Passing the Torch: How Michael Pauly Built SpinOlution and Continues with SpinPerfect 

It all began when Michael Pauly’s wife bought a handmade wheel from a local craftsman. “I looked at it and said, ‘I can do better than that,’” he recalls. What started as a hobby quickly became a full-fledged pursuit. His first wheel was, by his own admission, “really terrible,” but he kept refining. Over time, he built eleven traditional wheels, each more refined than the last. The final one earned Best in Show at the New York State Fair. Satisfied, he walked away from wheelmaking—or so he thought. 

In 2008, after retiring from the Air Force, Pauly felt the pull to design again. That’s when SpinOlution was born. His focus from the beginning was safety and function. “I wanted a wheel that was safe around little kids,” he said, remembering how he once ran a sewing machine needle through his thumb as a child. He also wanted wheels that were easy to use and maintain—where spinners could remove a bobbin without disassembling the whole setup. 

The first SpinOlution wheel was the Mach 1. From there, Pauly’s ideas grew into a full product line with options ranging from small, beginner-friendly wheels to wheels with massive 64-ounce-capacity bobbins used for spinning rope. “Some people want something huge, and we’re here for that,” he explained. But he was always focused on what the everyday spinner needed. “The 8-ounce bobbin is just about perfect.” 

As the company grew, Pauly was soon overwhelmed trying to keep up with the demand for his wheels. That’s when he partnered with Roy Wallace, who began producing wheels during the 2008 recession. Now, seventeen years later, Pauly is officially stepping back. “Roy is taking over the company,” he said. “He’s better at making the wheels than I am.” SpinOlution’s future is now in Wallace’s hands.  But Pauly hasn’t stopped designing. 

SpinPerfect is his newest project, begun during the COVID-19 pandemic when he “had nothing better to do.” The focus of SpinPerfect is 3D-printed spinning tools, like bobbins and the PaulyWinder, a tensioning mechanism that distributes yarn evenly across a bobbin.  

Unlike SpinOlution, Pauly intends to keep this one in the family. “It’s something I can pass on to my wife,” he said. “She doesn’t like working with machines, but she can manage this. It means she’ll have income when I’m no longer here.” 

SpinPerfect isn’t about flashy innovation—it’s about offering spinners more choices, more tools, and more understanding. Pauly hopes the project empowers spinners not only to create, but to learn. “I always tell people: learn your machine. Take it apart. Put it back together. That’s how you keep it working.” 

For Michael Pauly, spinning wheels have never been about yarn. They’re about curiosity, connection, and creating things that last.