The word rowel is Middle English and derives from Old French roel, roele, meaning a wheel. One of the most famous types of rowels are spurs worn by horse riders (especially associated with American cowboys).
Tracing wheels were and still are used to transfer designs by producing a series of marks on some types of cloth. The outline of a design is usually drawn on thin cloth, tissue or tracing paper and then the rowel is run along the outline. The radial points of the rowel create a series of small holes into the cloth below. These holes are then connected with a pencil line or by painting a fine line.
Also known as: dart wheel, pattern wheel, or pounce wheel.
Source: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: 'Rowel'.
Digital source of illustration (retrieved 8th July 2016).
GVE