What is a Russian support spindle?

Russian spindles are lightweight and have a very short spin time. Traditional Russian spindles tend to be even lighter weight than many of the modern adaptations. These heavier spindles are often made from solid woods and might have a larger whorl than traditional styles.

How do I choose a supported spindle?

Choosing a spindle A number of things determine the speed of a supported spindle: its weight, the material used for the tip, and the size and shape of the whorl. Some makers, particularly of Tibetan spindles, use ball bearings as tips, or make them extremely sharp with a dense, hard-wearing wood.

What are the different types of spindles?

At the very basic there are three types of spindle: top whorl, bottom whorl and supported. The whorl is the disk or ball that provides the weight to keep the spin going. All three types are hand spindles. Top and bottom whorl are both types of drop or hand spindles.

What is a spindle in manufacturing?

Definition. A spindle is a rotating shaft with a fixture for holding a tool (in the case of a milling, grinding, or drilling spindle) or a workpiece (in the case of a turning spindle). The spindle shaft serves as a support, a positioner, and a rotary drive for the tool or workpiece.

What forms mitotic spindle?

During mitosis, the spindle fibers are called the mitotic spindle. Long protein fibers called microtubules extend from the centrioles in all possible directions, forming what is called a spindle. Some of the microtubules attach the poles to the chromosomes by connecting to protein complexes called kinetochores.

What kind of tip does a Russian spindle have?

Like all supported spindle shafts, Russians have a flicking tip and a spinning tip with a ball-bearing that sits in a bowl or on a smooth surface. Below the flicking tip, Russians can have a slight ridge that some spinners prefer for yarn control.

Where does the tip of a supported spindle rest?

Supported spindles are used, as the name suggests, with the tip resting on a surface, usually a small bowl. These spindles vary in size and shape across the world, depending greatly on what type of fiber and yarn they were made to spin.

What are the different types of support spindles?

Needless to say, support spindling is a habit-forming hobby—proceed with caution! Most of the modern support spindles that spinners are using today can be loosely classified into four categories: Tibetan, Russian, phang, and takli styles. There are, however, many different interpretations.

Which is faster a Russian spindle or Tibetan spindle?

Russians are generally between 0.60 ounces and 1.0 ounce with a few going over an ounce. Since there is no whorl to create a rim weight, all Russians are center-weighted by design. The spin is very fast, yet spin time is much shorter than Tibetans.