Andean/Peruvian Style Reproduction Bottom Whorl Drop Spindles

These new spindles are reproductions of an Andean style spindle. Andean spindles are suspended drop spindles with no frills...no hook, no notches and no grooves. They were developed to spin long-staple alpaca and other camelid fibers native to the Andes. Spinning is done off the side using a half hitch.

I have made these spindles in the same affordable and basic fashion as the original Andean spindles with one exception--I mount the spindle whorl blank on the shaft, and then turn and shape the whorl and shaft together to achieve a well balanced spindle. My reading and research on Andean spindles indicate that the whorls are shaped first and then fitted on a hand shaped (sometimes not too straight) shaft. I assume that one benefit of this is that once a shaft is worn out the whorl can be removed and fitted to a new shaft, but I just cannot bring myself to make a spindle that wobbles so these whorls are permanently fixed and balanced.

Carved Moose Antler and Cocobolo Rim Weighted Top Whorl Drop Spindle

This unique 1.1 ounce (30gram) moose antler rim weighted top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif. The notched whorl measures 1 5/8 inches in diameter, and the cocobolo shaft is 7 1/4 inches in length. The bottom of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.  Please click here to view additional photos of this beautiful handspinning tool.

Carved Moose Antler and Purpleheart Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle

This unique 1.4 ounce (41grams) moose antler bottom whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature rose and leaf motif. The whorl measures 1 7/8 inches in diameter, and the purpleheart shaft is 9 1/2 inches in length. A brass hook has been added to the top, and a steel bumper to the bottom.  Please visit our Etsy shop to view more photos of this beautiful handspinning tool.

Pacific Yew and Hickory Tibetan Support Spindle

This beautiful Tibetan support spindle weights 1.2 ounces (35 grams). The hickory shaft measures 11 1/2 inches in length, and the whorl, which is crafted from Pacific yew, measures about 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Additional photos can be seen in our Etsy shop.

Dave checks all of his spindles for balance. Occasionally he finds a spindle whorl that has two different densities (and weights) of wood which can occur naturally, and cause the spindle to wobble. He carefully drills and insets just the right amount of brass rod as a counterbalance to evenly distribute the weight. He has decorated the resulting brass dot as a sun symbol, paying homage to the Navajo people who are famous for their fiber spinning and weaving skills.

Myrtlewood and Hickory Tibetan Support Spindle

This beautiful Tibetan support spindle weights 1.1 ounces (30 grams). The hickory shaft measures 10 1/2 inches in length, and the whorl, which measures about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, is crafted from myrtlewood.  Click here to see additional photos of this tool.

Carved Moose Antler and East Indian Rosewood Rim Weighted Top Whorl Drop Spindle

**Due to export restrictions of wildlife materials, we cannot ship products crafted from antler outside of the U.S.**

This unique 1.1 ounce moose antler rim weighted top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif. The notched whorl measures 1 5/8 inches in diameter, and the East Indian rosewood shaft is 7 1/4 inches in length. The end of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.  Additional photos can be seen here.

**Moose antlers are naturally shed each year, so no moose were harmed to create this spindle.**

Brass Picot Gauge Set with Thuya Burl Case

This unique set of brass picot gauges is a Grizzly Mountain Arts original design! The entire set telescopes inside each other and then slides neatly into the thuya burl gauge case. The four size increments are: 1/4, 3/16, 1/8 and 1/16. Also included is a 2 inch brass ruler.  Additional photos can be viewed in our Etsy shop.

Brass Picot Gauge Set with Myrtlewood Burl Case©

The Druid's Egg Tagua Nut and Hickory Bead Whorl Support Spindle with Figured Maple Support Bowl

This matching set of handspinning tools includes a vegan ivory tagua nut Druid's egg support spindle and a ceramic and figured maple spinning bowl. Please note that the tagua nut Druid's Egg cannot be turned while mounted on the shaft, therefore each spindle may have a slight wobble.

The tagua nut, also known as vegetable ivory, was beautifully carved by Dave to represent a Druid's Egg. He has crafted the 9 1/2 inch long shaft from hickory, and adorned it with a ring of turquoise. The weight of this supported bead whorl spindle is 1.1 ounces (29g).

Our originally designed support spinning bowl combines the efficiency of a ceramic surface with the stability of a wide beautiful wooden base. The ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the gorgeous figured maple wooden base is 2 3/4 inches in diameter. Cork has been added to the bottom of this bowl to keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.

Cocobolo and Hickory Pear Takli Spindle

Cocobolo and hickory are the woods used by Dave to make this beautiful pear whorl Takli spindle.  A brass hook was added to the top, allowing for use as either a drop spindle or supported spindle.  The weight of this handspinning tool is 1.3 ounces.

Rim Weighted Cocobolo and Pau Ferro Top Whorl Drop Spindle

Dave has crafted the 2 1/2 inch diameter notched whorl of this rim weighted top whorl drop spindle from cocobolo, and the 9 inch shaft from pau ferro. A brass hook has been added to the top.   The weight of this beautiful rim weighted handspinning tool is 1.4 ounces.  Additional photos can be seen at the Etsy listing for this spindle.