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Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel
Instructions, Maintenance & Warranty

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We are pleased that you have chosen one of our Schacht Spinning Wheels, and trust that it will give you many fruitful hours of spinning. We have taken great care in the design of our wheels to make them efficient and sturdy, as well as aesthetically pleasing. Our wheels are constructed using traditional woodworking joinery, following the concept that form follows function. We feel that good design and quality craftsmanship, along with regular maintenance, ensures that your wheel will endure.

Each part has been specially designed with function in mind. During manufacturing, every part is inspected for quality, and the final assembly has been done by a skilled craftsperson. Should you have any questions about the quality of the work or the materials, please do not hesitate to contact your dealer or our customer service department directly.

Your Schacht Spinning Wheel is a precision tool, having many moving parts which require regular care and maintenance. The better you understand your wheel, the more able you will be to take advantage of its many features.

Please read this booklet before you start spinning.

Unpacking Your Wheel
Make sure you have the parts listed below.

Attaching the treadle - single treadle wheel
Place the treadle bearings on the front leg bar so that the treadle bearings fit to the outside of the metal clips that are on the front leg bar. Push down very hard on the treadle until the bearings snap onto the leg bar. A sharp blow with the heel of your hand or a light tap with a hammer on a piece of wood placed on the treadle over the bearing will work.

Attaching the treadles - double treadle wheel

Place the treadles in their positions on the front leg bar so that the treadle bearings fit to the outside of the metal clips that are on the front leg bar. Push down very hard on each treadle until the bearings snap onto the leg bar. A sharp blow with the heel of your hand or a light tap with a hammer on a piece of wood placed on the treadle over the bearing will work.

Attaching the footman
To attach the footman to the treadle or treadles, in the case of the double treadle wheel, remove the cotter pins and clevis pins from the treadle yokes. Place the leather footman inside the treadle yoke and slide the clevis pin through the yoke and footman and reinsert the cotter pin in the hole of the clevis pin. For the double treadle wheel, attach the footman that is toward the front of the wheel to the shorter treadle and the footman that is toward the rear to the longer treadle. The flat heads of the clevis pins should face each other.

Adjusting the treadle height
This adjustment is only necessary if your treadle is either rubbing the drive wheel or hitting the rear leg cross support. To adjust the treadle height, remove the hairpin cotter pin from the clevis pin and pull the clevis pin out of the treadle yoke.  Rotate the yoke clockwise to raise the treadle and counterclockwise to lower the treadle. Make only two or three turns and reassemble the footman and treadle yoke and check to see that the treadle is not hitting either the drive wheel or the cross support. Repeat this adjustment until you are satisfied with the position of the treadle.

Adjusting the Front Legs
The front legs of your spinning wheel can be adjusted to accommodate uneven floors. Simply turn the plastic feet clockwise or counterclockwise to shorten or lengthen the legs.

Installing the flyer assembly
Loosen the front maiden T-knob about one turn. Pivot the front maiden forward. Take the flyer-bobbin-whorl assembly and fit the small end of the flyer shaft into the rear maiden bearing. Be sure to lift the drive band up and over the bobbin and whorl pulleys. Pivot the front maiden up and fit the flyer orifice into the front maiden bearing. Be sure to retighten the T-knob.

Changing bobbins
Loosen the front T-knob on the maiden about one turn. Hold the flyer with one hand and pivot the front maiden forward until the flyer orifice is out of the front maiden bearing. Hold the drive band up and out of the way as you pull the flyer towards you until the flyer shaft is out of the rear maiden bearing. Remove the flyer whorl. (Unlike most spinning wheel flyer whorls, which screw onto the flyer shaft, our quick-attach whorls need only to be pushed on and pulled off the square part of the flyer shaft.) Remove the full bobbin and replace it with an empty bobbin. If you are spinning in double drive mode, face the small end of the bobbin toward the flyer whorl; in Scotch tension mode, the large end of the bobbin faces the flyer whorl.


Double drive mode

We have shipped the flyer, bobbin and the medium speed flyer whorl already set up. A drive cord, tied for double drive mode, is also in place ready for use. If you want another size whorl on the flyer, just pull the one that is on the flyer straight off. (The fast speed whorl is attached to the wheel behind the rear maiden.) Select the flyer whorl you want to start with and put it on the flyer shaft. Always face the smaller pulley of any flyer whorl towards the bobbin. In double drive mode, the small pulley end of the bobbin should always face the open end of the flyer.

