Spinning Wheel Tension: Why Your Yarn Won't Wind On (Or Won't Stop Winding On)

Your spinning wheel won't wind on yarn. Or it winds on so aggressively it breaks the yarn. Or it winds on fine for 10 minutes then suddenly stops. You've turned the tension knob every direction, adjusted the brake band, changed whorl ratios, and you're starting to suspect this wheel hates you personally.

Here's what's actually happening: spinning wheels don't pull yarn onto bobbins. The flyer rotates, adding twist to your drafted fiber. The bobbin also rotates, but slightly slower than the flyer. That speed difference means yarn gradually winds onto the bobbin as the flyer arms pass over it. No pulling force - just differential rotation speed creating the appearance of take-up.

Get that speed difference right and yarn winds on at the rate you're producing it. Get it wrong and either the yarn breaks from excessive speed difference (too much "take-up"), or nothing winds on because the flyer and bobbin are rotating at nearly identical speeds (insufficient take-up), or the bobbin actually rotates faster than the flyer and unwinds yarn you already spun (reverse take-up, which is impressively frustrating).

The tension adjustments on your wheel control this speed difference. But here's the catch: Scotch tension and double drive systems work opposite to each other. Increasing tension on a Scotch tension wheel means adding brake resistance to slow the bobbin more, increasing speed difference. Increasing tension on a double drive wheel means tightening the drive band to reduce slippage, which can either increase or decrease speed difference depending on which whorl is slipping.

Your wheel's manual probably explained this using terms like "increase take-up" and "reduce drag" without clarifying what's physically happening to cause those effects. You turned knobs based on desired outcome (more take-up) without understanding the mechanism (slower bobbin rotation relative to flyer). This works until it doesn't, then you're stuck troubleshooting without knowing what the adjustments actually do.

What follows: how Scotch tension actually works, why double drive is mechanically different, what the brake band is braking, why sometimes "more tension" means loosening things, and how to diagnose whether your problem is tension settings or something else entirely.

Scotch Tension: The Brake Band Slows The Bobbin

Scotch tension uses one drive band connecting the drive wheel to the flyer whorl. The flyer rotates at speed determined by the drive wheel and whorl ratio - treadle faster and the flyer spins faster, use smaller whorl and the flyer spins faster. This part is straightforward.

The bobbin sits on the flyer shaft, rotating independently. A separate brake band wraps around the bobbin (or around a small whorl attached to the bobbin), creating friction that slows bobbin rotation. The flyer spins freely. The bobbin tries to spin with it but the brake band resists, creating that speed difference.

Adjust the brake band tension and you change how much the bobbin is slowed. Tighter brake = more resistance = bobbin rotates slower relative to flyer = more take-up = yarn winds on faster. Looser brake = less resistance = bobbin rotates closer to flyer speed = less take-up = yarn winds on slower or not at all.

The tension knob (usually a knob or screw with a spring) controls brake band tightness. Turn the knob one direction and it pulls the brake band tighter. Turn it the other direction and it releases tension. The spring maintains consistent pressure once you set it - important because you don't want the brake tension changing while you're spinning.

Here's where brains get confused: "increase tension" and "increase take-up" sound like they should both mean turning the knob the same direction. But on some wheels, loosening the tension knob (reducing spring pressure) actually increases take-up because it allows the brake band to grip more firmly. The spring isn't tightening the brake - it's pulling the brake slightly away from the bobbin. Less spring pull = more brake contact = more resistance.

Test this by spinning without any brake band attached. The bobbin rotates at nearly the same speed as the flyer - minimal take-up. Add brake band, no tension: moderate take-up as the band's weight creates friction. Add spring tension pulling the band away: reduced take-up because you're lifting the band off the bobbin slightly.

Other wheels work opposite - the spring directly tensions the brake band, so more spring pull = more brake resistance. The only way to know which system your wheel uses is empirical testing: adjust the tension knob, observe whether take-up increases or decreases, ignore what the manual said, trust what you observe.

The brake band itself matters. Smooth nylon cord creates consistent friction. Fuzzy cotton yarn creates grabbier, less predictable friction. Thin bands create less contact area (less friction) than wide bands. Old stretched-out bands don't maintain tension (replace them). The brake band is a consumable - expect to replace it every 1-3 years depending on use.

