Yes, the shaft of the spindles I had made (to Norman's specifications) are of wood, tapered at each end; the whorls (and yes, some of them are made from exotic woods) are removable, so that when the spinner gets a fair bit of spun yarn wound on them the whorls can be removed to make them lighter.  Remember, in the days when one had to spin to have yarn for weaving or knitting, spinning was a major task; spindles were/are light enough in weight that the spinner's hand didn't tire after 5 or 10 minutes!  Pockets were big enough in those days that the spindle could be tucked away if necessary, although with this kind of spindle a person can spin while they walk or herd sheep or visit with friends.  Some people in San Jose thought spindles needed to be heavier and clunkier, until we had a visit from a woman from Montenegro whose spindle was just like mine!  She brought lots of things she had woven, all made from the wool, cotton, and silk she had spun by hand (she had never seen a spinning wheel before). Her husband was the dyer for their village and its immediate area.

old nancy missed the front end of what ever was before this

i thought maybe i had purchased a such spindle from you but when i checked my box of treasures was/is wood of holly and whirl of some exotic thing i fancied.  long ago and half remembered.  are those spindles of significant shape other than fit nicely in one's hand

Amen!!!

Amen!!!

The proper name for spinning with a spindle is "spinning"   NOT "spindling"!!   Spinning was done on spindles for eons before spinning wheels as we know them were invented, and spinning is still done on spindles in many places around the world (where it is indeed called "spinning"!).  And I'll check on the videos ..  in the meantime, yes, you can reply just to me:  barnweaver@...
--Kay

thank you kathleen

i have one dvd of norman kennedy but did not see that spindle held in the hand.  does he have more than one dvd? if he has more than one, i would happily buy it.  is there a proper name for spinning with spindle in your hand for when i watch for things about it???

Nancy, the best teacher is Norman Kennedy -- he has a DVD out on spinning.  See if you can track down a copy of that and watch it.  Norman is the consummate spindle spinner, having learned from old-time spinners in Scotland, the Western Isles, as well as the US;  he was for a number of years the Master Weaver in Colonial Williamsburg, and certainly did a lot of hand spinning for use in his weaving.  There are of course other spinners, but I can vouch for him, and his style of spinning is the way spinning was done historically rather than a "this is how I think it must have been done" approach.  The type of spindle he uses is also historically accurate.   Good luck!