Lendrum Double Treadle Footman Length
The two footmen on a Lendrum Original Double Treadle are different lengths. On most wheels, one footman measures roughly 5 1/4 In end to end and the other measures roughly 7 1/4 In. Wheels vary, so the most reliable way to size a replacement is to measure the footmen already on your wheel before you cut anything new.
Typical Lendrum DT footman lengths
- Shorter footman: about 5 1/4 In, end to end.
- Longer footman: about 7 1/4 In, end to end.
- Material: 5/16 In stretchy polyurethane cord, a single straight piece per side.
These figures are the common case on a Lendrum Original Double Treadle. The Lendrum has been in production for decades, and a wheel that has been in use for many years can read a fraction different. Trust what your own wheel measures.
How the Lendrum DT mechanism works
The Lendrum Double Treadle does not use two cranks on the drive wheel axle the way a modern double treadle wheel does. Instead, both footmen run up from the treadles to a single horizontal wood bar, a rocker, that pivots on a central bolt mounted to a vertical post on the wheel frame. One end of the rocker carries a separate connector up to the wheel. When the spinner treadles, the rocker tilts back and forth, and that tilting motion drives the wheel through the single upper connector.
The spinner's foot feels the same as a crank-style double treadle. The mechanism behind it is simpler, with one moving link from the rocker to the wheel instead of two.
How the footman attaches at each end
The footman itself is intentionally simple. The cord is straight stretchy polyurethane, no ferrules, no knots, no special hardware. At each end, the cord seats into a drilled hole sized for the 5/16 In material. A second small hole is drilled in from the side at a right angle, and a set screw threads in and pinches into the polyurethane to lock the cord in place. The same attachment is used at both ends, at the treadle below and at the rocker above.
To remove a worn footman: back off the side screw at each end until the cord is no longer pinched, then pull the cord free. To install a new one: insert each end of the cut cord into its hole, seat it to the same depth as the original, then tighten the side screw until it grips firmly.
Why the two footmen are different lengths
The Lendrum's rocker geometry is not symmetric. The point where the upper connector takes off to the wheel sits at one end of the rocker rather than in the middle, and the two footmen meet the rocker at different positions relative to the pivot. To keep both treadles at the same rest height and the same effective stroke, each footman is cut to a different length. That is why a one-length set will not work on a Lendrum DT, and why matching each side to its original keeps the treadling balanced.
How to measure your Lendrum footmen
Before you cut anything new, measure the footmen currently on your wheel.
- Loosen the small side screw at each end of one footman, then slide the cord free of both holes.
- Lay the cord flat on a hard surface and measure end to end with a ruler or tape. Hold it straight without stretching it.
- Write down the length for each side. Most Original Double Treadles measure close to 5 1/4 In on one side and 7 1/4 In on the other.
- Note which length goes on which side of your wheel before both old footmen come off, so the new ones go back the same way.
When to replace your footmen
Stretchy polyurethane is long-lived but it does have a service life. Replace your Lendrum footmen when you notice any of these signs:
- Visible cracking, whitening, or chalking along the cord.
- Stiffness or brittleness compared with how the cord felt when new.
- Stretching that has measurably changed the treadle stroke or made one side feel sluggish.
- Damage at the points where the side screws pinch the cord, which is the most compressed area along its length.
UV exposure shortens the life of polyurethane. A wheel that sits next to a sunny window for years will need new footmen sooner than one kept out of direct light. When one side has failed, replace both at the same time. The remaining original is the same age and will likely follow soon. Doing both keeps the wheel balanced and saves a second teardown later.
Talk to a shop that knows the Lendrum DT
Paradise Fibers has worked on Lendrum wheels for a long time. For a stretch of years we were one of the few shops in the US performing aftermarket Single Treadle to Double Treadle conversions on customer wheels. The footman geometry on this page is something we know from hands-on work, not from a catalog spec sheet.
We are also one of the few shops in the country that keeps a Lendrum Double Treadle set up on the showroom floor in our Spokane store. If you would like to see how the footman attaches, measure against a known-good wheel, or talk through a replacement before ordering, call ahead so we can have the Lendrum set up and ready, and a spinning wheel specialist will walk through it with you.
Order replacement footman material
Our Lendrum Double Treadle Footman Connector ships as a two piece drop in replacement for essentially every Lendrum wheel.