How to find Wood Spindles

Do you need help finding wood spindles for your next DIY project?  Well, I’m helping you with your search.  Before long you too will have a bucket of spindles.

 

There’s a spindle obsession going around the DIY world.  Have you caught it yet?

My spindle obsession started with my grandparent’s old spindle bed.  Years before I was born, someone painted the bed black.  The spindles were tall.  Well to a six-year-old!  But thinking back now the spindles on the foot of the bed were about 4 feet high.  Or the perfect height for a six-year-old girl to grab the top and swing.  After 11 grandkids grabbing the top spindles and swinging, the black paint wore away.  The wood felt soft to the touch.

Anywho, that bed started my love of spindles.

“Where do you find wood spindles?” It’s a popular question I get asked.

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*above on the left – vintage, middle – new, right – repurposed*

Where I find new spindles

Online I’ve found S&L spindles to have a good collection and many sizes.

Vintage Woodworks is great if your DIY project is restoring an old home.  Plus you can order just that one spindle for your DIY project.

Your local lumberyard may carry new spindles.

My personal favorite is Woodworker’s Supply.  I’ve ordered from them for over 20 years.  During my furniture building years, I ordered almost weekly!  This was back in the day when you picked up the phone to place an order.  When their over-busy catalog arrives I spend hours looking through everything.

Where I find vintage spindles

A “vintage” spindle is one I find in markets.  The word vintage is subjective.  One gals vintage spindle is another’s spindle she pulled off from a yard sale table!

At a vintage market, I bought a bundle of 10 spindles for $2 each.  Those spindles were about the same as 12 spindles I removed from a thrift store chair.  I spent $5 for the chair.

Online, my favorite place to find vintage spindles is Etsy!  Click the link to be taking down the rabbit hole of an amazing selection of unique spindles.

You can do a search online for vintage markets in your area.  In Arizona, Junk in the Trunk has a vintage market in the fall and spring.  In fact, next weekend!   I have spent $32 dollars for one spindle…and I love it! <3

Antique stores and malls are other places to find those “vintage” spindles.

Where I find “repurposed” spindles

I called “repurposed” spindles those that were bought still attached to the wood seat of a chair!  Repurposed spindles I have to work to take apart the piece of furniture to use them.

These are the cheapest spindles.  I find them at yard sales, thrift stores and along the side of the road.  Yep, I had Mike wondering what happened to his life when I made him stop to pick up pieces of bed spindles along the road.  He understood when I made the spindles into a bench and sold it for $350.

When you find a table with great spindle legs you have to decide if it’s worth more to you as a table or as a spindle DIY project.  Habitat for Humanity Resale stores has inexpensive furniture that’s can be worth taking apart for the spindles.

Ideas to find wood spindles

Spindles are easy to miss in the mass of other treasures.  Everything is eye candy.  Below are items that could have an awesome spindle or two.

• Tables {coffee, side, or dining}
• Chairs {benches, footstools, highchairs}
• Beds & Cribs
• Wood lamps
• Candleholders
• Porch or stair railings
• Coat racks
• Dresser and cabinets with legs or spindles as support {my favorite is shown above}

Another tip, ask friends to keep an eye open for spindles.

Make wood spindles

I saved the sad story for last.  You could buy a lathe to turn your own spindles.  Years ago, Mike bought a lathe and turning tools for my birthday.  I’ve turned it on twice.  So far, I’ve never made a spindle.  The lathe is different than say a miter saw.  A miter saw you use but turning spindles it a learned skill.  I do plan to learn how to make my own spindles.  In the meantime, the lathe holds garden tools. 🙁

Ideas to use spindles in your home decor

Here’s one of my first posts, 10 things to do with a broken spindle.

Below are my most popular spindle projects

I’ve made well over 30 different spindle projects for the blog.  Type “spindle” in search to see more.

Do you have a bucket for your spindle collection?