in excellent shape. The Ashford Elizabeth has a 24" diameter wheel. I don't know if it has the bells and whistle that are available for the smaller Saxony has. Ashford grows the wood they use in their wheels. I owned a Rick Reeves wheel for awhile. Back when Rick was still making his own wheels. It was a beautiful 30" red oak wheel. The wheel was actually 29". The explanation I heard, was that the spinning ladies could fit a smaller wheel into their car. My hypothesis is that, once the drive wheel hit 30", it had to be put into a larger box, which would make the shipping box so large, that UPS or USPS would charge a higher fee, for a non-standard box. The shipping fees on that would be so high, that people wouldn't be willing to the S & H. Me and the wheel didn't do well together. It was an almost constant stare off. I'd approach the wheel with the idea that it was going to spin up a bundle of fiber. The wheel would hiccup, belch, or burp, and the drive band would pop off. I fixed that. The wheel sulked. It refused to do anything for me. I was convinced that I hadn't been spinning for as many years as I had. I gave up. The wheel and the new owner have a mutual admiration society. I have a Schacht that I almost always go back to. It has a large single treadle, that will accommodate two feet. It's fitted out with a Woolee Winder. At the risk of waxing poetic about the Woolee Winder, just let me tell you to make sure, when you buy a wheel, that will take a Woolee winder. I have other wheels, but I'm going to avoid talking about them. One, in particular, I would gladly break up into fairly small pieces, grab the person who made it, and return the wheel, one piece at a time where the sun don't shine. But, as others will tell you, find someplace where you can go and test drive some wheels. Pacific wool and fiber, in Oregon, have a very nice tutorial on their web page. I have dealt with them. I can't say enough nice things about them. And they have wheels you can test drive. :) wrnk d2
