Question:

Spinning wheel ratios?

I am looking at buying a spinning wheel for making my own yarn, and what I can't understand is the whole quot;ratiosquot; thingI noticed that one wheel I like has a 4.25:1 ratio, and the other has a 7:1 ratio, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! Does it have to do with the twist? Or maybe rotations? What are the ratios for? I just don't know! Any Spinners out there who can help me?

Answer:

Affordable depends upon how many you need to doIf is just a small number take the blanks round to your local engineering shop and get them to tap the threads for you.
it's called a tap and dieyou can buy it in a set with a bunch of different sizesNot sure where to get it tough mines really old, it was my grandfathers and it always comes in handy, i cant count how many lug nuts ive stripped! works every timeunless it's really badits really easy though and doesnt take much effort at all.
They are called DIE and TAPS, Taps cut the inside threads and Dies cut the outside threadsanything that has cut threads are done this way, check the tools shops/stores for your size, Sears/Craftsman online might help.
1) You can buy taps that have a centering hole in the square drive endClamp your 2 round in a drill press vice and drill the pilot hole, then remove the drill bit and chuck a round center punchPlace the tap in the pilot hole, bring the center punch to bear on the hole in the drive end of the tap and while putting some down pressure on the tap start turning the tap with your wrench2) There is an attachment for drill presses that reduce the drive speed and will automatically reverse when you complete the tapping.
Most simply it means that the flyer spins the first number of times for each time the drive wheel turnsThe higher the first number the more twist is introduced to the fiber for each turn of the drive wheelGenerally you can spin a tighter, thinner diameter (grist) yarn with a higher ratio than a lower ratio, but it all depends on your learning curve and what fiber you are spinningIf you are spinning wool you can get away with a lower ratio of twist because wool is crimpy (curly in the strand) than you can with llama or alpaca which has very little crimp and needs more twist to hold togetherDoes this mean you can't spin alpaca or llama on a low ratio? No, you just have to let more twist build up before you let it feed onto the bobbin.

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