Spin-Off – September 2019

help remove debris and vegetable matter from a

fleece before or after washing; a wool picker or

teasing board will open up washed fibers to make

drumcarding easier and faster.

• Does the manufacturer offer a warranty and
  provide good customer service?

Questions to ask just for blending boards:

• What’s the most comfortable position for me
  to work in? Many blending boards come with a
  positionable keel that rests between your knees or
  sits on the work surface. Often you can remove
  the keel completely to work flat, using clamps to
  secure the board on your work surface.


• Does it come with blending-board cloth as
  opposed to carding cloth? Many boards use a
  cloth designed especially for blending boards.


• Do I need burnishing or cleaning brushes?
  (They’re very convenient.)


• What size rolags do I want to make? Look for a
  board with the cloth dimensions that you prefer.


• Does portability and/or weight matter? Some
  boards come with handles or are specially designed
  for travel. ●

Deborah Gerish has been spinning since 1996 and has

blogged extensively about her yarn adventures at

http://www.interweave.com. She’s edited knitting magazines

including Love of Knitting and Knitting Traditions. She

currently works at Schacht Spindle Company.

price carding cloth, you’ll realize that making a

drumcarder may not save much money. In addition,

you’ll have to make cylindrical wooden drums and

then position them carefully for the process to

work. There are excellent carders on the market,

made by companies that have worked out all the

kinks, have developed some cool features (brush

attachments and interchangeable drums, for

instance), and stand behind their products.

How much space do I have for using

this item? Can I use and store the

equipment safely?

Safety first! The cloth on boards and carders

has sharp points that can easily pierce fingers

and paws, so find a secure location to store your

blending board or drumcarder. I made a cloth

cover for mine out of upholstery fabric and

bought a set of finger protectors.

Also think about safety while you’re using

the equipment. Get a dowel or a batt picker

(you might also see this tool called a doffer) to

remove the batt for your drumcarder. Never allow

youngsters to use a drumcarder or a blending

board without adult supervision.

Questions to ask just for drumcarders:

• What width do I want for my batts?


• How many TPI (teeth per inch) are on the
  carding drum, and does the company offer
  interchangeable drums?


• Do portability and/or weight matter?


• Is the drumcarder motorized or manual? Can I
  add a motor later?


• Does the carder come with a brush attachment
  that packs more fiber onto the swift drum (the
  drum that actually creates the batt)?


• Does the carder come with cleaning brushes or
  tools? Can I disassemble and reassemble it if
  fiber gets caught in awkward places?


• Will I need additional equipment to do what I
  want? You may need a sturdy table that can take
  some abuse: a card table usually won’t do the job,
  and your dining room table may get dinged up
  by clamps or the handle. A wool tumbler can
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Fall 2019 • Spin Off 51