Take your carding to the Wild Side! The Ashford Wild Carder is specifically designed for blending and creating exciting fun, funky and wild batts for spinning and felting. Create unique blends with "added extras" such as fibers, fabrics, ribbons, feathers, noils, cocoons, paper and more.... The Ashford Wild Carder features a built-in adjustable packer brush (brush attachment) - this packs fiber more efficiently onto the large drum and allows "added extras" to be packed into your batt. The Ashford Wild Carder offers extra long teeth, allowing you to make a thicker batt and to keep all your "added extras" in your batt. The 4 inch carding width produces a very handy size batt ready to spin. The Ashford Wild Drum Carder is portable and compact and only 7 3/4lbs with built-in hand hold. Makes up to 1 1/2oz batt. Finished batt size 24 x 6inches. Comes assembled and lacquered. 72 tpi carding cloth. Complete with cleaning brush - stores conveniently under the feed-in tray, and doffer (Awl) - stores conveniently on the side. FREE shipping in the continental US.

Ashford Wild Carder Instructions

Ashford Drum Carder with Two Speeds

ashford drum carder Ashford drum carders can card a large 50 gr (2 ounce) batt. The Ashford carder offers two speeds: Use the ratio of 6:1 for preparing your fleece. The controlled intake will produce a smooth batt even batt ready for blending, spinning or felting. Use the 4: 1 ratio to blend sliver, colors or different fiber types. They are great for carding wool, blending fibers: wool and mohair, merino and silk, experiment! Ashford drum carders offer adjustable 7.5 inch wide drums to suit all fibers. A strong poly belt on the outside of the Ashford drum carder frame allows for a smooth carding operation. 72 tpi carding cloth. Danish oil finish. The Ashford drum carder comes complete with clamps and doffer. Get those fleeces done! FREE Shipping in the continental US.

NEW! Packer Brush for Ashford Drum Carder (Brush Attachment)

Card a thicker batt with this new packer brush from Ashford, or control fine "fly-away fibers". No complicated drilling or cutting required. The brush attachment simply is screwed into your Ashford carder. Easy!

Get this! The Ideal Companion for any Carder!

The Ashford Book of Carding, Jo Reeve
All you need to know to master the art of carding! This outstanding book will show you how it's done. Learn how to use flick cards, hand cards and drum carders. Find out how to process fleece into roving and how to blend colors and fibers. Projects: Self-striping socks; Merino mittens; Triangular shawl; Merino and silk scarf. 92pp.

Louet Drum Carders

No Need to Tease! Feed fiber directly into the licker-in (feeder drum) Louet drum carders have a larger licker-in drum and no need to adjust drums or drum placement! Louet drum carder teeth are longer and flexible! Louet drum carders eat right out of your hand! Louet drum carders have twice as much capacity as other drum carders! Louet carders remove dirt from fiber as it cards and sealed gears prevent dirt and fibers from getting into the machine! Two clamps and doffer pin included!

Let Louet quality speak for itself: Louet has been manufa louet drum carder detail cturing Louet Drum Carders for more than 20 years for the market world wide and has never had to replace carding cloth due to wear of the carding cloth that could be attributed to the intertwining of the teeth. Again, in more than 20 years, Louet has never replaced a gearbox.

NEW! Louet Junior Carder

louet roving carder New design, same great quality! The Louet Junior Roving Carder offers fine cloth, with long, flexible teeth and a four inch wide drum. Enclosed gears for smooth and easy operation. No lubrication is needed, and no adjustment of any kind is required to keep this carder in great shape! The long, flexible teeth will make a heavier batt. The Louet Junior Roving Carder can hold the same amount of fiber as a much larger drum carder, due to the large circumference of the drum. Fully assembled. Complete with two clamps, cleaning brush, doffer and instructions. FREE Shipping in the continental US and Canada!

