133 7 CONCLUSION “A tradition is just an innovation that has succeeded” 1 Our makers have certainly not been short of innovation. The astonishing variety of designs speaks of lively creativity and a willingness to experiment. This is an ancient craft, and as Charlie Tyler found, completely new ideas are rare. “Sometimes I come across a wheel as old as the hills that has my idea on it. Of course, although I thought of it, it isn’t my idea. Some of these things have been used for years and years.” 2 Nevertheless, some of the ideas that flowered in New Zealand under the demands of depression or wartime were truly new, at least in spinning wheels. Makers invented and adapted. Lyndsay Fenwick has written: “We now see the time of the Second World War as a melting pot for alternative ideas to traditional spinning wheels, brought about by our handyman culture, material constraints and an urgent need to provide the spun wool that was no longer available through importation.” 3 A cuphook twisted into a corkscrew by John Moore became a new kind of orifice, replacing the more technologically demanding metal tube, and this in turn led to a simple hook and then to a metal V, now familiar to spinners in many countries. Standard hinges allowed Graham’s mother- of-all to tilt, avoiding the need to fabricate screws of wood or fit a metal equivalent for adjusting drive band tension. This has become a widely used system. 1 “Une tradition, ce n’est jamais qu’un progrès qui a réussi” Maurice Druon, Le pouvoir (1965). 2 Hutt News, 3 November 1970. 3 “Wheels for the Empire and the War Effort” Context, forthcoming. The Ashford invention of the flyer in one with the whorl has been copied in several countries as well as New Zealand. Some innovations came from other technologies: the sliding hook on Jennings’ flyer arm, for example, may have been already familiar in other uses. Treadle sewing machines contributed not only their drive wheels but often much of their frame as well. Was it because all the old treadle sewing machines were in use and not available for recycling that Martin and Fraser (and perhaps others) had their metal wheels specially cast? Or was it to ensure consistency? Martin added his own refinement, a thickening of the rim to act as counterweight to the treadle. The widespread use of a Picardy-type flyer is another tradition that can be traced back to Harold Martin. We don’t know where he got the inspiration for a single post with the flyer in front of it: perhaps from simply thinking creatively about how to produce a sturdy, affordable, small wheel as effectively and economically as possible. The idea has certainly served New Zealand makers well ever since, and has begun to be used in other countries. Martin also introduced to New Zealand spinning wheels the metal flyer, the off- centre footman connection instead of a crank (later transferred by others to wooden drive wheels), and the wheel dropped partly below the level of the table. These all have antecedents in other types of machine or in spinning wheels in other countries, but we can only admire the ingenuity that combined so many ideas in his unassuming little “iron horse”. The flyer frame with its tilting adjustment was probably devised by Schofield before or during World War Two, as no examples
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7 CONCLUSION
“A tradition is just an innovation
that has succeeded”1
Our makers have certainly not been short of innovation. The astonishing variety of designs speaks of lively creativity and a willingness to experiment. This is an ancient craft, and as Charlie Tyler found, completely new ideas are rare. “Sometimes I come across a wheel as old as the hills that has my idea on it. Of course, although I thought of it, it isn’t my idea. Some of these things have been used for years and years.”2 Nevertheless, some of the ideas that flowered in New Zealand under the demands of depression or wartime were truly new, at least in spinning wheels. Makers invented and adapted. Lyndsay Fenwick has written: “We now see the time of the Second World War as a melting pot for alternative ideas to traditional spinning wheels, brought about by our handyman culture, material constraints and an urgent need to provide the spun wool that was no longer available through importation.”3 A cuphook twisted into a corkscrew by John Moore became a new kind of orifice, replacing the more technologically demanding metal tube, and this in turn led to a simple hook and then to a metal V, now familiar to spinners in many countries. Standard hinges allowed Graham’s mother-of-all to tilt, avoiding the need to fabricate screws of wood or fit a metal equivalent for adjusting drive band tension. This has become a widely used system. 1 “Une tradition, ce n’est jamais qu’un progrès qui a réussi” Maurice Druon, Le pouvoir (1965). 2 Hutt News, 3 November 1970. 3 “Wheels for the Empire and the War Effort” Context, forthcoming.