Put one loop of the drive band over the small pulley on the bobbin and the other loop of the drive band over one of the pulleys of the flyer whorl.

Adjust the tension on the drive band by turning the drive band tension knob (the mushroom-shaped knob on top). Start with a loose drive band. Begin to treadle slowly. Turn the tension knob clockwise until the flyer and bobbin both begin to turn. Now you can begin to spin. Continue to turn the tension knob in a clockwise direction to increase the take-up of the yarn onto the bobbin or counter-clockwise to reduce the amount of take-up.

Scotch tension or flyer-lead mode
Place a bobbin on the flyer shaft with the large pulley end facing the open end of the flyer. Put a flyer whorl on the flyer shaft. In Scotch tension mode, a single drive band is placed over one of the flyer whorl pulleys. You can use the drive band as supplied by putting both loops of the drive band over the flyer whorl pulley. However, if you are going to be using your wheel primarily in the Scotch tension mode, we suggest that you use a slightly heavier cord than we supply and tie it as a single drive band. The drive band should be taut but not overly tight.

 Attach the brake tension spring to the spring bar on the left rear of the mother-of-all. Loop the brake cord over the large pulley of the bobbin and insert it into the front hole in the brake tension rod. Push it through the hole and about 1/2”. Turn the brake adjusting knob clockwise until the brake spring barely begins to stretch. Now you can start spinning. Turn the brake adjusting knob in the clockwise direction to increase the amount of take-up of your yarn onto the bobbin or counter-clockwise to decrease the amount of take-up.

When using the Scotch tension mode the yarn will wind onto the bobbin in the opposite direction than when using the double drive mode. This does not affect your spinning, but it is good to be aware of this in case you should change spinning modes in the middle of a bobbin.

Using different flyer whorls

The type of fiber you are spinning and the kind of yarn you want to produce will determine which flyer whorl to use. Choosing a compatible whorl for the task at hand will go a long way in helping you comfortably create the yarn you want. Your spinning wheel comes with two flyer whorls: a Medium Speed Whorl with 9:1 and 11:1 ratios and a Fast Speed Whorl with 13:1 and 15 1/2:1 ratios. We offer five others, which are specified in the chart below. The general rules to remember are: the larger (slower) the whorl, the thicker the yarn, the less the twist, and the greater the take-up. It is also important to remember that, in the double drive mode, depending on how much or how little tension you put on the drive band, you can increase or decrease the take up. In the Scotch Tension mode the amount of take-up is controlled by the amount of tension you put on the brake spring & cord. The greater the tension, the greater the take-up.

Whorl Ratio Chart

The drive band   
Your spinning wheel comes with a pre-tied drive band (tied for double drive) and an extra length of drive band. For additional drive bands, use a soft cotton cord which is about 1/16 inch thick (an eight or ten-ply butcher or package twine works fine). A soft drive band allows you to use less tension than a harder, slicker cord, making treadling easier. While a soft drive band will wear quicker, we believe the gain in performance is worth the more frequent changing of drive bands. If you would like the same drive band we supply with your wheel, send us $3.50 for three drive bands (plus shipping and handling).

Tying on a new drive band
Cut off the old drive band. In double drive mode, place a bobbin in the flyer with the small pulley facing the open end of the flyer. Put the medium speed whorl on and put the flyer back in the maidens. Turn the drive band tension knob until the flyer is parallel to the mother-of-all. Face the front of the wheel. Hang one end of the drive band cord over the bobbin pulley so that it hangs down about 12 inches on the right side. On the left side take the cord down and around the bottom of the drive wheel and up and over the larger pulley of the whorl. Go down and around the bottom of the drive wheel a second time. Bring the end of the cord up to the first end. Tie the two ends together using a square knot. Make sure that you tie the drive band very taut, since it will loosen some with use. Cut off the ends of the cord close to the knot.

If you are using the slower speed or the higher speed whorls, it is best to tie a separate drive band for them. Always start tying the drive band with the flyer parallel to the mother-of-all. Several drive bands can be left on the wheel at the same time. Just fold up the ones not in use and let them hang from the maiden or the front leg.