NEW! Louet Drum Carder

New design, same great quality! This Louet Drum Carders has an eight inch wide drum for large carding capacity. The enclosed gearbox assures smooth operation, while the extra high, flexible, teeth allow for a heavier batt than other drum carders as well as a high carding efficiency. Since the Louet drum carder uses a gear drive, there are no belts to slip or wear out. Easy to use, the Louet drum carders have stood the test of time. Choose from Standard (Extra Fine) or Classic for coarse fibers drum carder. Complete with two clamps, cleaning brush, doffer and instructions. FREE Shipping in the continental US and Canada!

Strauch Drum Carders

Strauch Petite Drum Carder

The Strauch Petite drum carder offers an extra fine carding cloth suitable for all fibers. The Strauch Petite carder is an excellent choice for a mid-sized carder with full sized features. The Strauch Petite drum carder is slightly smaller (6" wide drums) than the standard chain drive (8" wide) models. The Strauch Petite comes complete with the following tools: The popular Knuckle-Saving-Batt-Pick, an invaluable tool for removing the batt without damage to the equipment or the user. A Doffer/Cleaner Brush to thoroughly and easily clean any residual fibers from the carding drum. A small cleaner/dabber brush for use on the licker drum. Table clamps to secure the carder to the work surface. Will fit tables up to 1-1/2" thick. The fabulous Brush Attachment is now standard The Brush Attachment acts like a "Third Drum", controlling the fiber and making a thicker batt. It can be easily installed by the customer. Instructions included. FREE shipping in the lower 48 states.

$460.00 Quantity

Strauch Standard 200 Series Chain Drive Drum Carder

This "middle of the road" Strauch chain drive drum carder for home use also has a 7" diameter x 7-3/4" wide working drum and produces a batt approximately 7" wide x 22 long. This carder has to be at the edge of the work surface, allowing the crank to clear the table. All Standard carders now come with a brush attachment. Choose from three types of carding cloth for your application:

05 Fine -128 teeth /sq.in. Designed to handle ALL fibers. In conjunction with the optional Brush Attachment, can also be used with fine fibers including Merino, Llama, Alpaca, Cashmere blend, dog hair and other exotics.

03 Medium -98 teeth /sq.in. For most fibers; again, NOT recommended for finer fibers.

02 Coarse -72 teeth /sq.in. Can be used successfully for coarse to middle range fiber such as Cheviot and Romney as well as adult mohair. Useful for long fibers such as Border Leicester to get a deep batt. NOT recommended for finer fibers. This is a favorite drum among felters who plan never to card fine fibers.

All Strauch Chain Drive Drum Carders come complete with the Knuckle Saving Batt Picker, Doffer/Cleaner Brush a small dabbers brush and instructions. The fabulous Brush Attachment is available separately and can be installed at time of purchase or be added later. The Brush Attachment acts like a "Third Drum", controlling the fiber and making a thicker batt. It can be easily installed by the customer. Instructions included. FREE shipping in the lower 48 states.

Strauch Finest Chain Drive Drum Carder

This is a serious carder! The Strauch Finest Drum Carder is the top of the line model complete with Brush Attachment and extra fine carding cloth.

The wood frame is ash with a warm honey-oak finish. It has a 7" diameter x 7-3/4" wide working drum and produces a batt approximately 7" wide x 22" long. The overall length of the machine is 24" and 11-1/2" wide with a 6" high frame. An important feature: Since the swing of the handle clears the table surface, the carder can be placed anywhere on the work surface.

This unit is equipped with the 05 (128 psi) extra fine carding cloth suitable for all fibers.. This makes a 5:1 ratio between the drums, which allows more carding action per revolution. This 5:1 ratio allows for minimal turning of the large drum to produce an excellent, well blended batt; 2-3 passes are sufficient. The Strauch Finest Chain Drive Drum Carders come complete with the fabulous brush attachment, Knuckle Saving Batt Picker, Doffer/Cleaner Brush a small dabbers brush and instructions. FREE shipping in the lower 48 states.

Strauch Motorized Finest Drum Carder

The popular Strauch Finest Drum Carder (above) is now available in a motorized version! Keep all the features of the Strauch Finest drum carder but have both hands free to control the fiber! Those with wrist, elbow and/or shoulder issues will find carding with a Strauch motorized machine painless and relaxing. The Strauch motorized drum carder offers the ability to card fibers at a consistent and reproducible speed will make consistent batts. Folks wanting to process lots of fiber (i.e.. a cottage industry to make money!) will find these carders remarkable. The motor and electronic controller were engineered to be quiet, robust, dependable, self-diagnostic and trouble free. FREE shipping in the lower 48 states.

Get this! The Ideal Companion for any Carder!

The Ashford Book of Carding, Jo Reeve
All you need to know to master the art of carding! This outstanding book will show you how it's done. Learn how to use flick cards, hand cards and drum carders. Find out how to process fleece into roving and how to blend colors and fibers. Projects: Self-striping socks; Merino mittens; Triangular shawl; Merino and silk scarf. 92pp.

$24.95 Quantity

Hand Cards

NEW! John Day Wool Hand Cards

These new hand cards are value priced without compromising quality. Built to last. Fine 112 tpi carding cloth that can card coarse, medium and fine wools. Nice curved carding surface. Tung Oil finish. This is a special introductory price! Don't miss out!

NEW! John Day Medium Size Wool Hand Cards

Same great quality as above hand cards is a smaller size! Ideal for carding smaller amount of wool or for spinners with weak wrists and hands. Fine 112 tpi carding cloth that can card coarse, medium and fine wools. Nice curved carding surface. Tung Oil finish. Carding area 5 3/4" x 4.5". Introductory Price! Made in Oregon.

$49.95 Quantity

NEW! John Day Medium Size Cotton Hand Cards

handcards These John Day hand cards are light weight cotton hand cards, ideal for carding cotton or fine wools such as angora or silk, or for spinners with weak wrists and hands. Extra fine 248 tpi carding cloth will do a great job for you! Nice curved carding surface. Tung Oil finish. Carding area 5 1/2" x 4.5". Introductory Price! Made in Oregon.

NEW! John Day Flick Card

john day flicker Pre-tease your fiber and open the locks of fine fibers. Great for small jobs or to toss in your spinning bag! 98 tpi carding a variety of wools.. Nice curved carding surface. Tung Oil finish. Carding area 2" x 4.5". Introductory Price! Made in Oregon.

Louet Handcards

Made from Tulipwood, a popular Dutch variety, these light weight hand cards have curved handles and contoured backs that will make carding wool comfortable. Choose from three Louet hand cards and one flick card.

Louet Wool Regular Hand Cards with medium fine cloth: 45psi

Louet Cotton Hand Cards with extra fine cloth: 60psi

Louet Mini Cotton hand cards with extra fine cloth have half size paddles. Ideal for small quantities or people with wrist problems

Ashford Hand Cards

Ashford Standard Hand Cards

These Ashford hand carders offer a curved carding surface and nice detailing. Choose from 72 tpi for all wools or 108 tpi for fine wools and cotton.

Ashford Student Hand Cards

Ashford student hand carders with 72 tpi and a unique curved one-piece design make these ideal for all wools.

Flick Cards

Louet Flicker

Curved Tulipwood paddles, is 2"x4" and has less flexible teeth that the other cards. Used to tease locks for fiber preparation.

Ashford Flicker

Ashford flick cards has 72 tpi. Great for pre-teasing or carding smaller amounts of fibers.

Ashford Drum Carder Parts

Ashford Drum Carder Belt

Strong, elastic, clear Ashford drum carder belt. Belt is fused to fit. Approx 39" in length. Fits only Ashford drum carders.

This strong awl lets you take the fibers off your drum carder. Strong steel shaft and contoured beech wood handle.

Replacement clamps for Ashford drum carder. Set of two wood and metal clamps.

About Louet Drum Carders

The most important difference between the Louet drum carders and other drum carders is the method of supplying fiber to the drums. Most drum carders have a feed tray where teased fibers are deposited and then pushed towards the small or intake drum. Next, this intake drum transports the fibers to the large drum. The Louet drum carder has a small board below and in front of the in-take drum. This board exists for construction purposes only. The board is not designed to be a feed tray.

To feed the Louet drum carder, take some fibers in your left hand, and have the in-take drum pull this fiber out of your left hand, while you turn the crank on the large drum. Carefully, do not allow too much fiber to be pulled out of your hand. You will develop a kind of sliver between your hand and the in-take drum. This is a fiber preparation, akin to the teasing required for other drum carders, and is therefore a time-saving feature of the Louet drum carder. As a result of the fibers being pulled out of your hand, the majority of fibers will be orientated in the direction of the carding action.

This effect cannot be created by teasing, but it is essential in obtaining the required carding effect.

Other drum carders with feed trays will experience tufts of fiber being delivered to the in-take roll perpendicular to the direction of the carding action; this is unavoidable. Partial compensation for this problem is having a larger difference of surface speed between the in-take drum and the large drum. The drawback to this solution is that it takes longer to card the same amount of fiber with other drum carders when compared to the Louet Drum Carder. The higher surface speed differential is also harder on the fibers. To calculate the surface speed differential, multiply the drive ratio with the ratio of the diameters of the two drums.

To have the fibers pull out of your hand smoothly while turning the drum carder handle requires some practice. The results, however, are worth the effort.

Fibers are held down by the carding cloth after the fibers are deposited on the large drum and do not change position. It is our experience that extra drums with the Louet Drum Carder have minimal benefit.

The Louet drum carder has ½" high carding cloth instead of ¼" like our competitors. The practical result of higher teeth on the carding cloth is that the Louet drum carder can hold twice as much fiber as our competitors drum carders.

The quantity of fiber that can be carded to a batt depends on the size of the large drum and the size of the teeth. If you want to card a small amount of fiber, we advise to fill only the center portion of the large drum. It is easier to remove the batt from the middle of the drum than to remove a thinner batt from the whole drum.

The drums on an industrial carder are adjusted so that they do not touch each other. This is necessary due to the multiple steps required in the industrial carding process. It is our experience, however, that with a drum carder that has cloth with flexible teeth, the best results are obtained when the teeth intertwine. The exact depth of intertwining is not important. Louet has been manufacturing Louet Drum Carders for more than 20 years for the market world wide and we have never had to replace carding cloth due to wear of the carding cloth that could be attributed to the intertwining of the teeth.

The distance between the drums of the Louet Drum Carders cannot be adjusted. In general, the fewer adjustments required, the less likely that something can go wrong. The closed gearbox required no maintenance or adjustments.

Again, in more than 20 years, we have never replaced a gearbox.

The guards on the sides of the drums cause the fibers to stay on the drums and not accumulate around the shafts of the drums. This saves cleaning time and adjusting time that is required by our competitors.

Besides higher teeth the Louet carding cloth also has two other significant differences with our competitor's carding cloth. The teeth are placed in the carding cloth in a way that allows the teeth to flex in the direction of the carding action. This flexing makes the carding process easier on the fibers, causing less fiber breakage. The teeth are staggered alternately. They do not form continuous rows of teeth as in other drum carders. The combined effects of these teeth and teeth placement is a more homogeneous carding result.

Due to the unique features of teeth placement, size, and flexibility, the commonly used comparative feature of "number of teeth per square" in carding cloth does not give an accurate indication of what to expect from Louet Drum Carders.

The in-take drum on the Louet drum carder accumulates more fibers than other drum carders. For best result, we recommend to leave this fiber on the take-up drum, and only clean the take-up drum if it is absolutely necessary due to incompatibility of fiber to be carded, or color changes.