The Ashford invention of the flyer in one with the whorl has been copied in several countries as well as New Zealand. Some innovations came from other technologies: the sliding hook on Jennings’ flyer arm, for example, may have been already familiar in other uses. Treadle sewing machines contributed not only their drive wheels but often much of their frame as well. Was it because all the old treadle sewing machines were in use and not available for recycling that Martin and Fraser (and perhaps others) had their metal wheels specially cast? Or was it to ensure consistency? Martin added his own refinement, a thickening of the rim to act as counterweight to the treadle. The widespread use of a Picardy-type flyer is another tradition that can be traced back to Harold Martin. We don’t know where he got the inspiration for a single post with the flyer in front of it: perhaps from simply thinking creatively about how to produce a sturdy, affordable, small wheel as effectively and economically as possible. The idea has certainly served New Zealand makers well ever since, and has begun to be used in other countries. Martin also introduced to New Zealand spinning wheels the metal flyer, the off-centre footman connection instead of a crank (later transferred by others to wooden drive wheels), and the wheel dropped partly below the level of the table. These all have antecedents in other types of machine or in spinning wheels in other countries, but we can only admire the ingenuity that combined so many ideas in his unassuming little “iron horse”. The flyer frame with its tilting adjustment was probably devised by Schofield before or during World War Two, as no examples
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have been seen from before that time. It contributed to several wheel designs in New Zealand, notably the outstandingly successful Wendy. Later makers used it in their own ways, refining and changing it – an excellent illustration of the interaction between tradition and innovation. These ideas have become part of the repertoire of New Zealand (and in some cases overseas) makers. “It was from this wartime base that our spinning wheels developed again in remarkable ways with the resurgence of interest in spinning in the 1960s and 70s.”4 So what are the qualities of a good spinning wheel maker? Obviously they include fine craftsmanship, and as much concern for the functioning of the wheel as for its looks. A good maker can draw on a wide understanding of the working of machines of various kinds, and has an excellent set of skills in metal as well as wood. It is noteworthy that many of the best makers have had an engineering background. Resourcefulness is vital, particularly when working on a shoestring. The famous New Zealand idea that anything can be fixed with a piece of number eight fencing wire indicates the kind of home-made machine often to be found in spinning wheel making workshops. It really helps too if the maker is able to spin, as John Beauchamp knew when he insisted that Nagy learn to spin before learning to make wheels. Most makers have been competent spinners, from Harold Martin to Richard Ashford. A maker who does not intimately understand the process of spinning would be better to stick to making furniture. This is a unique craft, in that its aim is to make a tool for another craft – that of the spinner. The relationship between the two crafts must be close. The best makers, large
4 Lyndsay Fenwick again.
or small scale, respond to comments and suggestions from spinners, and either improve their designs over time (like Shearman) or add new models (like McGreevy). The number of decisions a wheel-maker must take when designing a wheel is daunting. It is not only the obvious things, like upright or horizontal, double drive or Scotch tension (or, rarely, bobbin lead). We have considered a few details, like construction of drive wheel and flyer, type of crank, mechanism for drive band tension, and orifice style. There are many, many other vital questions, some of them quite technical.5 Ratios of drive wheel to whorl are obviously important, but many other factors can make or break the success of a spinning wheel. On a Scotch tension wheel, for example, the circumference of the bobbin whorl need only be sufficient to provide traction, but on a double drive wheel the ratio between the circumferences of bobbin whorl and spindle whorl, and hence between their speeds, also affects spinning characteristics. The greater the difference in size, the stronger the pull on the yarn to wind on.6 Then the maker must decide what to use for spindle bearings; the number, size and placing of the hooks on the flyer (if hooks are used); the internal diameter of the orifice (if using one); the placing, angle and number of legs (there was once a good reason for having only three, but I am not sure that it is valid in these days of level floors) and the length of the axle crank (which affects treadling). Or is there a crank at all? Martin, McGreevy and others managed to do away with it. What is the 5 For a maker’s view of spinning wheel design see Eric Corran’s Understanding the Spinning Wheel. 6 Selected Canadian Spinning Wheels in Perspective, Judith Buxton (National Museums of Canada 1980) 111-115. I have personally found that for my Ron Shearman wheel, which is convertible between Scotch tension and double drive, it is worthwhile to have two sets of bobbins, those with smaller groove circumference being better for double drive. But too small and they lack friction and slip too much.