For Scotch tension, use the same method as above, except that only a single drive band is tied around the drive wheel and the whorl.

The industrious Lazy Kate

Our spinning wheels come with our unique Lazy Kate that has an adjustable tension control cord which helps prevent bobbins from rotating too fast when releasing yarn. Place the bobbins in the Lazy Kate with the large pulley ends toward the tension cord. The ball ends of the bobbin rods should be on the side opposite the tension cord. Slip the tension cord over the grooves in the large pulleys. Turn the control knob to increase or decrease the tension on the bobbins.

Maintenance
Lubricating the moving parts
Before leaving the factory, your wheel was lubricated and test run. It may have been a while since then, so it is a good idea to oil your wheel before starting to spin. Use a small drop of oil on the following parts every couple of hours while spinning: front maiden bearing, the rear maiden bearing, the bobbin bearings, both drive wheel crank bearings. Other parts may need occasional oiling. Use medium weight oil such as 20 or 30 weight motor oil. See the diagrams in this booklet for oiling points.

The wood in your spinning wheel
We use hard maple and black walnut in the finest grades available. All of our wood is kiln dried to assure its stability under a variety of conditions.

Maple is a strong and beautiful hardwood which varies in color from pale cream to biscuit brown. It has a very fine grain and is very resistant to abrasion. American black walnut’s deep brown heartwood beautifully accents the design of your wheel.

Wood is a natural breathing material, and like any natural material, it is affected by its environment. Avoid placing your wheel near direct heat sources such as heat vents, wood stoves, space heaters, and direct sunlight. Heat concentrated on parts of the wheel can cause them to dry out and shrink. This shrinkage can cause weakness in the joints and the warping of parts. Likewise, place your wheel where it will be free of damp, moisture-laden air, as this can make wood swell and cause the moving parts to stiffen and function inefficiently.

About the finish on your spinning wheel
The flyer of our spinning wheel has been finished with a lacquer to give its fine laminations additional protection from oils and moisture. The other parts of our wheel have been finished with a mixture of tung oil and urethane. The oil part of the finish penetrates into the wood and the urethane provides the surface area additional protection against abrasion. If you need to touch up parts of your wheel which have gotten chipped or scuffed, you can lightly sand the worn area using a fine (150 grit) sandpaper and apply a small amount of finish using a soft lint-free rag. Use either Deft or Watco natural color Danish oil finish. Both are available at most hardware stores. Follow the directions on the container. Because of the dangers of spontaneous combustion, be sure to clean and dispose of the applicators and oily rags properly.

Maintenance notes
Your wheel is both a carefully engineered piece of equipment and a fine piece of furniture. A simple schedule of regular care and maintenance will ensure you and your Schacht Spinning Wheel many productive years together.

* Clean excess fibers from all parts of your wheel.
* Periodically lubricate the moving parts.
* Touch up and refinish worn areas of your wheel.
* Periodically check the screws for tightness.

We are continually striving to improve our products and dealer service.
We welcome your comments.

Serial # of your wheel __________________.
The serial number of your spinning wheel is stamped into the wood on the rear of the mother-of-all. (If the serial number on your wheel does not’t agree with the number written on this page, please reference the number stamped on your wheel.)

Two Year Limited Warranty
Your new Schacht Spinning Wheel is warranted, to the original consumer purchaser, by Schacht Spindle Company, Inc. to be free of defects in material and workmanship. Schacht Spindle Company’s obligation under this Warranty shall be limited to the repair or replacement of any part or parts which may prove defective within two (2) years following the date of original purchase by the consumer, and which Schacht Spindle Company’s examination shall disclose to our satisfaction to be thus defective.

If a problem with this Schacht Spindle Company product develops during the warranty period, first contact the Schacht Spindle Company dealer from whom you made the purchase. If the problem cannot be handled through your dealer, then contact our customer service department. At our option, it may be required that the product be returned to our factory freight prepaid for inspection and repair and/or replacement.

This Warranty covers normal consumer use and does not cover damage which occurs in shipment or damage which results from alteration, accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect.

This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

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Copyright © 2006, 2007 Schacht Spindle Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved