Drop Spindles

All our Drop Spindles are hand turned from selected hard woods. From the finely turned shafts to the shaped whorl we take pride in their creation. As standard several coats of a Tung based oil are applied and then burnish. We find this method brings out the depth and beauty of the wood while providing a protective coat that allows the wood to breathe.

The heart of any Drop Spindle is the shaft.

In order to provide stable yet attractive shafts, I currently use three types of wood. English Sycamore, American Black Walnut and English Ash. All my timber is hand selected but I take particular care over my ‘shaft wood’, looking for straight close grained timber. The timber is bought killed dried and then further seasoned in my timber store. It is then cut into billets and furthered seasoned. This additional seasoning ensures a stable and straight shaft

Each shaft is finely hand turned with their diameter being 7.5mm at the whorl tapering to about 5.5mm. The joint is cut to a tolerance of + - 0.1 mm to ensue a stable and accurate fit to the whorl, which in turn ensures the spindle will spin true.


The Whorl.
All my whorls are made from selected timber on a base of Ripple Sycamore. This I believe provides a number of benefits. Aesthetically I feel the base of the light Ripple Sycamore displays the main timber to great effect. The laminating of the two timbers help to provide a more stable whorl. And last but by no means least this process helps reduce the amount of exotic timber used.

The hook is a traditional “Sheppard’s crook” made from CZ108 bras wire so allowing it to be tuned with gentle finger pressure.


The weight of the spindle depends on what type of spinning you are doing. Lighter weights for finer threads, heaver for the thicker threads and of course your personal preference.
Weights and whorl sizes:
1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm.
1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm.
1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm.
1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm.

Please note that due to the nature of wood the weights and sizes will vary slightly though every effort is made to ensure they are as close as possible.

The whorls are supplied notched as standard however if you wish it un-notched please just select the box on ordering.

All Drop Spindles are supplied in their own “post tube” storage container. Please select your preference in colour when ordering, current colours available are Red, Blue, Silver and Gold.

American Black Walnut on Sycamore with Walnut shaft Juglans nigra Price: £22.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Sycamore and American Black Walnut stripes with Walnut shaft Acer pseudoplatanus and Juglans nigra Price: £22.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Tulipwood on Sycamore with Walnut shaft Dalbergia frutescens Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Brazilian Kingwood on Sycamore with Sycamore shaft Dalbergia cearensis Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Honduras Rosewood on Sycamore with Ash shaft Dalbergia stevensonii Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Santos Rosewood on Sycamore with Sycamore shaft Machaerium scleroxylon Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Wild Olivewood on Sycamore with Walnut shaft Machaerium scleroxylon Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Cocobolo on Sycamore with Ash shaft Dalbergia retusa Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Purple heart on Sycamore with Walnut shaft Peltogyne pubescens Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Mexican Rosewood on Sycamore with Sycamore shaft Cordia gerascanthus Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Yew on Sycamore with Ash shaft Taxus baccata Price: £26.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty:

Sycamore and American Black Walnut 'Yin Yang' with Sycamore shaft Acer pseudoplatanus and Juglans nigra Price: £28.00 Select box colour RedBlueSilverGold Select Size 1 1/8 oz Whorl size 70mm1 1/4 oz Whorl size 70mm1 3/8 oz Whorl size 75mm1 1/2 oz Whorl size 75mm Choose type notched unnotched Qty: