handspindle whorl with celtic knotwork

I wanted a quick printed spindle whorl for plying up a lot of yarn at once, so I designed this. It prints up well, needs minimal finishing before use and spins like a dream.

These print flat side down so I recommend a removable flex bed surface if possible.

The files are now titled by size/shaft size.

The100mm whorl is good for bulky yarn or large plying projects. It weights about 18 grams.

The80mm whorl is a more typical size. It weighs about 10 grams.

The60mm whorl is a smaller average size. My tester is still printing!

The 100 mm whorl marked HEAVY has a more substantial rim for increased weight, which gives more tension and longer spin. Even better for bulky yarn or plying 3+singles together. This can be printed larger if a bigger whorl is desired. My prototype/tester weight 29 grams without the shaft.

There is a new file, fora 3dprinted hook. This is intended to nest INSIDE the 8mm hole and the shaft end should be tapered slightly (sand to about 6mm) to fit inside it to help secure it. If used for the 6mm hole whorls, you must uniformly scale the model, smallest dimension 5.7mm.

UPDATE: There is a second hook version, "hook for spindle.stl" with a heavier rear post for the hook, so the hook doesn't snap if dropped on a hard surface. Other dimensions are the same. Print as is for the 8mm hole whorls and scale as above for the 6mm ones.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

XYZprinting

Printer:

Yes

Supports:

30%

Filament: Eryone PLA various

Notes:

The hook MUST be printed with supports, lying down on its side, at a high detail setting.

I recommend printing the concave 60mm spindle whorl at a high detail setting. It's little chunky otherwise.

Post-Printing

To build the full spindle, you'll need a recycled wooden takeout chopstick (best in 6mm hole), or dowel that fits snugly in the hole (6mm or 8mm). If it's not smooth, sand it a bit first. Fit it in and work it through so part of the wood comes out the back (the flat side is the fiber facing side). Glue in place if necessary, though I've had good luck with friction fitting, humidity can affect that.

For a top whorl or hook on the end of a bottom whorl you'll also need a small screw hook to screw into the end of the dowel. You can find them at hardware stores, but you might have to look. I don't usually add a hook to my shafts for low whorl because I use a half-hitch wrap.

There is a new file, for an OPTIONAL 3dprinted hook. Clean off supports and sand any rough spots or sharp edges. It should nest INSIDE the 8mm hole. Friction fit should work, or glue once dry fitted. To mount the shaft, the end should be tapered slightly (sand the very end down to about 6mm) to fit inside it to help secure and support it.

How I Designed This

The design was created by manipulating some scanned lineart in Mattercontrol using the extrude feature, then adding that to a model I'd already built in Tinkercad.

NEW: 2 sizes of hole, 6 or 8mm for shafts rather than only recycled chopstick shafts, because top whorl works better with wood less splitty than bamboo due to needing the screw hook, and the small end of a chopstick isn't a great place to put a screw hook.

I've tried to make a 3dprinted hook that friction fits over the shaft fitting, but had mixed results. So far, it only works on ones made for tiny shafts, like my very first draft which proved to be a little too fragile. The iteration included here should nest INSIDE the 8mm hole and has an opening inside it for a tapered end of the shaft to help secure it.

Also, another draft proved that it has to be printed at a different orientation from the whorl or it risks snapping in use, so a one piece design (whorl with hook) isn't a great idea.