Do you like the texture and variation of hand-spun yarn? Have you ever wanted to try spinning your own, but never wanted to pay the high price of a store-bought Drop Spindle? Well, now you can affordably and easily learn how to spin with the FABfiber Drop Spindle tool!

This tool is our simplest construction thus far and is extremely sturdy not to mention inexpensive. Typical store-bought drop spindles cost up roughly $20 while the materials to construct our FABfiber Drop Spindle costs only $2.

*** If you are going to make your own designs in Illustrator, keep in mind that it is more suitable to etch black-and-white line drawings than it is to etch anything shaded or colored. Vectors are best!

Check out our project website at dcfabfiber.wordpress.com where you can view more information about our project, bios from the team, weekly updates, and our full line of tools!

Step 1: Materials

1 x 12 inch long dowel of ½” diameter

1 x Drop Spindle laser cut piece found HERE

1 x ½” base cup hook

White Elmer’s Glue or Wood Glue

Step 2: Where Can I Laser Cut My Drop Spindle Cut?

***As a result of membership fees and laser cut costs, we highly recommend combining the FABfiber Drop Spindle and Mini Loom tools (found HERE) into a single file to make it as inexpensive as possible for fabricating multiple tools. ***

The Drop Spindle cut file will need to be cut from 1/4th inch MDF or plywood. TechShop is a business dedicated to bringing wood shop and fabrication tools to users across the United States for a membership fee. If you are located near the cities listed below, you have access to one of the TechShop locations! If fabrication is something that you are interested in consistently, this could be a great investment.

Chandler, AZ

Redwood City, CA

San Francisco, CA

San Jose, CA

Allen Park, MI

St. Louis, MO

Pittsburgh, PA

Round Rock,

TX Arlington, VA

If you are not located near these cities or are only utilizing a laser cutter once, the next best option is to submit the designs online and have the final cut pieces shipped to your home. A few of these types of websites that are inexpensive, easy to follow, and located in the U.S. are:

We would also recommend searching the Internet for local options that are unique to your city, state or country!

Step 3: Sanding

Sand outer edges of dowel and Drop Spindle piece to prevent fibers from catching on surface.

Step 4: Insert Dowel

Insert dowel into center hole of Drop Spindle center piece (design side up) and glue at 2” to 2.5" inches from the top of the dowel-- whatever is more comfortable for you!

Step 5: Cup Hook

Insert cup hook into top of dowel, design side up.

Step 6: How to Use a Drop Spindle

This YouTube tutorial gives a good demonstration on how to spin using a drop spindle. We highly recommend looking at this tutorial and any others and practicing until you get the hang of it!