On Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:03:38 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Dennis fired this volley in
:

Just need to fit a crank & you would have what you need.Run it off any
old 12V supply, battery charger etc.

For that sort of application, a crank isn't usually the best. If the
reduction between spool and crank rpms is relatively large, a crank will
create a reciprocating motion with substantial dwell at both ends, with a
velocity that's sinusoidal in amplitude.

That'll result in the wire piling up at the ends of the spool, and being
shy in the middle.

You need a mechanism that will reverse more or less instantly (within the
limits of inertia, etc.), and for which the velocity is constant across
the width of the spool, so that the winding is more uniform. It should
move at an irrational ratio to the spool, and reverse in less than half a
turn of the spool.

If you're not up to making a dual-lead screw and toggling follower - like
on a casting reel - then a cam driving the traverse arm might be the way
to go.

Lloyd
You would need the heart shapd cam like on the old shuttle type sewing
machines - the one with the bottom thread wound on a small diameter
spool about an inch long (wide between end flanges).