Elite Crankless

Product Description

Featuring our proprietary 72 teeth per inch mill style carding cloth, the Crankless produces 3-4 ounce batts with ease with most fibers without creating neps or noils, while the Crankless Doublewide will produce 6-8 ounce batts. Fiber deflectors keep errant fibers from getting wrapped around the shafts or pulled into the bearings. The delrin bearings never need to be oiled and are easily adjusted to change the spacing between the drums, if desired. The drum spacing set in our shop will work for most fibers, but can be narrowed for short fibers or widened for less carding action or an art batt. The carding cloth on the lickerin is spiral wrapped – meaning there is no gap like the doffing strip on the swift. This is especially important when carding short fibers, as the fiber has no chance to transfer from the lickerin to the swift without being carded. The doffing area on the swift is covered with a stainless steel strip to protect the carding cloth even after many years of heavy use. No clamps are necessary as the Crankless has enough weight that it will not move around while carding, packing using a brush, or removing a batt. Though the name implies otherwise, the Crankless does have a handle that can be used when the power is out or if a hand-cranked batt is desired. Converting to hand crank takes under a minute and is accomplished by simply removing the drive belt and threading in the handle. Reverting to Electric Drive is accomplished just as quickly and easily.

As woodworkers, we are familiar with the dangers of motorized equipment and decided against releasing a powered carder for several decades. After seeing countless cringe-inducing motorized carders – both garage conversions and those of our competitors – we decided to take matters into our own hands and make what we feel is the safest motorized drum carder on the market today. The safety of the Crankless starts with a key switch. Without the key in place and in the on position, the motor will not start. The key cannot be removed while in the on position. Once the key is switched on, a red LED will light, indicating power is on. Large industrial style push button turn the motor on and off – a recessed green button for on, an extended red button for off. The buttons are located on the front of the machine so the user does not have to reach over a moving drum to start or stop it. A fuse protects the carder in case of over load. If the fuse happens to blow, the red LED will not light when the key is switched on, immediately indicating the loss of power. Should the power go out, the carder will not restart until the green start button is pushed again.

All electrical components are UL approved and are mounted entirely within a ventilated steel enclosure, making the Crankless only the second electric carder in the industry to meet all requirements regarding electrical safety – after the Elite Convertible with Electric Drive. As an added measure of safety, power is transmitted from the motor to the main drum via a urethane drive belt. If the carder is jammed – by too much fiber or an errant body part – the drive pulley will slip rather than continuing to feed like a chain, gear, or direct drive. The 10-foot-long power cord eliminates the need for an extension cord. No clamps are necessary as the unit is heavy enough that it will not move while in use. Each Crankless is made of select Oak hardwood and protected with a durable lacquer finish.