Saxon wheel

machine

Also known as: Saxony wheel

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The Saxon wheel, also known as the Saxony wheel, is a flax-spinning machine that emerged in Europe around the 16th century. It was an advancement over earlier spinning wheels, featuring a foot treadle that allowed the operator to use both hands for managing the fiber. This machine continuously wound the spun yarn onto a bobbin, improving efficiency in textile production. The Saxon wheel played a role in the mechanization of spinning, contributing to the demands that fueled the Industrial Revolution.12

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spinning wheel
The Saxon, or Saxony, wheel, introduced in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, incorporated a bobbin on which the yarn was wound continuously; the distaff on which the raw fibre was held became a stationary vertical rod, and the wheel was actuated by a…
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The Saxon, or Saxony, wheel, introduced in Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, incorporated a bobbin on which the yarn was wound continuously; the distaff on which the raw fibre was held became a stationary vertical rod, and the wheel was actuated by a…
Read More

textile
Early spinning methods
…in the form of the Saxony wheel, which made possible continuous spinning of coarse wool and cotton yarn. With this improvement in speed, three to five spinning wheels could supply one loom with yarn, but Kay’s flying shuttle (see below Woven fabrics) greatly increased the output of the loom and…
Read More
…in the form of the Saxony wheel, which made possible continuous spinning of coarse wool and cotton yarn. With this improvement in speed, three to five spinning wheels could supply one loom with yarn, but Kay’s flying shuttle (see below Woven fabrics) greatly increased the output of the loom and…
Read More