Building a warping wheel

I started my sectional warping experiences using a homemade bobbin rack and tension box. It works reasonably well for my warps which tend to have complex colour sequences rather than length, but there are drawbacks. Winding the correct amount of warp onto each bobbin is rather hit and miss and usually involves a lot wastage. The bobbins have to be moved around the rack frequently when the colour sequences of the warp doesn't co-ordinate with the number of threads in each section. Sometimes warp threads catch in the bobbins and snap halfway through winding a section, requiring immediate repair or if you haven't spotted it soon enough, supplemental threads hanging off the back of the loom.

I've heard only good things about the American made AVL warping wheel but at 900 euros in Europe it is rather expensive. It doesn't seem too complicated so I'm making my own. A few old bobbins, some cheap timber, mdf, a handful of bolts and a dog comb for the raddle has 95% of the materials covered. The only piece I've been struggling with finding is the brake drum (turned on a lathe on the original). After much head scratching I found a drive pulley for a lawnmower which will work.  For the clip I used an old feeler guage which has the right amount of spring to grip the thread.

Dog comb raddle, the holes originally connected the handle, but are now used for the locking pin.

Saw tooth connector to keep the warp in the raddle when winding on to the beam.

Texsolv and spring for tension adjustment.

Lawnmower pulley, brake and spindle bearing combined.

Sectional warping

My warps tend to have many complicated colour changes and this often makes winding the warp on a board difficult or impossible. Having read quite a bit about sectional warping I decided to invest in a sectional beam for the spring II, a tension box and as I already have lots of old spools I built a spool rack from timber scraps and some threaded rod (bizarrely cheaper than non threaded). It allows for winding from up to 52 of my spools, as well as directly from shop bought bobbins and cones. 

My sectional warping set-up for the spring II. I think it is generally quicker, certainly better for achieving an even tension and for longer warps. It suits my complex coloured warps, but does impose a certain control over your warp design, and fabric width as you must completely fill each section you use.