In this blog post, I’ll tell you about the double drive setup. I’m not new to spinning, but I still have a lot to learn on this kind of wheel.

Mother-Of-All

Loosen the knob of the mother-of-all. Then, reduce the tension by turning the tension-adjusting knob and moving the mother-of-all to the outer right side of the bench. The further left you move it, the more tension you’ll get on the drive band. Start in a neutral position and adjust later.

Place the flyer on the bobbin

When it comes to selecting the whorl, it depends on the type of yarn you want to spin. Smaller whorls generally result in higher tension and faster spinning, which is ideal for finer yarns. Larger whorls are better for thicker yarns and give more control.

When you take a closer look at the bobbin, you’ll notice a difference in diameters. My preference goes to the larger near the orifice, while the smaller one is at the top.

The Symphony comes with two regular whorls. When you are new to this kind of wheel and/or double drive, I advise you to go for the bigger one. Make sure the top of the whorl is pointing towards the leather strap at the back, and not the other way around.

Drive band

With a double drive system, you’ll place the drive band on the whorl and the bobbin. Because of the difference in diameters between the flyer and the bobbin, you’ll get two speed differences, causing the wheel to wrap your yarn around the bobbin.

Before you can place your drive band on the whorl and flyer, make sure to wrap the band in a figure-eight. It’s normal to have a crossing. While spinning, this crossing will be in the space between the flyer and the wheel. When you spin clockwise, the crossing will be under; counterclockwise, it will be on top.

An example with the double drive setup

Place one band on the whorl and the other one onto the bobbin. Tighten the nut of the mother-of-all.

Spinning

You might have to adjust your tension. Loosen and retighten the nut of the mother-of-all. Spinning yarn shouldn’t be a fight with your wheel. When you feel that the yarn is being pulled too tightly into the bobbin, loosen the tension.