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angle of the wheel posts, and how is the axle to be secured in them? This last question was neatly sidestepped by Martin when he attached the axle to the back of the table. The size and type of treadle is another consideration for the maker. Single treadle mechanisms are more practical for smaller-scale makers, but there are still questions to answer: large (for two feet) or small (for one); ending at the treadle bar or pivoting on it with an overhang for the heel;7 hinged to a fixed treadle bar or fixed to a movable treadle bar. If the treadle bar rotates with treadling, how is it connected to the front legs? If it simply ends in metal spikes that move in holes, there is wear on the wood of the legs. A bearing of some sort can be used, or even the metal hook-and-eye shortcut found in Sleeping Beauty wheels. Bearings in general call for decisions. Should ballbearings be used? Aileen Stace disliked them because they made a wheel run so fast it could “get away” from the spinner; she believed a little friction was better.8 Many might disagree today. But as Mike Keeves points out, ballraces require very accurate positioning to run smoothly. This is why he uses no turning in the frames of his Grace wheels. A turned post may more easily be twisted a fraction of a degree when placed in position than one with flat square surfaces, causing misalignment of the ballrace and annoying friction for the spinner.9 These and other factors can make or break the success of a spinning wheel. They are largely independent of the external appearance of the wheel. Yet how many of us judge a wheel mainly by its looks? 7 The “heel-toe” treadle is favoured by quite a few spinners, though I have read somewhere that it can damage leg tendons in the long run. 8 Graham Collins, personal communication June 2009. 9 Mike Keeves, personal communication June 2009.
Of course those makers who meticulously copy an earlier wheel bypass some of the potential problems, but this requires a special skill of its own. Nicolson and Bartlett are two who followed an established pattern to produce fine wheels, though as the years went by, both made modifications. Some makers began by copying a design (often from the magazine Popular Mechanics) and went on to create their own. Some had had experience with spinning on wheels they disliked (or had seen wives or friends struggling with their wheels) and wanted to provide something better. Others began from scratch, working from function to form and gradually improving their creation, often with advice from experienced spinners. To some degree their solutions to the sorts of questions asked of them were conditioned by their skills and the resources available. Some were specialists in wood: they might produce beautiful turning but use the minimum of metal parts. Others preferred to work mainly with metal. And of course in times of shortage, great ingenuity in adapting to the materials available was shown. Some of the innovations have truly become traditions. All makers of good spinning wheels deserve our admiration and respect. It is a most demanding craft, and New Zealanders over the years have met its demands creatively and skilfully.
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Grace wheel in the Botanic Gardens, Christchurch
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SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baines, Patricia, Spinning Wheels Spinners and Spinning (B.T. Batsford Ltd, London 1977, 1982)
Buxton, Judith, Selected Canadian Spinning Wheels in Perspective, an analytical approach (National Museums of Canada 1980, reprinted by Canadian Museum of Civilisation 1992)
Bryant, David, Wheels and Looms, Making equipment for spinning and weaving (B.T. Batsford Ltd, London 1987)
Corran, Eric, Understanding the Spinning Wheel (Melbourne 1997) Cummer, Joan Whittaker, A Book of Spinning Wheels (Peter E. Randall, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, USA 1994) Fenwick, Lyndsay, “Metal Spinning Wheels” The Spinning Wheel Sleuth #63 (January 2009) 7-
10 Fenwick, Lyndsay, “Wheels for the Empire and the War Effort” Context (forthcoming)
Knox, Mary, and Fenwick, Lyndsay, “Spinning Wheels and Wheel-makers in 1969” Creative Fibre 11.4 (March 2009) 28-31
Leadbeater, Eliza, Spinning and Spinning Wheels (Shire Publications Ltd 1979)
Nicholson, Heather, The Loving Stitch (Auckland University Press 1998)
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INDEX OF MAKERS & WHEELS
Page numbers in bold type are sections in chapter 5