Some Scotch tension wheels have the brake band on the bobbin itself. Others have it on a small whorl attached to the bobbin shaft. Functionally identical - both slow bobbin rotation. The whorl system keeps the brake band away from wound yarn (no risk of brake band catching on yarn), but adds a component that can come loose.

Double Drive: Two Belts, Two Whorls, Confusing Physics

Double drive uses one continuous drive band in a figure-eight path: around the drive wheel, around the flyer whorl, back around the drive wheel, around the bobbin whorl, back to starting point. Both flyer and bobbin are driven directly by the same belt, no separate brake band.

The speed difference comes from different whorl sizes. The bobbin whorl is larger diameter than the flyer whorl (typically). Larger diameter = fewer rotations per belt loop. The drive band travels the same speed on both whorls, but the larger bobbin whorl completes fewer revolutions. This creates the speed difference.

Adjust tension on double drive and you're changing how much the belt grips versus slips on the whorls. Loose belt = lots of slippage = speed difference depends on which whorl slips more. Tight belt = minimal slippage = speed difference locked to whorl size ratios. Very tight belt = no slippage, rigid speed relationship, harsh take-up that breaks yarn.

Here's the confusing part: you want some slippage. The slippage acts like a clutch, allowing the system to adjust when yarn thickness varies or when you pause drafting. Zero slippage means the bobbin must maintain exact speed relationship to flyer regardless of what's happening with the yarn. This creates harsh, unforgiving take-up.

The tension adjustment (usually moving the mother-of-all forward or backward to increase/decrease belt length) changes total belt tension. Move the mother-of-all away from the drive wheel and the belt tightens. Move it closer and the belt loosens. But the effect on take-up isn't linear because you're affecting slippage on two whorls simultaneously.

Tighten the belt and if the flyer whorl starts gripping better (less slip) while the bobbin whorl is already gripping well, you've reduced the speed difference - less take-up. But if the bobbin whorl was slipping badly and now grips better, you might have increased the speed difference - more take-up. The only way to know is testing.

Some spinners never understand double drive mechanics and just adjust until it works. This is fine. Others want to understand why turning the knob sometimes does the opposite of what they expected. The answer is: slippage is variable and affects both whorls, making the relationship between tension adjustment and take-up non-intuitive.

Double drive produces smoother, more consistent yarn than Scotch tension (in theory) because the bobbin-driven system creates gentler take-up. Scotch tension's brake band creates more abrupt resistance. But this smoothness only manifests with properly adjusted tension - poorly adjusted double drive is harsh and frustrating.

Irish Tension: The Uncommon Third Option

Irish tension (sometimes called bobbin-lead) puts the drive band on the bobbin instead of the flyer. The brake band goes on the flyer instead of the bobbin. Everything is reversed from Scotch tension.

The bobbin rotates at speed determined by drive wheel and whorl. The flyer tries to rotate with it but the brake band slows the flyer down. This creates speed difference with the flyer slower than the bobbin - same result (take-up), opposite mechanism.

Why would anyone do this? Irish tension creates firm, aggressive take-up that works well for long-staple fibers (wool with 5+ inch staple length) and for spinning thick yarn. The bobbin-driven system pulls more assertively than flyer-driven systems. For specific fiber types and yarn weights, this assertiveness produces better results.

Most modern wheels use Scotch tension or double drive. Irish tension wheels are uncommon, usually historical reproductions or specialized designs. If you have one, the adjustment logic works like Scotch tension but reversed - tighter brake = slower flyer relative to bobbin = more take-up.

When Tension Isn't The Problem

Your wheel won't wind on yarn. You've adjusted tension every possible way. Nothing changes. The problem might not be tension - it might be the drive band slipping on the drive wheel, or the bobbin not rotating freely, or yarn catching on hooks, or your drafting speed exactly matching take-up speed by unfortunate coincidence.

Check drive band grip on the drive wheel. Spin the wheel by hand, watch the flyer. Does it rotate smoothly or does it hesitate, skip, stutter? Hesitation means the belt is slipping on the drive wheel. Solutions: clean the drive wheel groove (remove oil or dust), replace stretched drive band, or slightly dampen the belt to increase friction temporarily.

