Hi Mary,
It sure looks like a bobbin winder to me, too. A cord or leather strap would have connected the large wheel and the spindle. Their grooves line up exactly in the pictures. Since thread was usually sold in skeins until late 19th century, (I am thinking of Honiton directions that call for 14 slip thread which was a measure of how many lengths of thread came up to a certain weight. And rather fine) to wind it onto bobbins would require a swift or something like it. The arm would be moved outboard of the main winder to the left. I would venture to guess that this winder is for Continental bobbins, since I can't imagine the cupped side holding a spangled bobbin, unless another piece is missing. >From the look of the wear, I would expect that the bobbins were jam fit into the cup and wound. The use of tapered bits of wood is not obvious. They sort of look like chocks, similar to how some roller pillows keep the roller from moving. The different stick that doesn't taper may have been for rolling up completed lace. The French use planchettes which are flat bars if wood to wind their lace. Dunno. Patty - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
