Weaving Yarns Knitting - Rio Grande Weavers Supply - Taos, New Mexico

Spinning

Rio Grande® Wheel
The Rio Grande® Wheel is the first significant improvement in spinning wheel design in many years. It combines speed, versatility and ease of operation to an extent unequalled by any other spinning wheel on the market today. The large wheel with a plain spindle driven by a treadle came about when Rachel's husband built her a wheel in the late 50s. Knowing very little about spinning wheels at the time, they came up with this design not realizing it had never been done before. This wheel has been improved over the years by Rachel and various woodworkers until in 1978 it was first marketed by woodworker Bob Easton of Santa Fe as the Rio Grande Wheel. Rachel bought the business from Bob in 1985 and now has Ron Moore build the wheels in Taos.

Photographed at the Martinez Hacienda, Taos.
Fiber and handspun yarns courtesy of
La Lana Wools, Taos.

Click on image to enlarge

At first glance one might confuse this wheel with the antique great wheel. It does have a large wheel, which allows tremendous wheel-to-spindle ratios, and it has no flyer, but there the similarities end. Since the spinner sits and treadles, a quick hand movement clears the yarn from the tip of the spindle and allows winding on as fast or faster than a flyer wheel, without stopping and reversing the wheel as is done on the great wheel. (This disadvantage of the great wheel is one reason for the invention of the flyer.) Treadling is so easy that one can spin all day without tiring.

Range of yarns spun on the Rio Grande® Wheel.

Rio Grande Wheel Wool spinning on the Rio Grande® Wheel is particularly efficient when the true long draw technique is used. This is a very fast technique in which the fibers are drawn into a length of loose roving and then further drawn out and spun until the desired thickness and twist is achieved. It produces about 4 feet of finished yarn at a time. And spinning from the raw fleece can be done with little loss of speed because the length of yarn that is spun in this long draft allows the spinner leeway to deal with unprepared fibers as they are being spun.

The spinning of jumbo novelty yarns of 25 yards per pound are quickly spun with no flyer interfering with the winding on.

Rio Grande Wheel

Soft twist yarns are spun with the spinner in control, not the flyer. Extremely fine, short fibers such as cotton or cashmere can be spun into a very fine yarn with a nice soft twist. Lynn Teague, an expert cotton spinner, in a letter to Spin Off (Dec. 1989) says, "Historically, using a spindle wheel while seated has been the classic choice for handspinning cotton, not just in Asia, but in Europe and England as well. . .The Rio Grande is a superb tool for producing fine yarn from cotton or other short-staple fibers, much better than the flyer wheels that are available."...The plain "spindle assembly eliminates the take-up stress characteristic of flyer wheels..."

The tapered stainless steel spindle allows the spinning of a pound of yarn without ever stopping the wheel (if your fiber is ready for it!). Since there is no flyer assembly, there is no need to stop and move the yarn to the next hook, nor are there any critical tension or braking adjustments to be made as the bobbin fills. The size of the yarn and its twist are constantly under the spinner's direct control. The tension of the drive band is set once, quickly and simply, and forgotten.

Maintenance of the Rio Grande® Wheel is minimal. A very occasional cleaning and a drop of oil in the spindle bearings is all that is needed to keep the wheel in perfect working order.

Weavers will appreciate the additional function of the wheel as a bobbin and spool winder. The spindle will readily accept most sizes of bobbins and spools. Paper quills are easily used. Because of the wheel's high speed, it is competitive with electric bobbin winders.

A video and illustrated instruction booklet are included with the wheel. These are intended to help the spinner adapt to the new techniques of the Rio Grande® Wheel, as well as with its assembly and maintenance. Both of these are available separately.

$985.00
Crating charge $87.00
Instruction Book (applied to wheel order) $5.00
Video (applied to wheel order) $25.00
We will charge actual UPS cost to ship. Ask for a quote.

Specifications:
Wood: hard rock maple
Wheel rim: laminated & bent oak
Finish: Danish oil
Height: 48"
Length: 60"
Depth (including spindle): 22"
Weight: approximately 26 pounds
Wheel rim diameter: 37"
Spindle: stainless steel
Spindle length: 12"
Spindle height (from floor): 26"
Spindle and drive wheel turn on precision ball bearings.
3 pulley speeds
Wheel-to-spindle ratios are 26:1, 17:1, 11:1
Spindle speed range: 300 rpm to 3000 rpm
Total shipping weight (in 3 packages): 59 pounds

Click on image to enlarge

A Niddy Noddy (Rio Grande). NO LONGER AVAILABLE

B Drum Carder (Mark V). We highly recommend this carder; it has positive, slip-free action. - $386.00

C Navajo Spindle (Schacht). A lovely version of the ancient Navajo spindle in traditional proportions. 30" length. - $26.00

D Drop Spindle (Schacht) with 3" diameter whorl and 12" shaft. - $18.00

E Drop Spindle (Schacht) with 4" diameter whorl and 12" shaft. - $18.00

F Hand Cards (Schacht). These curved-back carders make hand-carding almost a joy. - $73.00

G Electric Spinner (Rio Grande). Finally we have an electric spinner with which we are satisfied. Our spinner operates with an electronic rheostat for complete control. Forward and backward are achieved with a hand switch. The spindle is the same as on the Rio GrandeÆ Wheel. This is the ideal bobbin winder. We use this winder with brown paper quills (made from grocery bags) and the 17" Howell boat shuttle for very efficient rug weaving. - $708.00

TOLL FREE 800.765.1272
ph 505.758.0433 fax 505.758.5839
216 B Pueblo Norte Taos, New Mexico 87571
weaving@weavingsouthwest.com

Update 08.08