Check bobbin rotation. Remove the drive band and brake band. Spin the bobbin by hand. Does it rotate freely or does it drag, catch, bind? Binding means the bobbin isn't seated properly on the flyer shaft, or there's fiber caught in the bearing, or the shaft has rough spots. Clean everything, check alignment, maybe sand rough spots on the shaft.

Check for yarn catching. Sometimes yarn catches on flyer hooks, creating resistance that overwhelms the take-up system. The wheel thinks it's winding on yarn but actually the yarn is caught and being pulled tighter. Look for loops, snags, or yarn wrapped around the flyer shaft near the orifice.

Check your drafting speed versus take-up speed. If you draft fiber at exactly the rate the bobbin winds it on, the yarn just hangs there looking like nothing's happening. This is rare but possible. Solution: deliberately draft slower (let the wheel wind on existing yarn) or faster (see yarn pile up waiting to wind on) to confirm the take-up system is actually working.

The Treadling-To-Drafting Ratio Nobody Explains

Take-up speed depends on how fast you treadle. More treadling = more bobbin rotations = more yarn wound on per unit time. If your take-up seems wrong, the problem might not be tension settings - it might be your treadling speed relative to your drafting speed.

Draft fast while treadling slow: you produce yarn faster than the bobbin can wind it on. Yarn piles up between your hands and the orifice. Eventually you pause to let the wheel catch up. This works but creates start-stop rhythm that interrupts the meditative flow.

Draft slow while treadling fast: the bobbin tries to wind on yarn that doesn't exist yet. This pulls on the forming yarn, potentially breaking it or pulling untwisted fiber onto the bobbin. You end up with thin spots or breaks at the orifice.

Match drafting speed to treadling speed: yarn winds on smoothly at the rate you're producing it. This is the goal. The coordination takes practice because your feet and hands need to maintain relative speed relationship while both are moving.

The weird thing about this coordination: wheel treadling affects take-up speed, but it also affects twist insertion rate. Treadle faster and you add more twist per inch (assuming constant drafting speed). So changing treadling speed to fix take-up problems also changes your yarn's twist density. You're adjusting two variables simultaneously.

Some wheels let you change take-up without changing twist insertion - usually through switchable whorls or adjustable brake systems. Most wheels link take-up and twist, meaning you balance these by finding the combination of tension settings, whorl choice, and treadling speed that produces desired yarn characteristics.

This is why identical wheels set up differently for different spinners. You naturally treadle at some comfortable pace. The wheel needs adjustment to match that pace, producing the yarn weight and take-up behavior you want at your natural rhythm. Someone else sits at the same wheel, treadles at different pace, and needs completely different settings.

Why "More Tension" Sometimes Means Loosening Things

Scotch tension wheels with brake bands create the most confusion because "increase tension" can mean different things depending on wheel design:

Type 1: Spring pulls brake band away from bobbin. Loosening the spring (less spring tension) allows the brake band to contact the bobbin more firmly (more brake resistance, more take-up). "Increasing take-up" requires "decreasing spring tension."

Type 2: Spring tightens brake band against bobbin. Tightening the spring (more spring tension) presses the brake band more firmly against the bobbin (more brake resistance, more take-up). "Increasing take-up" requires "increasing spring tension."

Your wheel is one of these types. The manual might specify which, or it might not. The only reliable method is empirical testing: adjust tension, observe result, remember what works.

Some spinners mark their tension knobs - a dot at the setting that works for their typical yarn weight. This prevents the "I had it working perfectly yesterday, what setting was that?" frustration. Mark it with a pencil or tape, note what fiber type and yarn weight it's for, reference those marks when setting up.

The other source of confusion: brake band materials behave differently when new versus worn. New cotton brake bands are grabbier, requiring less tension. After 20-30 hours of spinning, they compress and smooth out, requiring more tension to achieve the same take-up. Then you replace the brake band and suddenly your previous settings create too much take-up because the new band is grabbier again.

This means tension settings aren't permanent. They need adjustment when you change fibers (slippery silk needs different settings than grabby wool), when you change yarn weight (thin yarn needs gentler take-up than thick yarn), when brake bands wear, when drive bands stretch, when humidity changes (affects friction), or when the alignment gods feel mischievous.

The Take-Up That Changes Mid-Bobbin

Your wheel winds on perfectly. Then the bobbin starts filling. Suddenly take-up behavior changes - either too much or too little. This isn't your wheel being inconsistent - it's physics responding to changing bobbin diameter.

Empty bobbin has small diameter. As yarn winds on, effective bobbin diameter increases. Larger diameter means more yarn winds on per bobbin rotation. Same rotation speed, different diameter, different linear yarn speed being wound on. The take-up accelerates as the bobbin fills.

Some spinners compensate by reducing tension as the bobbin fills. Start with comfortable take-up on empty bobbin. When it feels too aggressive as the bobbin fills, back off tension slightly. This maintains relatively constant take-up feel throughout the bobbin.

Other spinners just accept the changing take-up and adjust drafting speed instead. Start drafting at certain pace, gradually draft slightly slower as bobbin fills to match the increasing take-up speed. This requires no wheel adjustment, just hand adaptation.

The diameter effect is less pronounced on larger bobbins (the percentage diameter change is smaller) and more pronounced on small bobbins (empty to full might double the diameter). Jumbo flyers with enormous bobbins show minimal take-up change. Standard bobbins show noticeable change. Tiny lace bobbins show dramatic change.

When You Need To Just Start Over

You've adjusted everything. Nothing works. The yarn still breaks, or won't wind on, or winds on erratically. Sometimes the solution is resetting to known-good baseline and building from there.

Remove all tension. Spin the wheel and watch what happens with zero brake tension and loose drive band. The flyer should rotate, the bobbin should rotate almost as fast (minimal take-up), and nothing should bind or catch. If anything's wrong at this baseline, you have mechanical problems, not adjustment problems.

Mechanical problems: rough shaft that binds the bobbin, flyer hooks bent catching yarn, drive wheel groove damaged causing belt slip, whorl cracked affecting rotation, bearings dirty or dry needing oil. Fix mechanical issues before attempting tension adjustment. No amount of knob-turning fixes broken parts.

Start from minimum take-up and increase gradually. Set brake tension to barely touching (Scotch tension) or belt barely taut (double drive). Spin. Observe minimal take-up. Increase tension slightly. Observe take-up increase. Continue increasing until take-up is comfortable for your drafting speed. This methodical approach builds understanding of how your specific wheel responds.

Some wheels just have terrible adjustment ranges. The sweet spot between "no take-up" and "breaks yarn constantly" is tiny. These wheels are technically functional but frustrating. Solutions: replace brake band with different material (sometimes silicone tubing works better than cord), add intermediate spring or rubber band to soften the brake response, or accept that this wheel requires constant fiddling.

Other wheels have beautiful adjustment ranges where small changes produce predictable results. These are joys to spin on. If your wheel is in the "terrible adjustment" category and you spin regularly, consider different wheel. Life's too short to fight equipment that doesn't work well for you.

The Settings That Work For Different Yarn Weights

Laceweight yarn (very thin): Minimal take-up, gentle brake tension or loose double drive belt. The yarn is fragile and breaks easily under aggressive take-up. You're spinning slowly anyway (fine yarn takes time), so gentle take-up doesn't feel sluggish.

Fingering/sock weight: Light-to-moderate take-up. Enough to wind on at reasonable pace but not so much it stresses the thin yarn. Most wheels' default settings work reasonably well here.

Worsted/DK weight: Moderate take-up. The yarn can handle more aggressive pull, and you're producing it fast enough that you want efficient wind-on. This is the Goldilocks zone where most wheels perform best.

Bulky weight: Moderate-to-firm take-up. The yarn is thick and strong, can handle assertive winding. The challenge is drafting fast enough to keep up with the take-up rather than the take-up being too gentle.

Art yarn with thick-thin variations: Gentle take-up. The thin sections break if take-up is aggressive. Better to have slower wind-on than constant breaks at thin spots. This is where Scotch tension's adjustability excels - you can dial in very light take-up.

These are generalizations. Your specific wheel, fiber type, and spinning style create variations. Someone spinning very loosely twisted laceweight needs even gentler take-up than someone spinning firmly twisted laceweight. Use these as starting points, not rules.

Why Your Wheel Works Different Than Your Friend's Identical Wheel

Same brand, same model, different behavior. This happens because wheels are hand-adjusted, slightly different tolerances, worn differently, and set up for different spinners' styles.

