Coil Winding Tools


Winding The Coils

There are three basic approaches you can take when it comes to winding the coils: I've tried all three, and prefer jig-winding by far. Most of the people I've known (including myself) started out hand-winding their coils. While this method does get the job done, it takes a long time, and there's a pretty good chance that at some point in the process, you will lose your grip on the handle of the winding apparatus and have to re-tension the whole mess.

The basic setup includes a metal or wood mandrel (rod or dowel), around which the wire is wound into a long coil. This bar is usually held in place and spun, while the wire is fed onto it from a spool. The mandrel is cross-drilled at one end like a large needle. The method used for spinning the coils will be addressed further in the methods section, later on in these pages.

The tools involved in the winding process are basically the same, with slight variations, depending on your approach.


Hand Winding Tools

The tools required for hand-winding the coils are very simple and straightforward. You just need a mandrel, a handle, and a pair of leather work gloves. A support for the form is also highly recommended, but not strictly necessary.

The Mandrel


The mandrel for winding coils is simply a wooden dowel or metal rod, of the same diameter that you want the inside of your rings to be, cross-drilled with a hole that's just slightly larger than the diameter of your wire. In my own experience, I have found a 3/8" diameter steel rod works very well for 14 gauge wire, and a 1/4" diameter works well for 16 gauge. Other people use other sizes -- It's really just a question of taste and style.

The Handle

In most cases, the "handle" is just a pair of large locking pliers, clamped to one end of the rod. Some people have worked out removable clamping devices, or mandrels that bend several times at the end to form their own built-in cranks. Whatever your approach, the handle is just a way to turn the form and keep it from springing back at you.

The Support

Being as many people start out hand-winding as they're just getting started in the hobby, the support system for the hand-winding mandrel tends to be an improvisation based on whatever happens to be available at the time. I personally started out using a couple of heavy-duty vises, one on each end of the rod, clamped down and them opened up just a bit, so the rod could spin freely. Many of the people I've talked to have reported great successes using milk crates to support the mandrel.

Gloves

I know everyone just loves to get a lecture on safety, but trust me: this is important! Even though that wire may look smooth enough to you, there may well be some snags or burrs along the length. These do not feel good when they go sliding across your palm, and in some cases, they may actually break the skin. Always wear work gloves when winding coils, no matter how fast the wire is moving.


Drill Winding Tools

The tools for drill-winding are very similar to those for hand-winding, with the addition of an electric drill, and the possible subtraction of the support. There are probably as many different drill-winding techniques as there are people using the method, each one slightly different from the next. Most of the people I've known who use the drill-winding method prefer to use no support, instead using one hand to hold and operate the drill, while the other guides the wire and supports the other end of the mandrel. Once again, it's just a matter of taste and personal style.

The Mandrel

The mandrel for drill-winding is exactly the same as that for hand-winding. You just need to make sure that the cross-drilled hole is far enough from the end of the rod that it will not be covered up by the drill's chuck when the rod is inserted in it. I also highly recommend using a metal rod rather than a wooden dowel with the drill, as the stresses are a bit greater using this method, and it's easy to accidentally crush a wooden dowel in the chuck.

The Drill


This is the important bit. If you use a drill to wind your coils, get one that is reversible, plugs into the wall, and has a chuck with at least a 3/8 inch capacity. Some people have reported success using cordless units. I don't recommend it.

I highly recommend using a reversible drill for turning coils. I suppose this is just a matter of whether you are right- or left-handed, but I've tried it both ways, and the reverse-wound coils were a lot easier for me to work with. (For the record: I'm left-handed.)

Gloves

Once again, it's important to protect your hands. People have different styles of winding coils with drills, some of which are actually more dangerous when you wear gloves. Any Time your hands are in close proximity to a spinning object, there's a chance that any gloves you are wearing may become entangled in the work, taking your hands right along with them. In these cases, it's better _not_ to use gloves. Or at least not gloves with fingers. Still, burrs and rough spots on the wire can cause problems for unprotected hands. On this one, I'll just tell you to use common sense, and hope for the best.

The Support

As I mentioned before, many people who use an electric drill to wind their coils opt to hand-hold the rod, rather than to use a support. If one is used, it's usually similar to those used to hand-wind coils. More information is available in that section of the guide, above.


Jig Winding Tools

Finally, we come to my favorite method, the winding jig. Having tried both the hand-winding and drill-winding methods, I sat down and listed all the things I liked and didn't like about each. The winding jig is the end result.

The Winding Jig


When I deisgned my winding jig, I had a list of features I wanted to include. I wanted to be able to wind coils quickly, and I wanted both my hands free to guide the wire. I also wanted support for both ends of the rod, but it had to be portable so it didn't permanently occupy any of my apartment's valuable floorspace. In the end, I came up with my coil winding jig; a unit that combines rod, drill, support, and a speed control footpedal/handgrip in one self-contained package that stores in about as much room as an ironing board.

Since making mine, I've heard of other people coming up with the same sort of thing, each one designed to their own tastes. I've included a few pictures of my jig, as it's one of those things that is easier to show than to tell about. If you or anyone you know has built a similar unit, I'd be glad to add a few more examples to the page.

Gloves

Once again, the warning about gloves. Being as the jig allows the operator to use both hands to guide the wire, and those hands are kept a safe distance away from the spinning rod, gloves are definitely required for use with the jig. With the speed that the jig operates, it's easy for a sharp burr to glide across your palm before you can really react to it. Gloves. Use them.


BONUS: Spool Stand


One strictly optional piece of equipment is the spool Stand. Most people just suspend their spool of wire from a dowel or rod stuck between a couple of chairs, or let it roll around happily on the floor while they work. This works OK for a while, but you'll eventually end up with a couple dozen feet of wire off the spool at once, and all tangled up together. To counter this problem, use a spool stand. I had a few feet of 2x4 left over from the construction of my coil winding jig, so I took a few screws, a couple of 90-degree mending irons, and a short piece of a winding rod I had accidentally bent, and made myself a little frame. A bit of wire wrapped through the cross-drilled hole and around the frame keeps everything in place, and I have a convenient way to keep my wire neat, both when I am using it, and when I'm not.


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