Duncan Carders are built to give continuous service under sustained heavy use by production handspinners and felters.  The following features, characteristics and specifications are provided here to demonstrate the suitability of our carding machines for these craftspeople.

• Woodwork: All wood parts are 13/16″ thick high quality Oregon White Oak hardwood.
• Drum Construction: Drums are laminated of solid high density particle board with 13/16″ hardwood ends to match the wood used for the frame and bearing blocks.  After laminating, the drums are precision turned on a lathe   Drum spacing is adjustable on all models.
• Hardware and Fittings: Bolts, nuts and screws are high quality and plated.  Aircraft type “Nylock” nuts are used throughout.
• Bearings: Sintered bronze graphite impregnated “Oilite” bearings are used for the axles of both drums.
• Pulleys: Die cast pulleys are used for both V belt and round belt drives.  Half dog set screws are countersunk into the axle shafts to insure that pulleys and handles stay tight on their shafts and can be removed if required.
• Card Cloth: Our card cloth is “medium fine” and sharp with about 80 points per square inch.  This cloth has proven satisfactory for a wide variety of fleece and other fibers.  When used in conjunction with our Fine Fiber Brush eliminated the need for different density of cloth for carding most fibers.  A gap in the card cloth, covered with a metal strip is provided to facilitate batt removal and to protect the drum and card cloth when removing batts.
• Feet: Rubber feet are used to protect work surfaces and prevent the hand crank carder from sliding around when it is operated.  This feature in addition to the heavy weight of the carder eliminates the need to fasten it down.
• Crank Height: The hand crank models are high enough off the table to allow cranking without hitting your knuckles on the table.  Our carders do not heed to be clamped to the side of a table!
• Motors: Gearmotors used on our carders are industrial quality units with hardened steel gears, and ball and roller bearings   Motor speed ranges from 30 to 90 RPM depending on the carder model.  Each motorized carder is powerful enough to card most fleece without extensive picking or teasing.  Our 16″ V belt driven carder has a large drum shaft speed of 54 RPM.  Other models have various motor speeds.
• Licker-In Drive: The small drum or “licker-in” is driven by a round belt reversed by ball bearing idler shivs.  The ratio between the small and large drums is approximately 6 to 1.  The 16″ models have these drives on both sides of the drums.
• Fine Fiber Brush: The patented Fine Fiber Brush is a must for spinners who regularly card Mohair, Angora Rabbit, Alpaca and other fine fibers.  The brush continuously combs the fiber throughout the carding process producing maximum batt thickness on the large drum and dramatically reducing feedback and collection of fibers on the small licker-in drum.  We use the brush for all fibers.

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If you purchased a used model, see our Instruction Manual Page to get you started.

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