Manufacturing tolerances mean no two wheels are perfectly identical. One wheel's "medium tension" might equal another wheel's "firm tension" because the spring tension or belt length or whorl diameter varies slightly. Within manufacturing specs, but different enough to change behavior.

Wear patterns differ. Someone who spins mostly fine yarn wears their brake band in specific pattern. Someone who spins bulky yarn wears it differently. After 100 hours of use, two identical wheels have diverged mechanically because they've worn differently.

Setup preferences compound. You like slower treadling, so you use larger whorls and tighter tension. Your friend likes faster treadling, so uses smaller whorls and looser tension. Same yarn weight, completely different settings because different treadling speeds.

This is why "I use setting 3 on my Ashford Traditional" means nothing to another Traditional owner. Your setting 3 works for your wheel, your treadling pace, your fiber, your brake band wear pattern. Their setting 3 works for their variables. Settings aren't portable between wheels, even identical models.

The only universal advice is: adjust until it works, mark your settings for different yarn weights, expect to readjust when any variable changes (new brake band, different fiber, humidity change, new bobbin, because Mercury is in retrograde).

When Perfect Tension Still Feels Wrong

You've achieved perfect take-up. Yarn winds on smoothly at comfortable pace. The yarn still breaks occasionally, or feels resistant, or something just feels off. The tension isn't wrong - your expectations might be.

Handspinning creates more yarn breaks than knitting with commercial yarn. Singles yarn is less strong than plied yarn. Beginning yarn is less consistent than experienced spinner's yarn. Some breaks are normal. If you're breaking every 50-100 yards while learning, that's not tension problems - that's normal learning-curve breaks from drafting inconsistency or insufficient twist.

Some resistance during spinning is normal. You're pulling fiber thin, adding twist, managing tension. The process shouldn't be completely effortless - some tactile feedback tells you what's happening. Zero resistance often means something's wrong (no twist entering, yarn not winding on, brake not engaging).

Different fibers create different feels. Slippery silk feels different than grabby wool. Long-staple fiber feels different than short-staple. The resistance, the drafting feel, the take-up behavior - all vary with fiber characteristics. Don't expect cashmere to feel like merino. Don't expect cotton to feel like alpaca.

Your wheel is doing what wheels do - rotating at specified ratios, creating speed differences that wind yarn onto bobbins. If the mechanics work (bobbins rotate, yarn winds on, nothing binds), then the feel is just... the feel of spinning. Not wrong, just unfamiliar. Familiarity develops through repetition.

The meditative flow state people describe develops after 20-30 hours of spinning when the mechanical aspects become automatic. Before that, it feels mechanical because you're consciously managing multiple systems. The tension isn't wrong - you're just not automatic yet. Keep spinning. The flow comes.

The Truth About Tension Adjustment

Perfect tension doesn't exist. There's a range of workable settings, and within that range, you find what feels comfortable for your current project. That comfort zone shifts with every variable change - fiber type, yarn weight, your treadling mood today, humidity, which bobbin you're using.

The goal isn't finding THE setting - it's developing the adjustment instinct that lets you dial in appropriate tension quickly when variables change. Experienced spinners adjust tension mid-spinning-session. They feel take-up changing as bobbin fills and tweak settings without conscious analysis. The wheel becomes extension of their hands rather than separate system requiring conscious management.

This instinct develops through doing, not through understanding principles. You can read about tension systems all day - that intellectual knowledge helps troubleshooting but doesn't train the hands-on feel for "too much" versus "too little." The feel comes from adjusting, observing results, adjusting again, repeatedly, until the relationship between knob turns and take-up behavior becomes intuitive.

Your wheel doesn't hate you. It's just operating on mechanical principles that nobody explained clearly. The take-up isn't magic - it's rotation speed differences. The tension adjustments aren't mysterious - they're changing resistance or grip. Once you understand what's actually happening mechanically, the adjustments make sense. Until then, they feel arbitrary and frustrating.

Turn the knob. Observe what happens. Adjust based on results, not based on what you think should happen. Trust empirical evidence over theory. Your wheel will tell you what it needs - you just need to pay attention to what it's saying through take-up behavior instead of trying to impose theoretical knowledge onto observed reality.

The yarn winds on or it doesn't. Everything else is adjustment until that happens consistently.